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Mini language lesson #15: The Hungarian family
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The names of family members form a key and basic part of any vocabulary, this is why the topic of family is a beloved subject at language exams. We thought we’d share an episode on family names in Hungarian, since it can be very useful in conversations.
Hungarian families are quite welcoming, there’s a good chance that they’ll offer you some pálinka or homemade wine right away. Hungarian hospitality helps to deepen relationships quite quickly, so much that you might even want to call your host “bátyó” or “papa” to show your gratitude. Jokes aside, the topic of family usually arises early on when learning a new language, this is why we put together a list that can come in handy any time. Prepare yourselves, because we have a word for everything 😉
Keep in mind that we are not linguists in any way, we’re just as dazzled by the curiosities of the Hungarian language as foreigners are. So this series doesn’t aim to explain the etymology of words, it’s more of a fun take on our language. We try to bring Hungarian closer to you with witty learning cards made by Daily magyar, a language-enthusiast person, whose posts give an insight into the complexity of Hungarian grammar. But don’t worry, it’s all done in an easy-going way so that it can make learning fun.
család – family
rokonság – kinship
rokon, hozzátartozó – relative
testvér – sibling
lánytestvér – sister
húg – younger sister
nővér – older sister
fiútestvér; fivér – brother
öcs – younger brother
báty – older brother
szülő – parent
férj – husband
feleség – wife
vőlegény – groom
menyasszony – bride
anya (‘anyu’ ‘mama’ ‘mami’) – mother
apa (‘apu’ ‘papa’ ‘papi’) – father
