szeret-, tetszik etc. Are there really differences?

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chung
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szeret-, tetszik etc. Are there really differences?

Postby chung » 2018-12-30, 20:19

I've recently come to grips in Turkish about the subtleties of translating "to like", and am wondering about how it works in a few other languages including Hungarian. What is the difference between:

i) kedvel-
ii) szeret-
iii) tetszik

I do know that "tetszik" is different from the others in that its structure is better translated as "to appeal to sb/sg" rather than "to like". However are there situations where natives prefer to use "kedvel-" over "szeret-" (and vice-versa)? What are some other ways Hungarians could use to translate "to like"? (i.e. did I miss including other verbs that Hungarians use to translate "to like" etc.?)

As I learn more languages, the more I realize that few true synonyms exist. It's more accurate to think of matters as a few words overlapping in meaning or register but the nuances remain distinct and beyond the grasp of a learner or not always covered in a big dictionary.
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Re: szeret-, tetszik etc. Are there really differences?

Postby france-eesti » 2019-04-18, 10:23

Hi, sorry no one replied. I'm not Hungarian but I'll try to answer:

Szeret => To love. You can "szeret" someone (your partner, your parents, your offspring, your dog, your guitar...)
But I also heard you can "szeret" some kind of food or a brand or a car...

Kedvel => you like, you can say you like your boss or your new friendly colleague, or your daughter's friend... It has no romantic or sexual meaning.

Tetszik => it pleases you. There's no translation in English so you can use "me gusta" in Spanish or "me plaît" in French or "mi piace" in Italian to help you understand. Some music can "tetszik" to you (Dative + tetszik + nominative) :
Nekem tetszik ez a dal, nekem többet tetszik a tél, mint a tavasz
you can use it when you like the look of something (a car, a motorbike... a painting), but to what I understood, not with a verb. Use "kedvel" or "szeret" instead :partyhat:

Here it is!
(fr) Native - (en) Fluentish - (pt) Fluentish when I was younger - (hu) Can sustain a conversation with a patient and kind magyar or order some beer and lecsó in Budapest - (it) On Duolingo ma posso ordinare uno Spritz ed antipasti in un ristorante :blush:


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