Nothing is worse than travelling to a country and being lost in the language. As well as feeling a bit more confident on your holiday, the locals will be extremely appreciative of being thanked or greeted in their own language. So, here are some helpful phrases to keep on you for your trip, print them out and keep them in your pocket so you can use them on the go.
| Phrase | What it means | How to pronounce it |
| Szia | Hello (and friendly goodbye) | ‘see-yaw’ |
| Hogy vagy? | How are you? | ‘haw-j vah-j’ – ‘j’ for joke. |
| Minden ok | Everything’s ok | ‘min-den oh kay’ |
| Mennyibe kerul? | How much is it? | Men-yee-beh ker-ool |
| Jo reggelt/napot/estét | Good morning/afternoon/evening | ‘yoh reg-gelt/nah-poht/esh-tet’ |
| Jó éjszakát | Good night | yoh ey-sa-kat |
| EGÉSZSÉGEDRE! | CHEERS! | ‘Ag-esh-sheg-ad-reh’ |
| Nem beszélek magyarul | I don’t speak Hungarian | ‘nem bass-ale-lack ma-ja-rule’ |
| Beszélsz angolul? | Do you speak English? | ‘bass-ale-ss on-goh-lool’ |
| A számlát kérem! | The bill, please! | aw sam-lat keh-rem |
| Köszönöm | Thank you! | keu-seu-neum |
| Igen/nem | Yes/no | ee-gen/nehm |
Despite your new-found excellence in the Hungarian language, you may still find that you struggle to communicate with locals at times of importance. Unfortunately, taxi drivers in Hungary don’t have the best English, so always have a back up plan (in the form of a map or address in the local language) to help you. If you’re wanting to cut out any stress, Welcome transfers are available with English-speaking drivers, so you have no confusion with getting yourself from the airport to your hotel after your flight.
