We introduce a new format to our podcast this time – the Survival Lesson! It’s designed for short-term visitors to Hungary to help them manage while in the country. We hope you like this format, which will be offered occasionally throughout the summer. The next lesson will continue with Lesson 10 in the regular format that we’ve used until now. Enjoy!
Please let us know what you think of the survival lessons and give us an idea of what you would like to see in the next one. As always, we welcome your feedback in general and questions about the Hungarian language.
Music: Curtis Maranda, “Playtime.” Thanks to Curtis for again allowing us to use his music on the podcast. You can find out more about Curtis by going to http://www.curtismaranda.com/
The PDF file below contains the written dialogue and vocabulary, and the MP3 file has the audio for Survival Lesson 1. Download both of them below, and thanks for listening!
Hey what are you doing with this great podcast??? the past lessons was sooo great, and now you’re just doing survival lessons???????very dissapointing
I really think that all the listeners, as me, are not just tourists..they really want to learn this fantastic tongue.I’ve past 4 months in Budapest Corvinus Egyetem for my studies, and want to work in there in the future. Sure that i’m learning the language with books and so on…but your podcast was also really good to do it!
ti nelkül : Ez mà r nem szorakoztato magyarul tanulni!!
titi, one of your numerous french listener
I agree Titi! While I’m sure the survival lessons are appreciated by some – It would be my belief that the avid listener to this podcast are beyond the “survival lesson” phase of learning.
I prefer your orginal format. Since you do this bi-weekly, it’s makes for a much longer delay for those of us who are waiting for another one of your great conversation-based lessons.
Well… i love both. In fact, you need both: grammar structure and tips to make you speak like an Hungarian citizen… but it would be great not to stop the previous path… why don’t you use both ways? previous bi-week lessons and weekly tips…? hope this no bother you with too much work…
I agree with Emilia. While some people may think that the survival lessons are beneath them, other people who are just starting to learn the language (like myself) find them very helpful. The words and phrases taught in this lesson are basic things that are helpful to everyone and is not just for tourists.
Hmmm, well as always thanks for the comments. We love to hear what you think – positive or negative! And we do pay attention to it and make decisions based on what you tell us. For those of you who didn’t find it very useful, I have to say that Györgyi didn’t like the Survival Lesson format either!
I think the Survival Lesson was just an experiment and something we’ll only do occasionally. In the next lesson (which we hope to have out sooner than usual), we’ll continue with our regular conversation-based format. So stay tuned! We also want to get some advanced lessons out this summer as well…
steven
THank you Steve. What is clearly evident is your (both of you) desire to evolve your format for your listeners. Thank you for attempting to raise the bar on an already very well done iniative…for us!
Thanks for the survival lesson. I’m going to Budapest for the weekend and I’ve got my phrasebook packed but it was great to listen to the pronunciation in your podcast.
Helen,
Sorry, but I accidentally deleted your comment when I really wanted to approve it (it’s been a long day for me).
Could you please write it again? You had some good suggestions that I wanted to take into account for the next lesson.
Sorry again! I hope you don’t mind retyping the info.
steven
No problem, I’ll try to remember them!
To repeat, I like the survival format as a supplement to the conversational format. These types of rote phrases/words were helpful for me as basic survival tools in other languages. They also can serve as a quick study/review.
Some phrases that may be useful…
Right/left.
River (as there is a river to provide orientation!)
I would like….
—–a coffee/coffee with milk/tea
—–water with/without gas
The check please (or equivalent).
I need help (as opposed to HELP!) or Please, can you help me?
I do not understand/speak Hungarian.
I understand/speak only a little Hungarian.
Do you speak English? German? etc.
And the numbers 0-10…(granted fingers can be a universal language!)
–Helen
I am throughly enjoying your lessons and find them invaluable. Hungarian is such a beautiful language and the culture is so rich in history. There are certainly some elements of the language that I have a hard time with…one such element is word order. Are they any general rules of thumb regarding the ordering of words? English seems much more structured in the “subject – verb – object”. It seems that Hungarian has much more latitude in word ordering…but does the word order significantly change the meaning? This may be an obvious question…but I am a bit confused.
