A

Aki á-t mond, mondjon bé-t is
He that says a, should also say b
Ha adnak, vedd el, ha ütnek, szaladj el
If something is given to you then take it, if you are beaten,
then run away
Jobb adni, mint kapni
It is better to give than to receive
Kétszer ad, aki gyorsan ad
He gives twice who gives quickly
Amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten
Like greeting, on arrival, like answer
Hátrább az agarakkal
Backwards with the greyhounds
Be more modest
Ki mint veti ágyát, úgy alussza álmát
As one makes his bed, so he sleeps his dream
Ágyúval lõ verebekre
He shoots at sparrows with a, high calibre, gun
Ajándék lónak ne nézd a fogát
Do not look at the tooth of a gift horse
Ajtóstul ront be a házba
He rushes into the houses together with the door
He tells, does something to somebody without announcement
Ha kidobják az ajtón, bemegy az ablakon
If he is thrown out through the door, he enters through the
window
Nem amint akarnánk, hanem amint lehet
One should act as he may, not as he would like to
Csak akasztásra való istrángot sem érdemelne
He would not deserve even the rope for hanging
Kinek akasztófa helye, nem hal a Dunába
A bûnöst eléri méltó büntetése
He whose place is on the gallows, will not die in the Danube
Akasztott ember házában kötelet emleget
He names a rope in the house of a man that was hanged
Alkalom szüli a tolvajt
Opportunity bears the thief
Felkavarta az állóvizet
Követ dobott az állóvzbe
He has stirred up, or threw a stone into, still water.
He brought motion in a quiet life
Nem esik messze az alma a fájától
The apple does not fall far from its tree
Nem vagyunk angyalok
We are not angels
Amilyen az anya, olyan a leánya
Like mother, like daughter
Nézd meg az anyját, vedd el a lányát
Have a close look at the mother and then marry her daughter
Ár ellen nehéz úszni
It is difficult to swim against the stream
Aki nem tud arabusul, ne beszéljen arabusul
He who cannot speak Arabic, should not speak Arabic
He who has no knowledge, understanding of something, should
not engage in, or interfere with, it
Az arany a sárban is arany
Gold is gold even in the mud
Hallgatni arany beszélni ezüst
To be silent is golden, to speak is silvern
Nem mind arany, ami fénylik
All is not gold that glitters
Ki korán kel, aranyat lel
He who gets up early finds gold
Nem fog aranyon a rozsda
Rust cannot do any harm to gold
A man of character is resistant to temptation
Aranykulcs minden ajtóba beillik
A golden key fits every door
Nem mindig az arat, aki vet
Not always that reaps who sows
Ez nem az én asztalom
This is not my table
This is not my duty, responsibility concern
A refusal of doing, dealing with something
Három asszony egy lúd, két asszony, egész vásár
Three women, a goose and two women make a whole fair
Jó asszony a háznak koronája
A good wife is the crown of the house
Serény asszonynak rest a lánya, rest asszonynak serény a lánya
A busy women has a lazy daughter, a lazy women has a busy
daughter
Higgy az asszonynépnek, mint az áprilisi idõjárásnak
Believe in women as in the weather in April
Könnyû az asztag alatt, mellett kalászt szedni
It is easy to collect ears of corn under, beside a stack


