What Anna Kerezsi says to watch to learn Hungarian
You might wonder why so many of my picks are cartoons. Think about your level: would you rather sit through a long, serious film full of complicated sentences, or a fun 15-minute story with simple words, slower speech and a happy ending? Hungary makes fantastic cartoons, and some of them were never really meant for children. When you want more of a challenge, the films are waiting.
Beginner
6 picks
A Mézga család
A cult 1960s–70s cartoon about a chaotic Budapest family, free to watch on the public broadcaster's site. Short episodes, everyday family arguments and jokes written as much for the parents as for the kids.
Beginner
A nagy ho-ho-ho horgász
István Csukás's classic about a determined fisherman and his best friend, the bait. The episodes are short and the jokes are mostly visual, so you can follow every story from the pictures and pick the words up as you go.
Beginner
Frakk, a macskák réme
Frakk the dog spends every episode trying to outwit the two lazy house cats, Lukrécia and Szerénke. Ten-minute stories, clear speech and plenty of repetition make it one of the gentlest places to start.
Beginner
Hungarian Highlights
My own channel, where I show you the logic, melody and playfulness of Hungarian one small piece at a time. Learning it doesn't have to be painful.
Beginner
Kérem a következőt!
Doctor Bubó the owl treats a forest full of hypochondriac animals, helped by his nurse Szamóca. Each episode is one patient and one short scene, which makes the dialogue easy to follow and fun to replay.
Beginner
Stuffed Cabbage Adventures
Ákos from Budapest shows you Hungary the way a local would, in English, and often slips in a mini lesson of words you will actually need there. A good way to get to know the culture behind the language.
Beginner
Intermediate-Advanced
2 picks
Pesti balhé (Budapest Heist)
When a friend dies, a group of childhood mates pull off his last wish: smuggling one of his paintings into Budapest's most exclusive art auction. A light heist comedy with natural, everyday banter between old friends, best watched with Hungarian subtitles on.
Intermediate-Advanced
Van valami furcsa és megmagyarázhatatlan (For Some Inexplicable Reason)
Áron is about to turn 30, just got dumped, and drifts around Budapest's bars and his parents' flat working out what to do next. This is how young Hungarians actually talk to each other: casual, ironic and quick.
Intermediate-Advanced
Watch a film you already know, dubbed into Hungarian
Hungary has a long tradition of high-quality dubbing. We take real care choosing the voice actors, and the Hungarian version is sometimes so good that you forget the film was made in another language.
So pick a favourite you know almost by heart and watch it in Hungarian. You already know the story and the characters, which leaves your attention free for the language: you start matching Hungarian words and expressions to scenes you remember. It makes getting used to Hungarian much easier, and a lot more fun.
Anna Kerezsi teaches Hungarian at Hungarian lessons on Preply. These are their own recommendations, shared with Reelang. Found this useful? See picks in other languages.