HUNGARY | Internship: At Work | Dress code and manners

Adressing others 

There are two different forms of addressing people in Hungarian. You may address people with “Ön” in a more polite or formal way, and use “te” in a more informal situation. The different forms of address produce differences in grammar and in the ways of communicating. If you meet a person first, you should use “Ön”, until he/she asks you to address him/her with “te”. Normally, the superior requests the subordinate, the woman requests the man and the older person requests the younger one to change to the more familiar form of address.

Hungarians usually use “te” at work, and they don’t use titles to address people (except in academic situations, where using titles expresses a kind of respect, too).

Indirect verbal communication

Hungarian people are very expressive in their nonverbal communication. Therefore always pay attention to your counterpart's facial expression. This will indicate what he or she really thinks.

Always keep direct eye contact with your partner. That shows that you are paying attention. If you notice some confusion in their nonverbal behavior do not be afraid to rephrase your message because Hungarians will rarely openly admit that they didn't understand. In interactions with Hungarians you will often experience verbal indirectness and polite evasions.

Dress codes

The company decides whether to have a dress code or not. Usually, in case of office work, client work, discussions or meetings dress codes apply.