The roadmap: zero to fluent
This is the spine of the whole site. Every stage links to the guides you need for it.
Stage 0 — Setup (one weekend)
Section titled “Stage 0 — Setup (one weekend)”- Learn the alphabet and sounds — Hungarian spelling is phonetic; this pays off forever.
- Install your toolchain: Anki + FSRS, Yomitan, a Hungarian keyboard.
- Skim Why Hungarian is hard so nothing ambushes you.
Exit condition: you can read Hungarian aloud (badly) and your tools work.
Stage 1 — Foundations (~2–4 months)
Section titled “Stage 1 — Foundations (~2–4 months)”- Work through a beginner vocabulary deck (~1,000 words).
- Read the grammar guide once, lightly — recognition, not mastery.
- Start easy listening daily, even if you understand 10%: kids’ content, learner podcasts. → Listening ladder
Exit condition: ~1,000 words known, grammar guide skimmed, daily immersion habit exists.
Stage 2 — Supported immersion (~6–12 months)
Section titled “Stage 2 — Supported immersion (~6–12 months)”- Shift Anki input to sentence mining from your own immersion.
- Intensive reading with Yomitan; extensive listening with dubs and easy native content.
- Grammar guide becomes a reference: look up what confuses you, then return to input.
Exit condition: you can follow easy native content and mine it comfortably.
Stage 3 — Native content (~ongoing)
Section titled “Stage 3 — Native content (~ongoing)”- Native YouTube, TV, novels, news (graded ladder).
- Begin output: writing first, then speaking — when Hungarian starts leaking out on its own. → Output
Stage 4 — Refinement
Section titled “Stage 4 — Refinement”- Volume, breadth, and feedback. Fix fossilized errors with targeted study.
- At this point the site’s job is done; Hungarian media is your teacher.