Submitted by kefirdrinker69 t3_z41ft1 in pittsburgh
Been very interested in the language and culture after spending some time in the country. I also recently learned that I can gain citizenship if I reach an intermediate level.
I know this is very specific and probably a long shot given I’m no longer a student and can’t take advantage of courses at Pitt, but I wanted to know if anyone knew of tutors or language learning groups for Hungarian.
Köszi!
This would be my only suggestion. I took Hungarian at Pitt for a few years, though I don't think the professor is there anymore. I imagine the class size would be small (I was in a class of two, and then one), and I imagine the quality would be just as good.
I can say "Good morning" and "Good evening" passably in Hungarian. Learned them from the guy who did the glassware stock when I was an undergraduate at the U of Rochester back in the 70s. Blew the mind go a Hungarian customer once. That was fun.
I have no help to offer, but Good luck!
I can say Nice Ass and I love you lol. Neither comes in handy tbh
Don't mix them up when talking to your mom.
Mom knows the language
We had a Hungarian student exchange student when I was in high school. We taught him all the best curse words in english, he taught us how to swear in Hungarian. It was over 25 years ago, and I can't remember any of it, though.
Thr Carnegie Library has language learning materials and online programs. And at no cost with a library card. They might know of classes.
Hey I am Hungarian dm me if you want
i can’t help you with anything local, but i can recommend checking out the duolingo app/website.
I’ve tried doing it via duolingo but the verb tenses are just so alien…. I find that Duolingo is only really useful if you’ve already got a decent baseline in a language, to keep practicing it
i can def understand that, personally i can’t learn from it myself either. i know quite a few people who have had great success with it so i figured i’d throw it out there just in case. good luck
This is one of the better ways to study a language: https://www.italki.com/en/i/ref/DDGbFc?hl=en&utm_medium=user_referral&utm_source=copylink_shareYou can talk with a native speaker and get 1 on 1 help.
PS: I see, like, 63 teachers for Hungarian.
Thank you!!
Second this. italki is great. Super affordable and connects you with native speakers to practice.
I’ve heard the language of the Magyars is one of hardest European languages to learn. good luck!
It’s actually related to Finnish, Lappish, and Estonian which is odd considering they are all pretty far apart.
I am in the same boat, my grandfather was born in Hungary, I even paid a genealogist to get his birth certificate, but I honestly don’t want anything to do with Orban’s government (especially if Hungary is kicked out of the EU) so I am putting that on hold and looking at Slovakia and the Czech Republic (other side of the family) as they are doing something similar (and the language isn’t a requirement)
Anyway, the American Hungarian Library in NYC has language courses online. Hungarian is a very hard language to learn, it’s not really related to any other language (closest is Finnish). It doesn’t sound like you think it should, I have been to Hungary and it’s just so hard to even try and relate what you hear to what you read (like on the subway).
Yeah I’m aware it’s hard, I was in Budapest for around 6 weeks. I know how it sounds phonetically - I was able to memorize all of that and some basic phrases but I think it could be a fun challenge to actually get to a decent level with the language
What is the Slovak citizenship opportunity you found? I looked into that too (family is actually from Slovakia but Hungary will issue citizenship for ancestors from Austria-Hungary) and it says you need to establish residency for 6 months from what I saw.
It’s evolving, a new law was passed but the actual rules have not been spelled out. But it sounds like it will go back to great grandparent
https://nomadcapitalist.com/global-citizen/second-passport/slovakia-citizenship-by-descent/
Oh wow!!! My great grandma was born in Slovak territory. Not sure how I’d find a birth certificate…. But this is something to consider
Try contacting a Hungarian social club or church. There are a few different ones in the greater Pittsburgh area. They would probably know where you can get local lessons.
Thanks!!
Pre-pandemic CLP used to have language classes in lots of different languages. Maybe you could request Hungarian from them?
There are lots of cool little grocery stores around the city. If you can find a Hungarian one, maybe ask there?
oh that's awesome! I'll ask around!
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Yes lots of little great grocery stores.... no hungarian though :( hey maybe if I want to learn serbo-croatian or ukrainian one day...
Do you know anyone from Pitt who might be able to point you in the right direction?
I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for you
I know someone who took Hungarian so I could ask them!
Not language but food — make sure you have dinner at Huszar if you haven’t been there yet!
This isn't rooted directly in Pittsburgh but from my own experience the following are helpful:
r/languagelearning
r/language_exchange
r/hungarian
I studied and am at a reasonable level with French just using online resources and communities. It isn't necessary with French, but it may be with Hungarian.
italkie.com is a great place.
I went through the naturalization process as you are. I am taking the oath in LA next month. I know Cleveland State University has online Hungarian classes. Let me more if you have questions.
ejcpc17888 t1_ixoryxs wrote
You may want to look into joining OLLI at Pitt and auditing classes. While not free, the classes would be top notch.