Pollypaprika

I like learning colloquial phrases, however I don't think all of them which I have learned at the local is for general consumption.

One quite good one is 'minden franco'. It means everything is alright. I have heard several versions of why 'franco' is used. Some say it is General Franco...I am not so sure. It isn't normal parlance, but is used by workmen quite a lot. If you ask them how things are going or do they know what they are doing etc...a 'minden franco' is a good response.

A derivative of this is 'majdnem minden franco' ....means everything will be alright....at some point

Pollypaprika

I think my Hunglish is getting better as the sentence above certainly isn't proper English

FenTiger

Could some explain how 'nyolc' is pronounced. I struggle with the 'ny'!

fidobsa

I tend to use the translation programs to hear pronunciation of individual words as they are usually not far out.

Pollypaprika

nnyolchz....with a very silent(ish) y Hee Hee...well that's the best I can do

duztee

or try kne-ol(t)s, as long as it is in a sentence most will understand it.

llareggub

I always get accused of making a "russian" sound but I can not hear the difference between what I say and what someone else says to me

Front of the tongue behind the bottom teeth and the top of the tongue on the roof of the mouth for me to make the noise.

Pollypaprika

That's a good one

Carrot_Cruncher

If you take the word 'onion', it's very similar to the first 'n' sound if you can stop pronouncing it before the '...ion' bit tumbles out. Or, alternatively, a slightly shortened 'new' without the 'w'.

This isn't easy to explain is it?

I still can't roll my 'r's. It's going to be fun!

Pollypaprika

I would like to see everyones version of 'gy'...and no you cannot cheat and say like the dj in during :-)

I actually cannot pronounce anything beginning with C so just say it quietly or muffled :-)

FenTiger

Gee - my tongue is knackered already!

fidobsa

My Hungarian friend Janos speaks pretty good English but his "w" sounds always come out as "v". I mentioned this to him and used the example "We have ways of making you talk" / "Vee have vays of making you talk". To him, both sentences sounded identical

FenTiger

I know exactly what you are saying .... my Hungarian relatives when in the UK visiting somewhere sometimes ask me where the VC is? To them 'W' is double 'V' and not 'U'!

FenTiger

On my Byki software 'To know something' in Hungarian is 'valamit ismerni' but when I listen back the 'ismerni' appears to be almost silent.

Also same with 'orange juice' which is 'narancsle' but the 'le' sounds very quiet, almost silent.

It's probably down to the fact I'm deaf and a hearing aid user but I do think I can hear well enough to distinguish British and Irish accents.

duztee

Gy, I have one friend who's name is Gyorgy, so I just tell him the jury is still out on pronunciation, but he know I mean him so it works.

As for 'W' my surname is Woodward, and a real struggle to a lot of hungarians to say correctly, but again I know they mean me, so it is not a problem.

If you want to turn the tables just ask a hungarian to say squirrel or mirror or even balloon can get some funny answers, well it is a bit of light relief before the spotlight falls back on to your own woeful efforts :-)