Speak English?

Moving to a country where you don't know one iota of the language is a very humbling experience. What was once a simple ask, greeting, or polite expression - words or phrases that spill out so naturally in a native language - has no words. At a loss for words has a whole new meaning for me... every single day.

I enter a packed out tram just barely squeezing in between the door and the young lady standing directly in front of me. "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry" seem appropriate, but they have no meaning. I remember the word for this expression and quickly blurt out "bocsanat" hoping that I'm saying the word correctly and adequately. She smiles.

Several nights ago after dusk with Dennis out of the country and our landlords on vacation, my call bell rang, which meant somebody was on the ground level by our big front doors calling up to our flat. I answered the phone thinking it might be someone I knew, only to hear a lady rattling on in Hungarian. I had no idea what she was saying. I just said "nem" (meaning no), hung up the phone and hoped she would go away. I could see the motion detector light going on and off. She wasn't going away. Eventually, I went out on our balcony to see if I could communicate at all, but it was in vain. Finally I said, "Nem ertem," (I don't understand) to which she shrugged her shoulders and walked through the gate with her final word "shorry," which I assumed was an apology. Why do these things happen when Dennis is gone?

"Speak English?" has become my best means of communication right now... until I get the basics down. Some people just shake their head indicating "not at all." Others give me a doubtful look gesturing with their thumb and index finger to demonstrate a small amount as they respond with a thick Hungarian accent "a little bit." Once in a while I get a confident "yes" expressed as a question knowing they are about to help me in some manner. I have found Hungarians to be very gracious and helpful. Some have gone the second mile to get us in the right direction, mail a package at the post office, or find a certain item at the grocery store.

Unlike the book on the right, I'm hoping to learn more than "just enough" to get by. I am committed to learning as much Hungarian as possible so that I can communicate adequately. In the meantime, I'm studying the pronunciation of the letters (some consonants are two-letters, but one sound) and listening to Hungarians give proper sound to the words.

Twenty words or phrases have become familiar vocabulary in my new world. One of them I use more than any other - "koszonom." Can you guess what it means?