B

Nem játszunk Add vissza a babaruhát
We do not play, Return the dolls clothes
I do not agree to cancel a promise, agreement or to return a
present given by him
Sok bába közt elvész a gyerek
Among many midwives the child is lost
Nem babra megy a játék
The stake of the play is not beans
It is a serious matter
A bagoly is bíró barlangjában
Even an owl is a judge in her cave
Bagoly mondja verébnek, hogy nagyfejû
The owl tells the sparrow that her head is big
A baj nem jár egyedül
Trouble does not come alone
Mindenkinek megvan a maga baja
Everyone his own trouble
Ugyanazon bakot nyúzza
A régi nótát fújja
He is flaying the same bock
Hi sings the same old song
Mindenkit érhet baleset
Accidents may happen to anyone
Elcsúszott egy banánhéjon
He has slipped on a banana-peel
By making a small error his secret, illegal activity came into
the open
Késõ bánat ebgondolat
A late repentance is a dogs idea
After death the doctor
Barátot szerencse hoz, szükség próbál
Luck brings friends, need tries them
Mondd meg, ki a barátod megmondom ki vagy
Tell me who your friends is, I'll tell you who you are
Nem mind barátod, aki rád mosolyog
All are not your friends who smile at you
Inába szállt a bátorsága
His courage sank to his sinews
He got frightened
Bátraké a szerencse
Luck belongs to the brave
A béka feneke alatt van
It is below the bottom of a frog
It is of inferior quality
Lenyeli a békát
He swallows the frog
He swallows the bitter pill
Hagyj békét másnak, magadra viselj gondot
Leave others in peace, care for yourself
Jobb a békesség
Peace is better
It is better to refrain from quarrels, contradictions or
raising, forcing an argument
Kapkod, mint Bernát a mennykõhöz
Like Barnard, he tries to catch the heavens stone
He acts in confusion, inconsistently
Nyert benne, mint Bertók a csíkban
Mindent elvesztett
He succeeded like Bertok with the loach
He lost everything
Sok beszédnek sok az alja
In much talk there is much bottom, inferior matter
A betyárból lesz a legjobb pandúr
The former highwayman men are the best gendarmes
Beletört a bicskája
His pocket knife opens in my pocket
He tried but failed in a achieving something
Kinyílik a bicska a zsebemben
Something has caused anger, despair but one was compelled to
stand idly by
Aki brja marja
He who is strongest, ablest can devour it
The strongest, ablest wins
Sorba mégy, mint a falusi bíróság
It is taken by turns like village headmanship
Ki hol bízik, ott hízik
Where one trusts, there he gets fat
Magyarázza a bizonyítványát
He explains away his report
He tries hard to explain or justify his action or behaviour
Szegénységi bizonyítványt állít ki magáról
He issues a certificate of poverty of himself
He proves his incapacity
Bocskorbõr az orcája
Vastag bõr van a képén
There is thick sandal leather on his face
He is bluntly shameless
Mást beszél, mint Bodóné, mikor a bor árát kérik
Like Mrs Bodo he talks about something else when asked to pay
for the wine
Side-stepping an issue
Bolond lyukból bolond szél fúj
Out of a foolish hole a foolish wind blows
A fool can tell only foolish things
Bolond ütközik kétszer egy kõbe
A fool stumbles twice at the same stone
Bolondnak kedvez, jár a szerencse
Fortune favours the fool
Egy bolond beledobja a kútba a követ, száz okos se veszi ki
A fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise
cannot take out
Egy bolond százat csinál
One fool makes a hundred
Bor be, ész ki
Wine in, sense out
Jó bornak nem kell cégér
Good wine needs no signboard, bush
Bámul, mint borjú az új kapura
He stares at the new gate as a calf
He merely looks at something without taking action
Borotvaélen táncol
He dances on a razor-edge
He tries to face danger from two, more sides
Kicsi a bors, de erõs
Pepper is small but strong
Borsot tör valakinek az orra alá
He crushes pepper under the nose of somebody
He annoys, irritates somebody
Falra hányt borsó
It is like peas thrown against the wall
A vain effort
Úgy illik össze, mint bot a tegezbe
They match as a stick in a quiver
Minden botnak a végén a feje
Nyugtával dicsérd a napot
The head of each stick is at its end
Praise a fair day at night
Aki bottal köszön, annak doronggal felelnek
He who greets with a stick, will be answered with a club
Bottal üthetik a nyomát
His footprints can be beaten with a stick
He managed to escape
Senki sem tud kibújni a saját bõrébõl
Nobody can slip out of his own skin
Nobody can abandon easily his customs, ideas
Mindenki a maga bõrét viszi a vásárra
Every one carries his own skin to the market
El van maradva egy brosúrával
He is one pamphlet behind, the others
He still thinks, speaks, acts according to the previous
guidelines
Nem egy nap alatt épült Buda vára
The castle of Buda was not built in one day
Egyszer volt Budán kutyavásár
These was a  dog-market in Buda only once
This favourable opportunity was a one-time occasion only
Felfelé bukott
He stumbled upwards
After failing in a job he was moved to higher position


