Actually, it is spelled, "sajnos csak egy kicsit tudok magyarul", but that is how you (roughly) pronounce this Hungarian phrase. I've been saying this phrase three times every day for the past week or two, and I think I can finally say it without stumbing over it. It means, "Unfortunately, I only know a little Hungarian."
I am trying to teach myself some Hungarian before going there this summer with our choir. I am only going to be there for 10 days or so, but I want to be able to say important things, like, "No, I want dark chocolate, not milk." or "Does this product contain meat?" (I am pretty certain that the answer to the latter question will likely be "igen" (yes). )
Given my very small Hungarian vocabulary (yes, no, hello, are you _______, etc.), I'm not sure if spending 2 weeks to master "unfortunately I only know a little Hungarian" is the most productive use of my Hungarian-studying time, but I have this delusion of going there and having a full-on conversation in Hungarian, and then being in a situation where this golden phrase will come in handy.
Ok, on that delusionary (is that a word?), I must run. I'm going to go listen to Mozart's Requiem.
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Hey, Ive got two hungarian films on DVD if you want to borrow them. I think they might be region 2 though, but I can probably make you a copy you can watch. Werkmeister Harmonies is one of my favorite films.
There is also a great monty python episode about a hungarian who has bought a hungarian-english dictionary that is completely wrong and he goes up to people and says things such as "My hovercraft is full of eels!"
Avoiding meat in restaurants in Magyar-land is difficult but not impossible. The fried cheese or fried mushroom plates with rice are very tasty. And uborkasalata (cucumber salad), topped with sour cream and paprika, is refreshing and tangy. Then there's gomba (mushroom) paprikas for those who don't eat the traditional csirke (chicken).
There is a fabulous, if rather pricey, restaurant at Magyar utca 12-14 in Budapest's downtown District V that has a remarkable variety and may also feature some vegetarian dishes. It's owned by a New Yorker and the waiters tend to speak English.
It may not be the most traditional spot, but the food is amazing. I miss it.
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