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Welcome to Lesson 19 of the Latinum Institute Modern Hungarian Course. In this lesson, we explore one of Hungarian’s most essential grammatical elements: the proximal demonstrative pronoun ez, meaning “this.”
The word ez functions as a pointing word, directing attention to something near the speaker. Unlike English, Hungarian requires careful attention to how demonstratives interact with the definite article and case system. When ez modifies a noun, Hungarian uses the construction ez a (before consonants) or ez az (before vowels), literally “this the,” which may seem redundant to English speakers but is mandatory in Hungarian.
Hungarian demonstratives form a binary system distinguishing proximity: ez/ezek (this/these) for near objects versus az/azok (that/those) for distant ones. The demonstrative must agree in case with its noun, creating doubled suffixes that learners find distinctive but entirely logical once understood.
The 30 examples in this lesson demonstrate ez in various grammatical contexts, showing its use as both a standalone pronoun and as an attributive modifier with nouns across multiple cases.
Course Index: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
FAQ: What does “ez” mean in Hungarian? Ez is the Hungarian proximal demonstrative pronoun meaning “this.” It points to objects or concepts near the speaker. The plural form is “ezek” (these). When modifying a noun, it combines with the definite article: “ez a könyv” (this book).
Key Takeaways
In this lesson you will learn that ez is the Hungarian equivalent of English “this.” You will discover that Hungarian demonstratives require the definite article between the demonstrative and noun. You will understand that case endings must appear on both the demonstrative and noun. You will see ez functioning as both subject and predicate. You will encounter the plural form ezek meaning “these.”
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19.1a Ez this a the könyv book érdekes interesting
19.1b Ez (ez) this a (ɒ) the könyv (kønyv) book érdekes (eːrdɛkɛʃ) interesting
19.2a Ez this az the én I házam house-my
19.2b Ez (ez) this az (ɒz) the én (eːn) I házam (haːzɒm) house-my
19.3a Mi what ez this
19.3b Mi (mi) what ez (ez) this
19.4a Ez this egy a kutya dog
19.4b Ez (ez) this egy (ɛɟ) a kutya (kutyɒ) dog
19.5a Ez this a the ház house nagy big
19.5b Ez (ez) this a (ɒ) the ház (haːz) house nagy (nɒɟ) big
19.6a Szeretem love-I-DEF ezt this-ACC a the filmet film-ACC
19.6b Szeretem (sɛrɛtɛm) love-I-DEF ezt (ɛst) this-ACC a (ɒ) the filmet (filmɛt) film-ACC
19.7a Ebben this-INESS a the városban city-INESS lakom live-I
19.7b Ebben (ɛbbɛn) this-INESS a (ɒ) the városban (vaːroʃbɒn) city-INESS lakom (lɒkom) live-I
19.8a Ez this nagyon very fontos important
19.8b Ez (ez) this nagyon (nɒɟon) very fontos (fontoʃ) important
19.9a Ezek these a the gyerekek children jól well tanulnak learn-they
19.9b Ezek (ɛzɛk) these a (ɒ) the gyerekek (ɟɛrɛkɛk) children jól (joːl) well tanulnak (tɒnulnɒk) learn-they
19.10a Ki who ez this az the ember person
19.10b Ki (ki) who ez (ɛz) this az (ɒz) the ember (ɛmbɛr) person
19.11a Ezzel this-INSTR a the késsel knife-INSTR vágok cut-I
19.11b Ezzel (ɛzzɛl) this-INSTR a (ɒ) the késsel (keːʃʃɛl) knife-INSTR vágok (vaːgok) cut-I
19.12a Ez this a the legjobb best megoldás solution
19.12b Ez (ez) this a (ɒ) the legjobb (lɛgjobb) best megoldás (mɛgoldaːʃ) solution
19.13a Erről this-DELAT a the témáról topic-DELAT beszélünk speak-we
19.13b Erről (ɛrrøːl) this-DELAT a (ɒ) the témáról (teːmaːroːl) topic-DELAT beszélünk (bɛseːlyːnk) speak-we
19.14a Ez this nem not igaz true
19.14b Ez (ez) this nem (nɛm) not igaz (igɒz) true
19.15a Mindez all-this csak only álom dream volt was
19.15b Mindez (mindɛz) all-this csak (tʃɒk) only álom (aːlom) dream volt (volt) was
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19.1 Ez a könyv érdekes. “This book is interesting.”