C

A cél szentesíti az eszközt
The purpose consecrates the means
Minden cigány a maga lovát dicséri
Every gypsy prises his own horse
Nem szokta a cigány a szántást
The gypsy is not accustomed to ploughing
He is compelled to do something, he was previously reluctant
to do
Még ha cigánygyerekek potyognak, esnek is az égbõl
Even if gypsy children are dropped from the sky
Come hell or high water
Csáky szalmájának tekinti
He considers it as straw of, the landowner Csaky
An expression of negligence instead of due care
Csalánba nem üt a ménkû, mennykõ
The sky’s stone does not strike the nettle
Weeds don’t spoil
Add meg a császárnak, ami a császáré, és az Istennek, ami az
Istené
Give the emperor what is the emperors and God what is Gods
Give everyone his due
Elásták a csatabárdot
They have buried the hatchet
Sok csepp követ váj
Many drops hollow the stone
Cserép, zsindely van a háztetõn, házon
Fiatal gyerek van jelen, ill. a falnak is füle van
There is a tile on the roof
Walls have ears
Cseréptálhoz fakanál
To an earthenware dish a wooden spoon
Marry your match
Lehazudná a csillagokat az égrõl
He would even lie, there is no star in the sky
He is ready to deny even the most obvious truths
Ha nem csinálok semmit, abból nem lehet baj
If we do nothing, without being ordered to do, no trouble will
result from it
A sáros csizmámat sem törölném hozzá
I would not wipe my muddy boots in him
An expression of utter despise
Hogy kerül a csizma az asztalra
How could the boots get on the table
What has that got to do with it
An expression of indignant surprise
Minden csoda három napig tart
Every wonder lasts three days
Ez már lerágott csont
This is already a gnawed bone
A matter already discussed several times
Késõn jövõnek csont az ebédje
He who comes late gets bones for lunch
Ha nem csordul, csurran, cseppen
If it does not trickle, it will drop
Even if it is less than expected, still there will be
something
Csöbörbõl vödörbe
He got out of the bucket and got into the pail
Out of the frying into the fire
Kicsiny csupor hamar felforr
A little pot quickly boils


D

Darázsfészekbe nyúl
He puts his hand into a wasp's nest
Elköltené a Dárius kincsét is
He would spend even the treasures of Darius
Te sem vagy jobb a Deákné vásznánál
Even you are not better than the linen of Deak's wife
You are as bad as the others
Jön még kutyára dér
The hoar-frost is still to come for the dog
Be sure your sins will find you out
Három napig dínom dánom, holtig való szánom bánom
A three day long merry-making and regret lasting till death
A hasty marriage
A dió törve, az asszony verve jó
A nut is good if broken, a women if beaten
Hallgat, mint a süket disznó a búzában
He keeps silent, like a deaf pig in the wheat-field
Éhes disznó makkal álmodik
A hungry pig dreams of acorns
Okos disznó mély gyökeret ránt
A clever pig extracts a deep root
A clever man achieves remarkable feats
Disznóra gyömbért ne vesztegess
Do not waste your ginger on pigs
Nem erõszak a disznótor
Nobody is forced to attend the dinner given after killing a
pig
You are free to refrain from accepting an offer I consider
favourable to, for you
Dobbal nem lehet verebet fogni
Sparrows cannot be caught by beating a drum
Aki dolgozik, az nem ér rá pénzt keresni
He who works has no time to earn money
If a job is hard and little paid, then one cannot earn
additionally in a second job
Aki nem dolgozik, ne is egyék
He that does not work, shall not eat either
Dróton rángat valakit
To pull somebody by a wire
To pull the strings
Két dudás egy csárdában nem fér meg
Two pipers cannot get on in one tavern
Akkor lészen az, mikor a Duna visszafoly vagy elszárad
It will happen when the Danube reverts its course or dries up
Dunát lehetne rekeszteni vele, velük
The Danube could be dammed by them
There are too many of them


