Slovosled v otázce a v záporu

Word order in questions and negation

Hungarian word order turns on one position: the slot right before the verb. Whatever is the point of the sentence goes there. Question words and nem both claim that slot.

Question words

The question word stands directly before the verb, with nothing in between: Hova mész? - Where are you going? Ki jön ma este? - Who's coming tonight? Mikor indul a vonat Pécsre? - When does the train to Pécs leave? Putting the subject between them (*Hova te mész?) is the English-speaker slip; a pronoun subject usually goes after the verb or disappears.

Negation

Nem goes right before the verb (or before the word it negates): Nem értem. - I don't understand. Péter nem jön. - Péter isn't coming.

The prefix splits off

Because a question word or nem now sits in the slot before the verb, a verbal prefix (meg-, el-, be-, ki-, fel-...) has to move behind the verb:

Statement	Negative	Question word
Megírom a levelet. - I'll write the letter.	Nem írom meg. - I won't write it.	Mikor írod meg? - When will you write it?
Eljössz? - Are you coming?	Nem jövök el. - I'm not coming.	Mikor jössz el? - When are you coming?

Yes/no questions

Hungarian does not invert or add a helper like "do". A statement becomes a question by intonation alone: Beszélsz magyarul? - Do you speak Hungarian? The voice rises on the second-to-last syllable and falls on the last one, which is different from the English rise at the end (see the stress and intonation topic). The prefix stays in front: Eljössz?

In indirect questions, and in some formal direct ones, the particle -e is attached to the verb with a hyphen: Nem tudom, eljön-e. - I don't know whether he's coming. Beszél-e magyarul? (formal) - Do you speak Hungarian? In everyday direct questions, intonation is enough.