19.2 Ez az én házam. “This is my house.”
19.3 Mi ez? “What is this?”
19.4 Ez egy kutya. “This is a dog.”
19.5 Ez a ház nagy. “This house is big.”
19.6 Szeretem ezt a filmet. “I love this film.”
19.7 Ebben a városban lakom. “I live in this city.”
19.8 Ez nagyon fontos. “This is very important.”
19.9 Ezek a gyerekek jól tanulnak. “These children study well.”
19.10 Ki ez az ember? “Who is this person?”
19.11 Ezzel a késsel vágok. “I cut with this knife.”
19.12 Ez a legjobb megoldás. “This is the best solution.”
19.13 Erről a témáról beszélünk. “We are speaking about this topic.”
19.14 Ez nem igaz. “This is not true.”
19.15 Mindez csak álom volt. “All this was only a dream.”
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19.1 Ez a könyv érdekes.
19.2 Ez az én házam.
19.3 Mi ez?
19.4 Ez egy kutya.
19.5 Ez a ház nagy.
19.6 Szeretem ezt a filmet.
19.7 Ebben a városban lakom.
19.8 Ez nagyon fontos.
19.9 Ezek a gyerekek jól tanulnak.
19.10 Ki ez az ember?
19.11 Ezzel a késsel vágok.
19.12 Ez a legjobb megoldás.
19.13 Erről a témáról beszélünk.
19.14 Ez nem igaz.
19.15 Mindez csak álom volt.
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These are the grammar rules for ez (this).
Basic Forms
The singular form is ez (this) and the plural form is ezek (these). Hungarian has no grammatical gender, so these forms serve for all nouns regardless of meaning.
The Definite Article Construction
When ez modifies a noun, Hungarian inserts the definite article between demonstrative and noun. Before consonant-initial nouns, use ez a: ez a könyv (this book), ez a ház (this house). Before vowel-initial nouns, use ez az: ez az ember (this person), ez az alma (this apple).
This construction may seem redundant to English speakers but is obligatory in standard Hungarian. The demonstrative is always stressed and separated from the article by a brief pause in speech.
Case Agreement (Suffix Duplication)
In Hungarian, case suffixes must appear on both the demonstrative and the noun. This is called suffix duplication. For example, in the inessive case (meaning “in”): ebben a házban (in this house), where -ben appears on both ez (becoming ebben) and ház (becoming házban).
Major Case Forms of Ez
Nominative (subject): ez, Accusative (direct object): ezt, Dative (indirect object): ennek, Inessive (in): ebben, Illative (into): ebbe, Elative (out of): ebből, Superessive (on): ezen, Sublative (onto): erre, Delative (off of, about): erről, Allative (toward): ehhez, Adessive (at, near): ennél, Ablative (from): ettől, Instrumental (with): ezzel, Translative (becoming): ezzé, Terminative (until): eddig
Note that consonant assimilation occurs: ez + -vel becomes ezzel, ez + -ben becomes ebben, ez + -ről becomes erről.
Predicate Use
When ez stands alone as a predicate, no article is needed. Ez könyv (This is a book). Ez asztal (This is a table). The copula “van” (is) is typically omitted in third person present tense declarative sentences.
Archaic and Poetic Forms
In poetry and older texts, you may encounter non-duplicating forms: e, ezen, eme. For example, “e házban” instead of “ebben a házban” (in this house). These are poetic or obsolete and should be recognized but not actively used.
Common Mistakes
Learners often omit the definite article, saying “ez könyv” when they mean “this book.” Remember: ez könyv = this is a book, but ez a könyv = this book. Another error is forgetting to duplicate case suffixes on both demonstrative and noun.
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The demonstrative ez appears constantly in everyday Hungarian speech, arguably more frequently than “this” appears in English. Hungarians naturally employ demonstratives to add clarity and emphasis to statements.
In formal Hungarian, demonstratives are used precisely and with careful attention to case agreement. In casual speech, some case endings may be reduced or blurred, though the basic “ez a” construction remains stable across registers.
