Almost English Read online

Page 30


  This is how the following Hungarian words and phrases are pronounced, or at least were pronounced by my grandparents, and what, roughly, they mean in English:

  Igen – ee-gen (Yes)

  Köszönöm – kus-unum (Thank you)

  Boldog születésnap – bull-dog soo-lertaishnop (Happy birthday)

  Hogy vagy – hodge vodge (How are you?)

  Szervusz – sare-vus (I am at your service)

  Kezét csókolom – ke-zet choc-olom (I kiss your hand)

  Kedves egészségére! – ked-vesh egg-ayshaygaydre! (Cheers, i.e. to your house)

  Krumplisaláta – krum-plysólótó (Potato salad)

  Paprikás krumpli – pó-prikoshkrumply (Potatoes with paprika)

  Körözött – ker-erzert (Liptauer-style cream cheese spread with caraway and paprika)

  Egyszersmind – edj-sairshmeend (At the same time)

  Összehasonlíthatatlan – ursh-sehóshernleehótótlón (Incomparable)

  Hanyszor fogsz felkelni ma éjjel? – Hony-sore forgs fel-kelnee ma ay-el? (How many times will you get up tonight?)

  Ahányszor kell – O-hawnysore kell (As often as I need to)

  Édes Zsuzsi, Virág virágnak – Ey-desh Ju-ji, vee-rog vee-rognok (Sweet Zsuzsi, flower to flower)

  Huszonnyolc – huss-onyoltz (Twenty-eight)

  Üdvözöljük – Ood-verzerlynook (You are welcome)

  Nez – nayz (Look)

  Nem – nem (No)

  Nem tu dom – nem-tudom (I don’t know); ‘nemtudom’ plums are really called this

  Hihetetlen – hi-hetetlen (Unbelievable)

  Em érted – em air-ted (You don’t understand)

  Viszontlatasra – viss-ontlaataashró (Goodbye)

  Madártej – mod-arté (Floating islands)

  Dios torta – dee-oshtortó (Walnut cake)

  Mákos – mark-osh (Poppy seed)

  Palacsinta – pol-oshintó (Pancake)

  Kukorica – koo-koritsó (Corn)

  Pongyola – pon-dyuló (Dressing gown)

  Kavitchka – kaa-vitchkó (Little coffee)

  Szívesen – See-vershen (You’re welcome)

  Buta – boo-tó (Stupid)

  Csúnya – choon-yó (Ugly)

  Popsi – pop-shi (Bum) also popó – pó-po

  Nagyon szép ház – nodg-on sep hoss (A beautiful house)

  Kivel beszél – kee-vel bess-el (Who is she talking to?)

  Yoy de édes – Yoy de ai-desh (Oh, so sweet!)

  Nagyon édes – nodg-on ay-desh (Very sweet)

  Teljesen hülye – tel-yesen hoo-ye (Completely bonkers)

  Megmondhatjuk Dobos neninek? – Meg-mondhotyook Dob-osh nay-ninek? (How do I tell Mrs Dobos?)

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to:

  Marta Buszewicz, Tina Cotzias, Jane Craig, Marion Donaldson, Lucia Grun, Mary-Anne Harrington, Pat Kavanagh, Martha Lane Fox, Jean MacDonald, Kati Mendelson, Max Mendelson, Rachel Mendelson, Jane Morpeth, Elaine O’Dwyer, Tamara Oppenheimer, Nicola Roche, Kate Saunders, Helen Simpson, Caroline Stofer

  . . . they know why.

  To:

  Claire Baldwin, Lynne Drew, Judit Katona-Apte, Hannah Robson, Àgnes Szervànszky, Valerie Thomas, Jon Woolcott

  . . . for linguistic and other help.

  And to all at Rogers, Coleridge and White, especially Gill Coleridge;

  to all at Mantle and Picador, especially Maria Rejt and Camilla Elworthy;

  and to Joanna Briscoe, above all.

  Also by Charlotte Mendelson

  Love in Idleness

  Daughters of Jerusalem

  When We Were Bad

  First published 2013 by Mantle

  This electronic edition published 2013 by Mantle

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

  Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Basingstoke and Oxford

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-4472-1998-9

  Copyright © Charlotte Mendelson 2013

  The right of Charlotte Mendelson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Part One

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  Part Two

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Glossary and Pronunciation