Planning a trip to Budapest is an exciting experience.

Knowing a few basic Hungarian phrases will make your travels much smoother.

Locals in Hungary always appreciate it when visitors make an effort to speak their language.

While many people in Budapest speak English, venturing outside the tourist areas requires some basic Hungarian.

This guide will give you the exact travel vocabulary you need for your trip.

Basic greetings and farewells

Greeting people correctly is the most important step in any language.

In Hungarian, we use different greetings depending on the time of day and who we’re talking to.

The most common informal greeting in Budapest is szia.

You can use szia to say both “hello” and “goodbye” to one person.

If you’re greeting a group of people, you must use the plural form, which is sziasztok.

When entering a shop or speaking to older locals, it’s more respectful to use a formal greeting.

Here’s how a standard interaction might sound when you walk into a bakery in Budapest.

Polite phrases and everyday essentials

Politeness goes a long way in Hungarian culture.

You’ll need to know how to say “please” and “thank you” during almost every interaction.

The Hungarian word for thank you is köszönöm.

If you want to say “thank you very much”, you can say köszönöm szépen.

To get someone’s attention or apologize, you’ll use the word elnézést.

Ordering food and drinks

Budapest is famous for its incredible food and unique ruin bars.

You’ll definitely want to try local dishes like goulash (gulyás) and chimney cake (kürtőskalács).

When ordering something, the easiest phrase to use is kérek egy…, which translates to “I’d like a…”.

At the end of your meal, you’ll need to ask for the bill.

Here’s an example of ordering a beer at a local ruin pub.

Getting around Budapest

Budapest has an excellent public transportation system.

You can easily get around using the metro, trams, and buses.

You’ll likely need to ask for directions or figure out where to buy a ticket.

To ask where something is, simply use the phrase Hol van…? followed by the place you’re looking for.

Asking for help

Sometimes travel doesn’t go exactly as planned.

You might get lost or need someone to speak English.

These phrases will help you navigate tricky situations.

If you ever feel overwhelmed, simply asking Beszél angolul? will usually point you toward an English speaker.

Next steps for learning Hungarian

Memorizing these basic phrases will make your trip to Budapest incredibly rewarding.

The locals will notice your effort and treat you with warmth and hospitality.

If you want to take your Hungarian to the next level before your flight, you need a structured learning plan.

I highly recommend starting with Talk In Hungarian.

Our platform is designed specifically to help you speak and understand real Hungarian quickly.

You’ll learn conversational skills without getting bogged down by complicated grammar rules.