Reported Speech
In Hungarian, reported speech is used to convey someone else's words or ideas. It involves reporting what someone has said or thought, while making necessary changes to the tenses and pronouns. Here's how you can report speech effectively in Hungarian:
- Indirect Speech Introduction
When reporting someone's words or ideas, it's important to introduce the indirect speech properly. In Hungarian, this is commonly done using the word "hogy" which means "that".
Example: Direct Speech: "Szeretem a pizzát." (I love pizza.) Indirect Speech: Azt mondta, hogy szereti a pizzát. (He/She said that he/she loves pizza.)
- Reporting Verb
When reporting speech, you should use a reporting verb to introduce the indirect speech. Common reporting verbs in Hungarian include "mondani" (to say), "kérdezni" (to ask), "válaszolni" (to answer), and "gondolni" (to think).
Example: Direct Speech: "Holnap találkozunk." (We will meet tomorrow.) Indirect Speech: Mondta, hogy holnap találkozunk. (He/She said that we will meet tomorrow.)
- Changes in Pronouns and Verb Tenses
In reported speech, you need to adjust the pronouns and verb tenses to match the new context. Here's how it works in Hungarian:
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Pronoun Changes:
- First-person pronouns (I, we) remain the same.
- Second-person pronouns (you) change based on the subject of the reported speech.
- Third-person pronouns (he, she, they) change based on the subject of the reported speech.
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Verb Tense Changes:
- Present tense can remain the same or change to past tense in indirect speech.
- Past tense changes to past perfect tense in indirect speech.
- Future tense changes to conditional tense in indirect speech.
Example: Direct Speech: "Megcsinálom a házi feladatot." (I will do the homework.) Indirect Speech: Mondta, hogy megcsinálja a házi feladatot. (He/She said that he/she will do the homework.)
- Time and Place References
When reporting speech, you may need to adjust time and place references accordingly. Use expressions such as "ott" for "there" and "akkor" for "then" to maintain clarity.
Example: Direct Speech: "Holnap délután találkozunk a parkban." (We will meet in the park tomorrow afternoon.) Indirect Speech: Mondta, hogy ott találkozunk akkor holnap délután. (He/She said that we will meet there tomorrow afternoon.)
- Imperative and Question Forms
When reporting imperative sentences (commands) or question forms, you need to transform them into indirect speech accordingly. Use the appropriate verb form and word order to convey the intended meaning.
Example: Direct Speech (Imperative): "Mondd el neki az igazat!" (Tell him/her the truth!) Indirect Speech: Azt mondta, hogy mondjam el neki az igazat. (He/She said to tell him/her the truth.)
Direct Speech (Question): "Hova mész?" (Where are you going?) Indirect Speech: Megkérdezte, hogy hova megyek. (He/She asked where I am going.)
Remember, practice is key to mastering reported speech in Hungarian. Use real-life situations to reinforce your skills and gradually incorporate reported speech in your conversations. Happy learning!