Convenience Store

17 phrases · Hungarian with romanization, English and audio

  1. Kér zacskót?

    Would you like a bag?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Hungary banned lightweight plastic carrier bags in 2021, so shops now only offer paper or thicker reusable bags, always for a charge. Decline with "Nem, köszönöm"

    Grammar Note

    Hungarian politeness ("magázás") uses third-person singular verb forms rather than second person, so "Kér...?" with the pronoun "Ön" dropped is already formal. The object "zacskó" takes the accusative "-t": zacskót

  2. Nem kérek zacskót, van sajátom.

    I don't need a bag, I have my own.

    Usage

    How to decline when you have a reusable bag — equally usable in a Budapest ABC or a tiny közért

    Grammar Note

    Hungarian expresses possession with "van" plus a possessive suffix rather than a verb "to have". "Sajátom" is "saját" (own) with the first-person "-m", literally "my own one exists"

  3. Van törzsvásárlói kártyája?

    Do you have a loyalty card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Chain mini-markets ask every time. As a visitor you will not have one — "Nincs, köszönöm" and the sale continues

    Grammar Note

    Because polite address is third person, "your card" comes out as "kártyája". The negative answer is not "nem" but "nincs" (there isn't) — a bare "Nincs." is a complete reply

  4. Van minimum összeg a kártyás fizetéshez?

    Is there a minimum amount for paying by card?

    Usage

    Independent little ABC shops still often set a 1,000-2,000 forint floor, usually announced on a note by the till reading "Kártyás fizetés 2000 Ft felett"

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-hez / -hoz / -höz" means "to / for" and changes shape by vowel harmony. "Fizetés" has front vowels, so it takes "-hez"

  5. Kétezer forint alatt csak készpénzt fogadunk el.

    Under two thousand forints we only take cash.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Either add an item to clear the floor or pay cash. Hungary is outside the eurozone, so carrying forint notes is worth the trouble

    Grammar Note

    "Elfogadunk" carries the prefix "el-", but when the focus falls on "csak készpénzt" the prefix jumps behind the verb, giving "fogadunk el". In Hungarian the focused element takes the slot immediately before the verb

  6. Vissza lehet itt váltani a palackokat?

    Can I return deposit bottles here?

    Usage

    Hungary launched its deposit return scheme in July 2024, adding 50 forints to plastic bottles, cans and glass. Containers marked "Visszaváltható" qualify, though small shops may have no machine

    Grammar Note

    "Lehet" is an impersonal modal meaning "it is possible", used without a subject. The prefix "vissza-" of "visszaváltani" is pushed out by the modal, producing the split order "vissza lehet váltani"

  7. Hol van a legközelebbi REpont automata?

    Where is the nearest REpont machine?

    Usage

    REpont is the brand of Hungary's deposit machines, usually just inside the entrance of larger stores. A small ABC may take bottles by hand or not at all. The machine prints a slip you cash in at the till

    Grammar Note

    Superlatives prefix "leg-" to the comparative: "közelebbi" becomes "legközelebbi". Hungarian marks comparatives with "-bb" and superlatives with "leg-" plus "-bb", as in "legjobb" (best)

  8. A visszaváltási nyugtát a kasszánál tudja beváltani.

    You can cash the deposit slip in at the till.

    Usage

    Said by staff. The machine's slip is not cash by itself — take it to the till to knock it off your shopping or collect the money. Slips expire, so use yours the same day

    Grammar Note

    The case ending "-nál / -nél" means "at (a place)", and "kassza" with its back vowels selects "-nál". "Tudja" is the polite third-person form, meaning "you can"

  9. Meddig tart nyitva az ABC?

    How late is the shop open?

    Usage

    "ABC" comes from the state grocery chain of the socialist era and still means a neighbourhood mini-market; older people say "közért". Few open around the clock — most shut around 22:00

    Grammar Note

    "ABC" is read out as its letter names, "á-bé-cé". The definite article follows the next sound, and since that is a vowel it becomes "az", not "a" — the same rule gives "az utca" and "az ember"

  10. Vasárnap is nyitva vannak?

    Are you open on Sundays too?

