Hogy hívnak?
Hogy hívnak? is the Hungarian way to say "what is your name?"
This phrase is a common question used to ask someone for their name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "How do they call you?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the default form, the pronoun "you" is often omitted. However, you can add téged to the phrase to say "How do they call you?" while placing emphasis on the word "you".
Did you know?
- Hungarian names are written with the family name first. If someone asks Hogy hívnak?, you will likely hear the surname before the given name.
- Hungarian has a distinct formal version of this question, Hogy hívja magát?, which uses a reflexive structure that translates to 'How do you call yourself?'
- The word hogy belongs to a family of ancient Uralic words. It is a distant linguistic relative of the word 'how' in some Finnic languages, despite Hungarian not being a Finnic language itself.
Examples in context
- Szia! Hogy hívnak?Hi! What is your name?
- Hogy hívnak?What is your name?
Example conversation
Éva and Zoltán meet for the first time at a party.
- ÉvaSzia, én Éva vagyok. Hogy hívnak?Hi, I am Éva. What is your name?
- ZoltánSzia Éva! Zoltán hívnak.Hi Éva! My name is Zoltán.
- ÉvaÖrülök, hogy megismertelek, Zoltán!I am glad to meet you, Zoltán!
- ZoltánÉn is örülök!I am glad too!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hogy, hívnak, CC BY-SA 4.0.