E

Nehezen alkuszik meg két eb egy csonton
Two dogs can hardly agree on one bone
Az ebek harmincadjára kerül, jutott
It fell to the thirtieth of dogs
Although it is valuable nobody cares for it any more
Fogas ebnek való a csontrágás
Gnawing on bones is for dogs having teeth
Ha egy ebet bottal hajtanak a nyúl után, nem fogja az meg
If a dog is driven by a stick after a hare, he will not catch
it
Köti az ebet a karóhoz
He ties the dog to the post
He sticks to his position, plan, idea
Ebcsont beforr
A dogs broken bone will soon be healed
The wound inflicted will soon be healed
Ég és föld a különbség köztük
The difference between them is like that between sky and earth
Mint derült égbõl a villámcsapás
Like a thunderstroke from a clear sky
Az egészség ízét a betegség adja meg
The flavour of health is given by an illness
Szegény az eklézsia, maga harangoz a pap
The congregation is poor, the priest rings the bell himself
Elefánt a porcelánboltban N
An elephant in the china shop
Nem azért élünk, hogy együnk, hanem azért eszünk, hogy éljünk
We do not live to eat, but we eat to live
Ki elbízza magát, könnyen megszégyenül
He who is conceited, will easily be ashamed
Se el ne hidd, bízd magad, se kétségbe ne essél
Elbízza magát
Neither be conceited, nor fall into despair
Akkor, Úgy szép az élet, ha zajlik
Life is beautiful if it is hectic
Az ellenségemnek se kívánom
I do not want it even for my enemy
Aki nincs ellenünk, az velünk van
He who is not against us, that is with us
Ami elmúlt, elmúlt
What’s gone, is gone
Don’t cry, over spilt milk
Ahány ember, annyi vélemény
As many men as many opinions
Az ember nem lehet elég óvatos
One cannot be cautious enough
Ember embernek farkasa
Man is a wolf to man
Ember tervez, Isten végez
Man plans, God decides
Holtig remél az ember
Man hopes until his death
Nem tudja az ember, mire virrad
One does not know what he will find tomorrow
Sok jó ember elfér kis helyen
Many good people can find room in a small space
Híres eperre nem kell kosárral menni, közelebb lakók vagy
szemfülesebbek már leszedték rég
You do not needed a basket to pick well-knows strawberries,
those living nearby or being quicker have already picked them
Nem szed más kosarába epret
He wont pick strawberries into the basket on somebody else
Az erdõnek füle van, a mezõnek szeme van
The forest has an ear, the field has an eye
Ahogy esik, úgy puffan
As it falls so it plumps
As the tree falls, it will lie
Esõ után köpönyeg
After rain, comes raincoat
After meat, mustard
Májusi esõ aranyat ér
A rain in May is golden
Többet ésszel, mint erõvel
One should, could do more by wisdom than by force
Eszi, nem eszi, nem kap mást
He may eat it or not, he wont get anything else
Azt se tudja, eszik-e vagy isszák
He does not even know whether it is eaten or drunk
He has no idea about it
Sok eszkimó, kevés fóka
Many Eskimos and few seals
Nincs olyan hitvány eszköz, hogy hasznát ne lehetne venni
There is no worthless thing which could not be used something
Evés közben jön meg az étvágy
Appetite comes while eating
Ez van, ezt kell szeretni
This is, what we have, experience, this is to be liked