I am so happy to find this podcast!! I think Hungarian is an incredibly beautiful language but I have difficulty pronouncing it. No one in my family speaks it anymore either, so it is frustrating to have nothing from which to base my pronunciation. The survival guide is a nice start, the lessons are even better. Thank you!!
Szervus tok! 🙂
Itt Marius, Roman vagyok.
It’s really great what you’re up to with these leassons – keep walking! 😀
I want to learn hungarian as we have a significant hung. speaking community in Romania, and both our history and cultures are so well interlaced, that you can’t separate them (at least in Erdely).
But, after I used books and the on-line radios, I met a barrier I can’t cross – my various trips to Hungary didn’t help much either. Your podcast brings a little “something new” – I hope I will enjoy it longer than you thought!
I have a curiosity (Gyorgy might help here):
Is there a significant accent/vocabulary difference between the hungarian spoken in HU and the one used in Erdely (Szekelyföld)? Do you recognize immediately the people coming from there?
Cheers / Szia
marius 🙂
Marius,
Great question! I wonder about this sort of thing myself.
I think most Szekely Hungarians speak an older form of the language that hasn’t been modified or modernized as much as the Hungarian in the parent country. I don’t know if one can immediately identify an Erdelyi/Szekely Hungarian based on their dialect, but I would imagine it’s possible.
Based on my own travels around Transylvania and talking with local Hungarians there, I couldn’t detect any differences in accent (I’m probably not good enough to tell), but I did notice that there was a different vocabulary for a lot of words. For example, I remember that they used words for “carrot” and “french fries” that were not really used in Hungary proper.
So my guess is that there are differences in dialect between Erdelyi/Szekely Hungarians and Hungarian Hungarians, but they aren’t terribly major or pronounced (unlike, say, the differences between dialects in Germany).
Any Hungarian readers care to comment on this? I think Györgyi and I will discuss this on the next podcast!
I am so glad to find your website. I am going to Hungary with my cousin and 86 year old father. We will be the only family that has gone back to Hungary since our ancestors immigrated at the turn of the century (1900) Our Hungarian family did not teach the language to their children. We want to learn a few phrases to be polite to others when we travel. I am learning to pronounce correctly by listening to your podcast. I will take the lessons on my ipod and practice during our flight. Thank you!
As a first time visitor I have been enjoying your podcasts very much. I still find the language very difficult because it is not related to the romance languages at all, and I have difficulty learning languages anyway. But I hope to learn a few words to be able to get by on my own in Hungary, and your program is delightful as well as helpful. I am glad to find the vocabulary on your website. Mahalo!
Thank you both for your comments! We’re really glad you find the material useful.
steven
this is perfect! thanks for offering a lesson which gives a taste of the language for visitors like me.
i’m going to hungary for two weeks, and while i don’t expect to master the language- i’d like to try and pronounce place names correctly, and at least say the common niceties in hunagrian.
i saw some negative reactions from your regular listeners- so i wanted to leave a comment- since i downloaded some of your files, and i am so pleased! i think you’ll find there is potential to expose hungarian to people who may not have tried before.
when i travel, i always try to be brave and learn the basics. i hope it demonstrates my respect for the local culture- even though it may grate on the ears!
what are you planning for future newbie lessons?
i was hoping to find some audio for counting in hungarian. maybe there simple counting song to help remember the numbers? i’ve travelled a bit, and knowing the numbers helps when hearing prices.
another helpful newbie lesson might be basic pronunciation, perhaps children’s rhymes? or an adage or two?
maybe it could combine some cultural information that would at least keep your regulars interested.
Hi Heather, thanks so much for the comment and we’re glad you found it useful. How was your trip to Hungary? I’m the same way when I travel – I like to get a few words and phrases down to make myself understood in foreign cultures, even if I do get it wrong!
I like the idea of children’s rhymes and proverbs and the such. We’ll try and get those in for the future!