My name is Gabriella Kiss. I am a teacher of Hungarian as a Foreign Language, based in Budapest. No matter what your current level of knowledge is, from absolute beginner to advanced, or whether you’re part of a group, a company or an individual learner looking for one-to-one lessons, I can help you improve your Hungarian skills.

I graduated from ELTE Teacher Training College in 1992, majoring in Hungarian and Russian Language and Literature. I earned my second degree in European Studies from Pázmány Péter University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2002. I received my MA degree in Teaching Hungarian as a Second and Foreign Language at the University of Pécs in 2009.

I have been teaching Hungarian as a Foreign Language since 1994 in various fields, such as at language schools, multinational companies and universities. Between 2012 and 2023, I worked as a native language lecturer at the Department of Hungarian Studies at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Zagreb. Since I moved back to Budapest, I have been working as a self-employed private teacher.

I am highly interested in methodology, innovation of the curriculum, culturally specific items, cultural realms and in contrastive grammar.

I specialise in helping people from all over the world grow their confidence when communicating in Hungarian. Whether you’ve got previous experience or not, we’ll gently diagnose your level together and take it from there. Many of my students have never learned Hungarian before, or have tried without as much success as they would have liked, and often report that they’ve progressed much more quickly than they expected. My main aim is to prepare my students for everyday speaking situations.  Besides that, we focus on grammatical accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary building. I love to give my students positive learning experiences.  I try with all my heart to make my lessons useful and enjoyable, relaxing and playful, helping you laugh our way to a better knowledge of Hungarian. Contact me today to arrange an initial meeting.

My students

I teach in a range of settings from private and one-on-one to group sessions in companies and large organisations. I’ve been lucky enough during my career to work with people from all over the world. Among my students there have been diplomats, senior managers, students, tour guides, estate agents, housewives, missionaries, priests, doctors, historians, architects, professors…

Learning materials & handouts

I use tailor-made, up-to-date materials. The primary considerations in selecting the curriculum are the language proficiency level, the goal of language learning, and whether there are specific language skills the learner aims to develop. All exercises are designed to provide to a good understanding of Hungarian culture and linked, if required, of the Hungarian business context.

Using Hungarian in real-life situations

I encourage my students to use their Hungarian in every day situations. Hungarian has a reputation for being very difficult. It’s true that it is absolutely unique in many respects, and it can be quite difficult to grasp at first, but once you begin to understand its logic, you’ll begin to appreciate its compactness and efficiency, learn to interpret and exploit its highly regular nature.

Exam preparation

If you’re working towards a Hungarian exam, I can help you prepare for the big day. I’m familiar with the various state language exams and will be happy to help you develop the specific skills which will be tested.

My publications

Kiss Gabriella─Molnár Ilona. Jó szórakozást magyarul! Budapest: Molilla Kiadó, 2009. 2011.2016.
Bálint Kodaj ─Gabriella Kiss. Hungary inside and out. Budapest: Klett Kiadó, 2014.