Regional dialects show minor variations. In some western dialects, the inessive -ban/-ben may be pronounced more like the illative -ba/-be, though this is considered non-standard. Standard Hungarian maintains clear distinctions between all locative cases.
The frequent use of demonstratives reflects Hungarian’s preference for explicit specification. Where English might use “the” alone, Hungarian often prefers a demonstrative construction for greater precision about spatial or conceptual proximity.
Hungarian culture values directness in communication, and demonstratives serve this function by clearly identifying referents. In business and academic settings, precise use of demonstratives contributes to clarity and professionalism.
The phrase “Mi ez?” (What is this?) is among the most useful expressions for learners, appearing in countless daily situations from shopping to museum visits. Its interrogative counterpart “Mi az?” (What is that?) uses the distal demonstrative.
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Source: Sándor Petőfi, “Nemzeti dal” (National Song), 1848
This revolutionary poem became a rallying cry during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Petőfi recited it on the steps of the Hungarian National Museum on March 15, 1848. The phrase “Ez a kérdés” (This is the question) demonstrates ez in one of Hungarian literature’s most iconic moments.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
Talpra to-feet magyar Hungarian hí calls a the haza homeland
Talpra (tɒlprɒ) to-feet magyar (mɒɟɒr) Hungarian hí (hiː) calls a (ɒ) the haza (hɒzɒ) homeland
Itt here az the idő time most now vagy or soha never
Itt (itt) here az (ɒz) the idő (idøː) time most (moʃt) now vagy (vɒɟ) or soha (ʃohɒ) never
Rabok slaves legyünk be-we-SUBJ vagy or szabadok free-PL
Rabok (rɒbok) slaves legyünk (lɛɟyːnk) be-we-SUBJ vagy (vɒɟ) or szabadok (sɒbɒdok) free-PL
Ez this a the kérdés question válasszatok choose-you-PL-IMP
Ez (ɛz) this a (ɒ) the kérdés (keːrdeːʃ) question válasszatok (vaːlɒssɒtok) choose-you-PL-IMP
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Talpra magyar, hí a haza! Itt az idő, most vagy soha! Rabok legyünk vagy szabadok? Ez a kérdés, válasszatok!
“On your feet, Hungarian, the homeland calls! Here is the time, now or never! Shall we be slaves or free? This is the question, choose!”
F-C: Hungarian Text Only
Talpra magyar, hí a haza! Itt az idő, most vagy soha! Rabok legyünk vagy szabadok? Ez a kérdés, válasszatok!
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
In “Ez a kérdés” (This is the question), we see the demonstrative ez combined with definite article a modifying the noun kérdés (question). This is the standard attributive construction.
The subjunctive “legyünk” (that we be) poses the central question of national destiny. The imperative “válasszatok” (choose!) employs the formal plural second person, addressing the Hungarian people collectively.
The construction “Itt az idő” (Here is the time) uses the distal demonstrative az because “idő” begins with a vowel, demonstrating the a/az alternation of the definite article.
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The following 15 examples form a coherent dialogue between a customer and vendor at a Hungarian market, demonstrating ez in natural conversational contexts.
