DIFFICULT ENGLISH GRAMMAR TOPICS FOR SPEAKERS OF HUNGARIAN

Hungarian-speaking students often struggle with English grammar because the two languages are structurally very different: English relies on fixed word order, articles, auxiliaries, and prepositions in ways that Hungarian does not, Hungarian marks definiteness on the verb rather than on articles alone, and English tense-aspect distinctions are expressed very differently. As a result, English verb forms, aspectual contrasts, and the role of articles and prepositions can be particularly challenging for Hungarian learners. Here is an overview of some of the main trouble areas:

ARTICLES

Hungarian has definite and indefinite articles, but they're used differently from English, especially with generic reference and possession.

Example:
❌ I have the headache.
✅ I have a headache.

VERB TENSE & ASPECT

Hungarian verbs care about what kind of object the action has, while English verbs care more about how the action unfolds in time.

Hungarian students may:
• Focus too much on whether an object is definite (“the book” vs. “a book”)
• Struggle with English tense-aspect distinctions like:
  simple vs. continuous
  ❌ I read the book now.
  ✅ I am reading the book now.
  present perfect vs. past simple
  ❌ I have seen that movie yesterday.
  ✅ I saw that movie yesterday
• Expect verb forms to reflect object definiteness, which English simply doesn't do

WORD ORDER

Hungarian word order is flexible and driven by focus and emphasis, unlike English.

Examples:
❌ Yesterday met I my teacher.
✅ I met my teacher yesterday.
❌ Only then understood I the problem.
✅ Only then did I understand the problem.

PREPOSITIONS VS. CASE ENDINGS

Hungarian uses case suffixes, not prepositions, which leads to missing or incorrect prepositions in English.

Examples:
❌ I arrived to home late.
✅ I arrived home late.
❌ I am interested for music.
✅ I am interested in music.

ARTICLES WITH POSSESSION & BODY PARTS

Hungarian often uses definite articles with possession and body parts where English prefers possessives.

Examples:
❌ I hurt the leg.
✅ I hurt my leg.
❌ She washed the hands.
✅ She washed her hands.

COUNTABLE VS. UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Some nouns that are countable in Hungarian are uncountable in English.

Examples:
❌ Many informations
✅ Much information
❌ Two advices
✅ Two pieces of advice

SUBJECT PRONOUNS (OVERUSE OR OMISSION)

Hungarian is a pro-drop language, so subjects may be dropped or repeated awkwardly.

Examples:
❌ Went to the store after work.
✅ I went to the store after work.
❌ My brother he lives in Budapest.
✅ My brother lives in Budapest.

PLURAL MARKING (AFTER NUMBERS)

Hungarian typically keeps nouns singular after numbers, which conflicts with English.

Examples:
❌ Five year ago
✅ Five years ago
❌ Two student came
✅ Two students came

QUESTION FORMATION & AUXILIARY 'DO'

Hungarian forms questions without a dummy auxiliary, leading to missing do/does/did.

Examples:
❌ You like coffee?
✅ Do you like coffee?
❌ Where you went yesterday?
✅ Where did you go yesterday?

OVERUSE OF EMPHATIC STRUCTURES

Hungarian frequently uses emphasis particles, which transfer into overly marked English sentences.

Example:
❌ It was yesterday when I met him. (overused)
✅ I met him yesterday.

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