The Hungarian word order
Source: Carol H. Rounds/ Hungarian - An essential grammar
Hungarian allows a freedom of word order unknown in English. This does not mean that hungarian word order is free; word order is used instead as a means of backgrounding and/or highlighting information.
2 main sentence types exist in Hungarian regarding the word order. The 1st is the ‘neutral sentence’, the other is the ‘focus sentence’.
Before discussing their characteristics, we get to know the main sentence elements and their
positions.
In general
Sentence elements & positions
Topic Preverb Verb X
Neutral Preverb Focus Preverb
Neutral sentence structure
Focus sentence structure
The sentence elements
Topic The topic position is in the
beginning of the sentence and is usually filled with subject(s), general time expressions, and any other information which serves to set the background for more essential information to come. It may contain several constituents or remain empty.
„X” This position is filled by any part of
speech (except the conjugated verb); it may contain several constituents; it may occur empty. For the most part, the constituents may occur in the X position in any order without a difference is meaning. In sentences with focus, however it is usual that the 1st element of X is the element that was removed from the neutral preverb position.
Preverb The preverb occupies the position
immediately before the conjugated verb. It is the crux of the sentence for it is primarily here that the grammaticality of a sentence is determined. It is filled by different elements of speech depending on whether the sentence is neutral or focused.
The sentence types
I. Neutral sentence structure
Neutral sentences have a level intonation pattern; they are further characterized by not containing
elements with heavy stress interrogatives answers negation
Examples
Attilaitt
van -
Kláraszépen
énekel -
Múlt évben
Budapestenlaktak a szülei.
Múlt évben a szülei
Budapesten
laktak -
Topic Neutral Preverb
Verb X
Reggel a gyerekek
a kertbenjátszanak -
Reggela kertben
játszanaka
gyerekek.
- Amerikaiak vagyunk -
Péter jól meg- tanulta a leckét.
Zsuzsael
akarutazni
Prágába.
Topic Neutral Preverb
Verb X
a coverb an adverb a verbal complement
What might fill the role of a neutral preverb?
Verbal complements
Predicate nominative/ adjective Én mérnök vagyok. Magasak vagytok.
‘Have’ constuctions Nekem 2 testvérem van. Lacinak kevés ideje van.
Types of verbal complements 1.
Generic activities with no reference to specifics Dénes könyvet olvas. Jánost tollat keres. Tévét nézek. Holnap moziba megyünk. Adri egyetemre jár. Kovácsék vidéken laknak.
Types of verbal complements 2.
II. Focus sentence structureFocussed sentences have an intonation pattern containing the main stress on the focussed elements. Focus affects the word order of neutral sentences by taking away the preverb position for itself & removing the neutral preverb element to a position immediately behind the verb. The topic postion remains unaffected.
II. Focus sentence structure
Containing emphasis
Csak Dénes FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX.
interrogative Ki FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX?
answers to previous questions Dénes FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX.
negation DénesTOPIC nem FOCUS PREVERB olvasVERB könyvetX.
Examples
Q Reggel kik játszanak a kertben?
Q Reggela gyerekek
játszanak a kertben?
A Reggela gyerekek
játszanak a kertben.
Q -Mikor
játszanaka gyerekek a
kertben?
Q A gyerekek mikor játszanak a kertben?
A A gyerekekreggel
játszanak a kertben.
Type
of
focus
Topic Focus preverb
Verb X
N A gyerekek sohasem játszanaka kertben
reggel.
NA gyerekek nem reggel
játszanaka kertben,
hanem délután.
E A gyerekekcsak reggel
játszanaka kertben, este
soha.
E Reggel a gyerekek
csak a kertben játszanak, a házban soha.
Type
of
focus
Topic Focus preverb
Verb X
N Tegnap meg- ittama barátaimmal 2
sört.
N Tegnap nem ittam meg2 sört a
barátaimmal
Q -Meg-
ittam2 sört a
barátaimmal tegnap?
Q - Mit ittamtegnap a
barátaimmal?
E Tegnap 2 sört ittam meg a barátaimmal.
Én ittam mega barátaimmal 2 sört, és nem te.
Sentence type
Topic Preverb Verb X
The position of coverbs (simple cases)
The End
Next: Word order of the quasi – auxiliary verbs
(kell, akar, tud, lehet, szokott, tetszik, fog)