19.16a Jó good napot day-ACC kívánok wish-I Ez this a the bolt shop friss fresh
19.16b Jó (joː) good napot (nɒpot) day-ACC kívánok (kiːvaːnok) wish-I Ez (ɛz) this a (ɒ) the bolt (bolt) shop friss (friʃʃ) fresh
19.17a Igen yes ez this a the legfrissebb freshest zöldség vegetable a the piacon market-SUPER
19.17b Igen (igɛn) yes ez (ɛz) this a (ɒ) the legfrissebb (lɛgfriʃʃɛbb) freshest zöldség (zøldsheːg) vegetable a (ɒ) the piacon (piɒtson) market-SUPER
19.18a Mi what ez this itt here
19.18b Mi (mi) what ez (ɛz) this itt (itt) here
19.19a Ez this paprika paprika nagyon very jó good minőségű quality-ADJ
19.19b Ez (ɛz) this paprika (pɒprikɒ) paprika nagyon (nɒɟon) very jó (joː) good minőségű (minøːʃeːgyː) quality-ADJ
19.20a Mennyibe how-much-ILLAT kerül costs ez this a the paprika paprika
19.20b Mennyibe (mɛnnyibɛ) how-much-ILLAT kerül (kɛryːl) costs ez (ɛz) this a (ɒ) the paprika (pɒprikɒ) paprika
19.21a Ez this kilónként per-kilo ötszáz five-hundred forint forint
19.21b Ez (ɛz) this kilónként (kiloːnkeːnt) per-kilo ötszáz (øtsaːz) five-hundred forint (forint) forint
19.22a És and ezek these a the paradicsomok tomatoes
19.22b És (eːʃ) and ezek (ɛzɛk) these a (ɒ) the paradicsomok (pɒrɒditʃomok) tomatoes
19.23a Ezek these hatszáz six-hundred forintba forint-ILLAT kerülnek cost-they
19.23b Ezek (ɛzɛk) these hatszáz (hɒtsaːz) six-hundred forintba (forintbɒ) forint-ILLAT kerülnek (kɛryːlnɛk) cost-they
19.24a Kérek ask-I ebből this-ELAT a the paprikából paprika-ELAT egy one kilót kilo-ACC
19.24b Kérek (keːrɛk) ask-I ebből (ɛbbøːl) this-ELAT a (ɒ) the paprikából (pɒprikaːboːl) paprika-ELAT egy (ɛɟ) one kilót (kiloːt) kilo-ACC
19.25a Ezeket these-ACC a the paradicsomokat tomatoes-ACC is also kérem ask-I-DEF
19.25b Ezeket (ɛzɛkɛt) these-ACC a (ɒ) the paradicsomokat (pɒrɒditʃomokɒt) tomatoes-ACC is (iʃ) also kérem (keːrɛm) ask-I-DEF
19.26a Persze of-course ezzel this-INSTR mi what lesz will-be
19.26b Persze (pɛrsɛ) of-course ezzel (ɛzzɛl) this-INSTR mi (mi) what lesz (lɛs) will-be
19.27a Ebből this-ELAT levest soup-ACC főzök cook-I este evening
19.27b Ebből (ɛbbøːl) this-ELAT levest (lɛvɛʃt) soup-ACC főzök (føːzøk) cook-I este (ɛʃtɛ) evening
19.28a Ez this nagyon very jó good ötlet idea erre this-SUBLAT az the időre weather-SUBLAT
19.28b Ez (ɛz) this nagyon (nɒɟon) very jó (joː) good ötlet (øtlɛt) idea erre (ɛrrɛ) this-SUBLAT az (ɒz) the időre (idøːrɛ) weather-SUBLAT
19.29a Igen yes ez this az the összeg total ezerszáz one-thousand-hundred forint forint
19.29b Igen (igɛn) yes ez (ɛz) this az (ɒz) the összeg (øssɛg) total ezerszáz (ɛzɛrsaːz) one-thousand-hundred forint (forint) forint
19.30a Tessék here-you-are ez this a the pénz money köszönöm thank-I szépen nicely
19.30b Tessék (tɛʃʃeːk) here-you-are ez (ɛz) this a (ɒ) the pénz (peːnz) money köszönöm (køsønøm) thank-I szépen (seːpɛn) nicely
19.16 Jó napot kívánok! Ez a bolt friss? “Good day! Is this shop fresh?”
19.17 Igen, ez a legfrissebb zöldség a piacon. “Yes, this is the freshest vegetable at the market.”
19.18 Mi ez itt? “What is this here?”
19.19 Ez paprika, nagyon jó minőségű. “This is paprika, very good quality.”
19.20 Mennyibe kerül ez a paprika? “How much does this paprika cost?”
19.21 Ez kilónként ötszáz forint. “This is five hundred forints per kilo.”
19.22 És ezek a paradicsomok? “And these tomatoes?”
