If you are interested in soaking up as most of the local culture as possible, it is possible you are asking yourself about the best ways for remote workers to learn Hungarian in Budapest. After all, Hungarian is an extremely useful language in the region, and recognized as a minority tongue in Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Austria. Of course, knowing the language will also help you fit in better and allow you to have more meaningful conversations with potential friends and business partners. The level of English is the city is high, so you shouldn’t worry about being completely lost once you are here, but knowing at least some basics will go a long way in Budapest!
One of the best ways for remote workers to learn Hungarian in Budapest will be to take one of the many crash courses available across the city. There is Fungarian, a local tours and language firm offering visitors the opportunity to learn the language through intensive short courses. These classes are meant to be fun, interactive and relaxed, and seek to avoid the pressures of the formal classroom. Fungarian’s classes take place at local cafes, bars and some of them even include tours across the city. We also recommend taking one of the many walking tours around the city, which will give you an excellent sense of where things are located and allow you to communicate with your guide to learn local expressions.
Of course, the most efficient way for remote workers to learn Hungarian in Budapest will be to sign up for some classes at any of the city’s excellent language schools. If you are serious about learning the language or are interested in staying in Hungary past your visa allowance, signing up to an accredited institution could well be a useful thing to consider. Schools in the city are international, well-recognized and provide excellent social events for all students to foster a sense of community. The world-recognized Berlitz School in Budapest offers a variety of courses year-round and NovoSchool in the Palace District offers exciting options for all types of learners. The Ulysses Language School and the Soter Language School are also good options in Budapest.
One of the best ways to learn a language is certainly to get acquainted with it in all of its contexts. Indeed, Hungarian is not an easy language but if you find yourself in Budapest you will have the very best opportunities to immerse yourself in the language. One of the best ways for remote workers to learn Hungarian in Budapest will be to sign up to any of the many podcasts available for students of the language - Let’s Learn Hungarian!, HungarianPod101 and One Minute Hungarian are some of the best resources for first-time learners. Giving local newspapers a glance and then reading some English-language papers, such as the Budapest Times, will help you get acquainted with words and get a sense of local happenings.
Joining a local online group or expat community will also be an excellent way for remote workers to learn Hungarian in Budapest. Budapest Language Exchange & Friends, a meetup group, is a superb resource for meeting locals and giving your Hungarian skills some practice. Expat groups and meet ups are also likely to attract locals and give you a welcome exposure to the language right in the city.
For more information about living in Budapest as a remote worker, check out our complete Budapest guide.