    Usage

    Hungary made Sunday closing compulsory in 2015 but repealed it a year later, so it is now up to each shop. Family-run ABC stores tend to close on Sunday or open mornings only

    Grammar Note

    Days of the week work adverbially with no case ending — "vasárnap" already means "on Sunday". "Is" always follows the word it modifies, fixing the order "Vasárnap is". Addressing the shop as a whole takes the third-person plural "vannak"

  11. Hány óráig lehet alkoholt vásárolni?

    Until what time can I buy alcohol?

    Usage

    Hungary has no nationwide cut-off, but municipalities may restrict night sales by by-law, and parts of Budapest bar off-licence alcohol after midnight. Sales to under-18s are banned countrywide

    Grammar Note

    The ending "-ig" means "until / as far as", covering both time and place ("reggelig" until morning, "a hídig" as far as the bridge). Nouns after the quantifier "hány" stay singular, hence "óráig" and not "órákig"

  12. Elmúlt már tizennyolc éves? Kérem a személyi igazolványát.

    Are you over eighteen? Your ID, please.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Alcohol and tobacco are 18+, and anyone who looks young will be asked for identification. As a visitor, show your passport

    Grammar Note

    Age is asked with "elmúlt + number + éves" ("have you passed X years"). "Tizennyolc" is "tíz" (ten) plus "nyolc" (eight), the pattern used for all the teens. "Kérem" is the polite way to request something

  13. Meg tudná melegíteni a mikrohullámú sütőben?

    Could you heat it up in the microwave?

    Usage

    Shops attached to stations or petrol stations sometimes keep a microwave; a neighbourhood ABC generally does not. If refused, the usual fallback is a bakery ("pékség") for warm pogácsa or rétes

    Grammar Note

    The conditional "tudná" softens the request compared with "tudja". The prefix "meg-" is displaced by the modal and stands before it: "meg tudná melegíteni". "Mikrohullámú sütő" translates literally as "microwave oven"

  14. Nincs esetleg aprója?

    You wouldn't happen to have small change?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small Hungarian shops are chronically short of coins, so a 20,000-forint note nearly always brings this question. Handing over something smaller is genuinely appreciated

    Grammar Note

    "Apró" is the adjective "tiny" turned into a noun meaning small change. Opening with the negative "nincs" softens the request — a very Hungarian way of asking indirectly

  15. Sajnos csak nagy címletű bankjegyem van.

    Sorry, I only have a large note.

    Usage

    ATMs mostly dispense 10,000 and 20,000 forint notes, which a small shop may be unable to break. If you plan to visit markets and mini-markets, break a note at a big supermarket first

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-ú / -ű" turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having that quality": "címlet" (denomination) becomes "címletű". Vowel harmony selects "-ű" for front-vowel stems. The possessive "-em" gives "my banknote"

  16. Merre van a vészkijárat?

    Which way is the emergency exit?

    Usage

    Mini-markets tucked into old Budapest buildings are often narrow with a single way out. In basement shops or those at the back of a courtyard it is worth locating the exit. Signs read "Vészkijárat" in white on green

    Grammar Note

    "Hol" asks for a point ("where"), while "merre" asks for a direction ("which way") — the natural choice when you want to know where to head inside a cramped shop. "Vészkijárat" compounds "vész" (danger) with "kijárat" (exit)

  17. Meddig fogyasztható ez a tej?

    How long is this milk good for?

    Usage

    Labels split into "Minőségét megőrzi" (best before) and "Fogyasztható" (use by); avoid dairy past the latter. Hungarian shops mostly stock shelf-stable "tartós tej" (long-life milk)

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-ható / -hető" forms "-able" adjectives: "fogyaszt" (to consume) gives "fogyasztható". Note that Hungarian demonstratives still require the definite article on the noun — "ez a tej", literally "this the milk"

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