19.23 Ezek hatszáz forintba kerülnek. “These cost six hundred forints.”
19.24 Kérek ebből a paprikából egy kilót. “I would like one kilo of this paprika.”
19.25 Ezeket a paradicsomokat is kérem. “I would like these tomatoes also.”
19.26 Persze. Ezzel mi lesz? “Of course. What will you make with this?”
19.27 Ebből levest főzök este. “I am cooking soup from this tonight.”
19.28 Ez nagyon jó ötlet erre az időre. “This is a very good idea for this weather.”
19.29 Igen, ez az összeg: ezerszáz forint. “Yes, this is the total: eleven hundred forints.”
19.30 Tessék, ez a pénz. Köszönöm szépen! “Here you are, this is the money. Thank you very much!”
19.16 Jó napot kívánok! Ez a bolt friss?
19.17 Igen, ez a legfrissebb zöldség a piacon.
19.18 Mi ez itt?
19.19 Ez paprika, nagyon jó minőségű.
19.20 Mennyibe kerül ez a paprika?
19.21 Ez kilónként ötszáz forint.
19.22 És ezek a paradicsomok?
19.23 Ezek hatszáz forintba kerülnek.
19.24 Kérek ebből a paprikából egy kilót.
19.25 Ezeket a paradicsomokat is kérem.
19.26 Persze. Ezzel mi lesz?
19.27 Ebből levest főzök este.
19.28 Ez nagyon jó ötlet erre az időre.
19.29 Igen, ez az összeg: ezerszáz forint.
19.30 Tessék, ez a pénz. Köszönöm szépen!
The dialogue demonstrates ez across multiple cases in authentic market conversation.
In example 19.24, “ebből a paprikából” shows the elative case (-ból/-ből) doubled on both demonstrative and noun, expressing the partitive meaning “from/of this paprika.”
Example 19.25 shows accusative case doubling: “ezeket a paradicsomokat” where both demonstrative and noun take -t/-at/-et/-ot.
The instrumental case appears in 19.26: “ezzel” (with this), where the -vel suffix assimilates to -zel after the z of ez.
Example 19.28 contains a complex construction “erre az időre” (for this weather), showing sublative case (-ra/-re) on both demonstrative and noun, with the definite article “az” appearing because “idő” begins with a vowel.
The dialogue also shows ez functioning predicatively without a following noun: “Ez kilónként ötszáz forint” (This is five hundred forints per kilo), where ez stands alone as the subject.
Note the politeness marker “tessék” (here you are/please), a common Hungarian courtesy expression when handing something to someone.
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Ez is pronounced [ɛz], with a short front vowel similar to the “e” in English “bed” followed by a voiced “z.”
Ezek (these) is pronounced [ɛzɛk], with stress on the first syllable.
When case suffixes are added, consonant assimilation creates doubled consonants: ezzel [ɛzzɛl], ebben [ɛbbɛn], erről [ɛrrøːl].
The Hungarian letter ö represents a front rounded vowel [ø], similar to German “ö” or French “eu.” The long version ő is [øː].
The letter gy represents a palatalized voiced stop [ɟ], similar to the “d” in English “dune” when pronounced with the tongue further forward.
Hungarian stress consistently falls on the first syllable of words, including demonstratives.
Common Pronunciation Errors for English Speakers
English speakers often pronounce Hungarian “a” as in English “apple” rather than the correct [ɒ], which is more like the “o” in British “hot.” They also tend to place stress on the wrong syllable in longer words or to pronounce short and long vowels identically when Hungarian distinguishes them meaningfully.
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The Latinum Institute has been creating language learning materials since 2006, specializing in the construed text method for autodidact learners. This approach, pioneered for Latin and Greek, has proven highly effective for modern languages with complex grammatical systems.
Our Hungarian course follows a frequency-based vocabulary progression, introducing the most essential words first. Each lesson provides 30 examples with word-by-word interlinear glossing, enabling learners to understand sentence structure at a granular level.
The construed text method accelerates comprehension by making grammatical relationships transparent. Rather than memorizing phrase patterns, learners see how each word functions within the sentence, building genuine understanding of Hungarian’s agglutinative structure.
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Hungarian, a Uralic language unrelated to its Indo-European neighbors, offers a unique window into a distinct grammatical tradition. Its logical case system and vowel harmony reward systematic study, and mastery of fundamental elements like demonstratives provides a foundation for fluent comprehension.
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✓ Lesson 19 Hungarian complete
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