Chapter X · THE ADVERB
Reading edition
1. Adverbs of Manner. These are mostly derived from adjectives, with the aid of the suffix -n, -an, -on, -en, -úl or -ül.
tiszta (clean, clear), adverb, tisztá-n
szabad (free) ” szabad-on
rövid (short) ” rövid-en
rossz (bad) ” rossz-úl
The primitive adverbs of manner are:—
így, thus, in this way (for things near).
úgy, thus, in that way (for things farther).
2. Adverbs of Time.
ma, to-day
holnap, to-morrow
tegnap, yesterday
most, now
akkor, then
máskor, another time
mindig, always
soha, never
a múltban, in the past
a jövőben, in the future
későn, late
korán, early
már, already
reggel, in the morning
nappal, in the daytime
este, in the evening
éjszaka, in the night
gyakran, often
ritkán, seldom
időnként, from time to time
addig, until then
3. Adverbs of Place.
(a) Rest at—
itt, here
ott, there
ben, in
belől, inside
közel, near
messze, far
távol, far
kint, or künn, or kivűl, outside
valahol, somewhere
máshol, elsewhere
mindenhol, everywhere
lent, down there
fent, up there
(b) Motion towards or from.
ide, hither
oda, thither
föl or fel, up
le, down
addig, as far as there
be, into
ki, out of
máshova, elsewhere
mindenhova, everywhere
eddig, as far as here
4. Adverbs of Degree.
kevéssé or kissé, little.
inkább or jobban, more, rather.
leginkább, most.
egészen or teljesen, wholly, entirely.
nagyon, very, very much.
5. Adverbs of Interrogation.
hogy? how?
mikor? when?
hol? where?
hova? whither?
honnan? whence?
miért? why?
meddig? how far? or, how long?
In connection with these adverbs must be mentioned the interrogative suffix -e, which is joined to words to mark a question; as, szép-e, esik-e.
This construction is only used, however, in dependent sentences (except in the case of ugy-e? Isn’t it so?).
Mondd meg, szép-e a könyv? Tell me, is the book pretty? or, Tell me whether the book is pretty.
Nézd meg, esik-e? See if it is raining.
6. Adverbs of Affirmation.
igen, yes
aligha nem, probably
bizony, verily
igazán, truly
talán, perhaps
7. Adverbs of Negation.
nem, no, not
ne, not (in commands)
sem, neither
semmi esetre, in no case
aligha, hardly.
Note.—Ne is only used with the imperative and subjunctive moods; as, ne mondd, do not say; hogy ne irjak, that I may not write. In all other cases nem is used.
The suffix -ig is used for both time and place, and has the force of until or as far as.
tíz órá-ig, until ten o’clock,
tíz percz-ig, for ten minutes.
a kapu-ig, as far as the gate.
a határ-ig, as far as the frontier.
Comparison of Adverbs.
All adverbs derived from adjectives form their comparative and superlative by adding the adverbial ending to the comparative and superlative of the adjective from which they are derived: as—
Adjective: szép, szebb, legszebb.
Adverb: szép-en, szebb-en, legszebb-en.
Adjective: rossz, rosszabb, legrosszabb.
Adverb: rossz-úl, rosszabb-úl, legrosszabb-úl.
Of primitive adverbs, some take both a comparative and a superlative, while some are lacking in either one or the other.
távol, far; távolabb, legtávolabb
erre, this way; errébb (has no superlative)
arra, that way; arrább ” ”
elől, in front; legelől, foremost (has no comparative)
belül, within; legbelül, innermost ” ”
Inkább has no positive, but is used only in the comparative and superlative, in both cases expressing preference.
inkább, sooner, rather; leginkább, soonest, especially.
Exercise X.
Ha magyarul beszélsz, tisztán mondj ki minden hangot. Imre király nemesen győzte le öccsét, mikor ez álnokul támadta meg. “Jobb ma egy veréb, mint holnap egy túzok.” Nagyon sajnálom, hogy önök nem jöhetnek el. A dinnye belül piros, kivül zöld. A hangverseny tizenegy óráig tartott. Elkisérlek a sarokig. Szeretném tudni, eljösz-e? Ne lármázzatok! A katonák között a huszárok lovagolnak legszebben. Szent László mindig legelöl küzdött a csatában.
I like reading very much. You have come very late. I saw him yesterday, and hope to speak with him again to-morrow. Are you going far? As far as the bridge. When did you buy that horse? Tell me if he is a good one. You walk much more quickly than your elder brother. I would rather eat a pear.
magyarul, in Hungarian
beszélni, to speak
hang, sound
Imre, Emmeric
nemesen, nobly
legyőzni, to overcome
öcs, younger brother
álnokul, treacherously
megtámadni, to attack
tuzok, bustard
sajnálni, to regret
dinnye, melon
hangverseny, concert
tartani, to last
elkisérni, to accompany
sarok, corner
lármázni, to make a noise
huszár, hussar
lovagolni, to ride on horseback
szent, saint
László, Ladislas
küzdeni, to fight
csata, battle