Have I mentioned lately that Hungarian is hard?  Very, very hard.  But it’s also like a very trippy version of language Clue.  A whodunit with what weapon in which room.  Because understanding Hungarian is alllllllll about the endings.

I’m going to give you the absolutely easiest example I can.

I make lunch.

This is a fairly easy sentence to create in English, even with a lower level of knowledge of verbs.  I is making lunch?  No.  I making lunch?  No.  But do a little memorization of the forms and you get it:  I make lunch.

Furthermore, in English you signify indefinite/definite with the article:  I make lunch.  Or, I make THE lunch.

But in Hungarian, you have to add endings to just about everything to signify not only person (I–first person singular) and tense (make—present) but also (lunch/the lunch—indefinite/definite) and (lunch—object).  That’s a lot of endings to remember.  I won’t mention them all now.  It’s too depressing.   And this is just for the Indicative.

So here are the words:

root word for to make/do:  csinálni

root word for lunch: ebéd

I make (if it’s just lunch):  csinálok

I make (if it’s THE lunch):  csinálom

lunch (as object): egy ebédet

THE lunch (as object):  az ebédet

See how those endings changed?

And Poof:

1^st person singular indefinite:

Csinálok egy ebédet.

1^st person singular definite:

Csinálom az ebédet.

And what the heck, let’s do 2^nd person singular for present/past/future:

Indefinite:  You make/made/will make lunch.

Csinálsz egy ebédet
Csináltál egy ebédet
Fogsz csinálni egy ebédet

Definite:  You make/made/will make the lunch.

Csinálod az ebédet
Csináltad az ebédet
Fogod csinálni az ebédet

Eighth through twelfth grade I complained about conjugating Latin verbs.  Oh, the endings, tear tear, pout pout.  Ancient language and all, it’s easy to beat up on.  I couldn’t see it then, but my punishment was coming.  And it has arrived in the form of learning Hungarian.