F

Amilyen a fa, olyan a gyümölcse
Like tree, like fruit
Nagy fába vágta a fejszéjét
He cut his axe into a big tree
A hard venture
Fából vaskarika
An iron ring made of wood
An absurdity
Kemény fából faragták
He was carved of hard wood
He is strong, steadfast
Jó fának is van rossz gyümölcse
Even good tree has, sometimes bad fruit
A fát nem vágják ki egy csapásra, vágásra
A tree is not felled at one stroke
Addig hajtsd a fát, míg vesszõ
Bend the tree while is a twig
Maga alatt vágja a fát
He cuts the tree under himself
Rossz fát tett a tûzre
He has put bad wood on the fire
He has got into mischief
Nem látja a fától az erdõt
He cannot see the wood for the trees
Nem nõnek a fák az égig
The trees do not grow up to the sky
A fakónak muszáj húzni, mert a fakót is húzzák
Akitõl az elöljárói megkövetelnek valamit, az is kénytelen
követelni a beosztottaitól
The horse has to pull as the horse is also pulled
He who gets orders from his superiors, has to pass them on to
his subordinates
A falnak is füle van
Even the wall has an ear
A farkas a szõrét elhányja, de a szokását nem
Farkast emlegetnek, a kert alatt kullog, jár
When a wolf is mentioned, he is already walking round the
garden
Nem eszi meg a farkas, kutya a telet
The wolf, dog does not eat the winter
A farok csóválja a kutyát
The tail wags the dog
The normal order is reversed
Those give orders who are expected to obey
Az új fazék megtartja elsõ szagát
A new pot retains its first scent
The cask savours of the first fill
Minden ember az õ maga fazeka mellé szít
Minden szentnek maga felé hajlik a keze
Every man kindles the fire below his own pot
Egy fecske nem csinál nyarat
One swallow does not make a summer
Akinek nincs a fejében, legyen a lábában
He who has not, enough wit in the head, should have, force, to
replace it, in the leg
Fején találja a szöget
He hits the nail on the head
Összecsapnak a feje fölött a hullámok
The waves dash over his head
He is unable to cope with the situation any longer
Lehajtott fejet nem éri a kard
A bent head is not touched by the sword
Nem jó fejjel menni, rohanni a falnak
There is no point in running ones head against the wall
Veszett fejsze nyele
The helve of the lost hatchet
A little gain in a great loss
Jobb félni, mint megijedni
It is better to fear, something than to get frightened
Jobb félútról visszatérni, mint rossz útra térni
Better to return from half-way than to take a wrong road
Hadd hulljon a férgese
Let the wormy of it drop off
Let those perish, leave who are not up to the standard
Jobb a sûrû fillér, mint a ritka forint
It is better to get fillers often than forints seldom
Amíg nekünk csak fizetgetnek, addig mi is csak dolgozgatunk
Until we are only poorly paid, we shall also poorly work
Akinek a foga fáj, tartsa a nyelvét rajta
Segíts magadon
He who  has a toothache, should keep, hold his tongue on it
Help yourself
Feni a fogát valamire
He whets his teeth on something
He is very eager to get something
Kimutatja a foga fehérjét
He shows the whiteness of his teeth
He shows himself in his true colours
Fogjuk meg és vigyétek
Let us take it, into our hands and then you carry it
Somebody is urging others to work without wishing to take part
in it
Ott szakad a fonal, madzag, kötél, ahol a legvékonyabb
The thread, string, rope breaks where it is thinnest
Elment Földvárra deszkát árulni
Meghalt
He left for Foldvar to sell boards
He died
Amit fõztél, edd is meg
What you have cooked, you should eat as well
You have to take the responsibility for your action
Szégyen a futás, de hasznos
Running is away is a shame, but it is useful
Egyik fülén be, a másikon ki
In at one ear and out at the other
Se füle, se farka
It has neither an ear, nor a tail
It has neither rhyme nor reason
It makes no sense
Ahol füst van, ott tûz is van
Where there is smoke, there is fire
Füstbe ment
It went into smoke
Nothing was realized achieved
Nagyobb a füstje, mint a lángja
Its smoke is bigger than the flame
It is not so serious


G

Senkinek sem repül szájába a sült galamb
A roast pigeon will not fly into one's mouth
Ahol sok a gazda, bolond a szolga
Where there are many masters the servant becomes mad
Az okos gazda a kárt is jóra fordítja
A clever master turns even a loss into a gain
Gazda nélkül csinálja a számítást
He reckons without his host
Gazda szeme hizlalja a jószágot
The master's eye makes the animals fat
Elkapta a gépszíj
He was snatched by the belt
He could not resist the temptation of well-being in return for
yielding from strict moral standards
Mással kapartatja ki a gesztenyét a tûzbõl, parázsból
He makes someone else get he chestnut from the fire, glowing
embers
A gombhoz varrja a kabátot
He sews the jacket to the button
Something is made after having a negligible part of if only
Gúzsba kötve táncol
He danced bound hand and foot
He tries hard but has very little freedom of movement or
action
Gyakorlat teszi a mestert
Practice makes the master
Gyáva népnek nincs hazája
Coward people have no country, of their own
Gyermek, részeg, bolond mondják az igazat
A child, a drunkard and a fool tell the truth
Meghalt a gyermek, oda a komaság
The child is dead the godfathership has ended
Kisgyerek - kis gond, nagy gyerek - nagy gond
Small child - small trouble, big child - big trouble
Nem kell a gyereket a fürdõvízzel kiönteni
One need not throw out the child with the bathwater
Néma gyereknek az anyja sem érti a szavát
Even the mother cannot understand the words of a dumb child
Tiltott gyümölcs édesebb
Forbidden fruit is sweeter