Hungarian movies help you learn Hungarian

TV and language learning

While you probably shouldn’t expect to learn Hungarian just from watching TV, it can be a great tool to complement your language learning process. Watching Hungarian movies can offer a fun way to improve your listening and even reading skills while you get familiar with culture and history. Watching TV in a language that you don’t speak fluently (yet) also lets you practice picking up context clues and make sense of what you see even if you don’t understand all the words. If you happen to find a movie you really enjoy and you are willing to watch it multiple times, on subsequent watches you will be able to start focusing on the small details, gaining a better understanding of both language and culture.

For beginners, or even on first watch, it might be easiest to start with Hungarian audio and English subtitles. Once you gain more confidence, you can switch to Hungarian subtitles, which will improve your reading skills too. If you want some challenge, you can try watching movies without subtitles and see how much you get without them!

Helpers’ picks

Not sure where to start? Our team has collected a few Hungarian movies from recent years which are fun to watch, easy to understand, and are available online. We hope you will find something to your taste!

Please note: the below descriptions include ratings based on the Hungarian rating system. If you want to make sure that each film is suitable for your children, consult more appropriate descriptions.

Futni mentem (Gone Running, 2024, Rating: 12+)

This is a family-friendly romantic comedy of a widow and her three adult daughters who intend to run a marathon relay together in memory of their husband / father who has recently passed away. They just need to start practicing, since they never usually run! Through their eyes, we get to see very different sentiments on love, marriage, and parenting.

Véletlenül írtam egy könyvet (I Accidentally Wrote a Book, 2024, rating: 7+)

13-year-old Nina dreams of being a writer – and discovers that her life is turning into a novel with its own plot, characters, twists and turns. Writing will help her come to terms with her grief over a mother she never knew, and accept her father’s new girlfriend in the family.

A Viszkis (The Whiskey Bandit, 2017, rating: 16+)

This action movie is based on the true story of Attila Ambrus, a Hungarian bank robber active in the 1990s. Interestingly enough, he first turned to crime because he wanted to become a Hungarian citizen, and he needed money for the procedure (this was before the introduction of the current Citizenship Act that is a lot more lenient than the previous one).

Liza, a rókatündér (Liza, the Fox-Fairy, 2015, rating: 16+)

This black comedy is about a pretty but shy nurse who wants to find love in an alternative Budapest (which is very modern, but looks very much like the 1970s for some reason). Unfortunately, every man who likes her even a little bit dies a horrible death, which attracts the attention of the police. Liza will need to break the curse to find true love.

Valami Amerika (A Kind of America, 2002, rating: 16+)

This is a comedy about three brothers who want to achieve fame and success – with as little work as possible. When they meet an American producer who is willing to help realize the eldest brother’s dream of directing a movie, they think it is their lucky day, but success never comes that easy.

Kincsem (Bet on Revenge, 2017, rating: 12+)

After losing everything in the revolution of 1848-49, an unprincipled rascal gets another chance at winning everything back and taking revenge on the murderer of his father. This is a story of love, revenge, and fame, a fiction inspired by the unbeatable Hungarian wonder racehorse, the magic mare, Kincsem (“My Treasure”).

Macskafogó (Cat City, 1986, rating: general audiences)

In one of the most famous products of Hungarian animation, Intermouse agent Grabovsky must travel the world and retrieve the plans of a machine that can save mice from the tyranny of evil cats. Imagine a James Bond movie where the saying “a game of cat and mouse” was taken literally.

Tüskevár (Thorn Castle, 2012, rating: general audiences)

In this adaptation of one of the most popular Hungarian children’s books written by István Fekete, two young teenage boys from Budapest spend the summer with relatives in the countryside, exploring the wilderness of the Kis-Balaton.

Hogyan tudnék élni nélküled? (How Could I Live Without You? 2024, rating: 12+)

In this musical based on the songs of Ferenc Demjén, a prominent figure of Hungarian pop music, a group of young adults go back to the 1990s the relive a summer that proved to be a turning point in the life of their parents.

Made in Hungária (Made in Hungaria, 2009, rating: 16+)

This musical was inspired by the life of Miklós Fenyő, lead singer and pianist of Hungária, the most famous Hungarian rock-and-roll band. The movie tackles the years between Fenyő’s return from the U.S. in 1962 until his band winning the national talent contest in 1968.

Prepare for the citizenship application with Helpers

Since Hungarian movies alone cannot teach you the language, we are happy to recommend you the services of our partners. These language schools specialize in preparing applicants for the citizenship application, with dedicated courses for simplified and regular naturalization. Contact us to determine if you need to speak Hungarian at all, and let us help you find the course that fits your needs the most.

Do you have any suggestions for other language learners? Share your favorite Hungarian movies with us on Facebook.