1. Very often the students don't pay attention of the vowel harmony rule. To memorize the back and the front vowels there is a trick: memorize that word AUTÓ. This word contains the back vowels. The short and the long vowels are in the same group. Memorize the word TENISZÜTŐ. This word contains the front vowels.
2. Don't forget to pay attention of the long and short vowels! Very important to memorize the Hungarian words well because if you forget the accent or you put an accent when there is no accent it can change the meaning of the word. For example: agy means brain, ágy means bed. When you want to memorize words use wordcards and also write down the words. The 3rd step try to make short sentences with it.
3. Don't want to know so many words in the same time! Try to learn 10 words but no more! The human brain can memorize easily max. 12-14 words.
4. Confuse szeret / tetszik. 'szeret' is more an emotional feeling, 'tetszik' is more a visual perception. For instance Peti szeret lovagolni, Peti love to ride a horse, but Petinek tetszik az új film. Peti likes the new movie.
5. Put 'van' or not in the sentence? Very common mistake in the 3rd person form put always the 'to be'. If in the sentence you use the 3rd person form (Ő / Ön) and you put noun or adjective in this case the 'to be' has to be hidden.
Ő szép. - She is beautiful. Here we don't write and we don't say 'is'.
BUT when you use adverbs in the 3rd person form you have to use it: Ő Rómában van. (Rómában -in Rome, it's an adverb)
6. Nem van or Nincs? In the 3rd person form when you use negative form you must use 'nincs' (isn't) and not van!
Correct: Ő nincs Rómában. He is not in Rome.
Incorrect: Ő nincs van Rómában.
7. Using plural when there is a number. In the Hungarian language when you use numbers we use the noun in singular form. For instance correct: 4 szék. (four chairs)
incorrect 4 székek.
Use singular form if there is a number. Don't forget number can be also: sok (lot), kevés (few).
8. Forget the accusative suffix. If you use transitive verbs in a sentence it can connect directly to an object. You must ad accusative suffix (-t) to the noun.
Correct: Kérek egy pohár vizet.
Incorrect: Kérek egy pohár víz.
9. Szia - Sziasztok! To say Hi! in Hungarian is Szia! It's a singular form.You have to say this to an other person. But if there are more people, you must say Sziasztok!
10. Hungarian learners sometimes use personal pronouns too much. In English, German and some other languages personal pronouns have to be used every time. In Hungarian personal pronouns are usually left from the sentences, because the conjugation of the verbs exactly shows the number and the person. So personal pronouns are used only in special cases, e.g. when we would like to empasize the subject of the sentence.
