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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.
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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