# Nem hiszem & Nem hiszem el



## wanipa

Szia!

"Nem hiszem." OR "Nem hiszem el." 
means "I don't believe (it).", right?

1. Does it also mean "I don't think so?"

2. Which one is more popular, with or with out "el"?

Köszönöm!


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## Zsanna

Szia wanipa!

1. Yes, at least partially. _Nem hiszem_ could be _I don't think so_. _Nem hiszem el_ for me is rather _I don't believe it_.

E.g.
A: Szerinted igaz, hogy megszüntetik a villamosokat Szegeden? (Do you think it's true that trams will be stopped in Szeged?)
B: Nem hiszem. (No, I don't think so.)

A: Képzeld! Sanyi dícséretet kapott magatartásból. (Imagine, Sanyi was complimented for his behaviour.)
B: Nem hiszem el! Ő a legrosszabb fiú az osztályban. (I can't believe it! He is the worst behaving boy in the class.)

2. I don't know because alhough there may be situations when the first is the shortened form of the second but surely not when there is an accent on "I don't believe the whole story".
Maybe your question really refers to that... I would have to think about examples for this.


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## wanipa

Great! Thanks a lot!

The problem was I learned the word "elhiszem" and found the usage quite different as normal,
something like a separable verb in German by saying "Nem hiszem el!" or even just in a short form
"Nem hiszem!".

Thanks again!


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## francisgranada

wanipa said:


> The problem was I learned the word "elhiszem" and found the usage quite different as normal, something like a separable verb in German by saying "Nem hiszem el!" or even just in a short form
> "Nem hiszem!".


Partially/formally it is a bit simililar to a German separable verb, but in this case it doesn't help too much, I think.  The prefix _el _(literally _weg _in German) makes the verb _hinni _perfective and the idea of _glauben _becomes "stronger" (to say so), thus _elhinni _corresponds practically rather to the English _believe _while _hinni _is more context dependent***.

For example:
_Hiszem, hogy eljön_ - I believe that he will come
_Azt hiszem, hogy eljön_ - I think (that) he will come
_Elhiszem, hogy eljön_ - I believe that he will come (with the possible nuance "I believe that my informations about his arrival [=he will come] are true")

*** A similar kind of usage (without prefix) is present also in Italan (_credere_), Spanish (_creer_), etc...


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## Zsanna

It is true that *hisz* has various meanings so it is worth looking its uses up in a dictionary (here if you can read Hungarian).
Just some excerpts to add to the previous (with the negative pairs where it is possible):

1. Think/believe that something is true (a) verb alone, b)with Acc.)
E.g.
a) Hiszem is, meg nem is. (I "half believe it", because I recognize some elements of truth in it but I have doubts about the other aspects it involves.)
b) Szentül hisz valamit. (An expression. ->Belives in something "strongly", i.e. no matters what other may say...)

2.1. hisz vkinek v. vminek -> accept as truth what is said or showed (by somebody or something)
E.g.
Hisz a fiának. (Believes his son. => he believes what his son told him is true.)/Nem hisz a fiának. (He doesn't believe/trust his son. -> Whatever the son may say, he doesn't trust his opinion.)
Nem hisz a szemének. (An expression. Doesn't believe his eyes.=> doesn't/can't/couldn't believe it is true what happened in front of his eyes.)

3. Believe/Hope
E.g. Hisz/Nem hisz a sikerben. (He hopes/doesn't hope in success.)
(In the affirmative, it can be "You never know. We may even win./We have a chance."  In the negative: "I don't think we have a chance. The others are much better/luckier, etc.")

4. Think/Believe/Have an opinion, view about somebody or something
E.g.
Azt hiszem, ez jó lesz. (I think this is going to be good.)/ Nem hiszem, hogy ez jó lesz/lenne. (I don't think it's going to be good/would fit, etc.)

*Elhisz* (nem hisz el) has a much more restricted use: believe (or not) usually a story that is told or a "fact"/explanation, etc. that is offered.


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## wanipa

Danke sehr! Thanks a lot!

The exceeding point is I came across to the words like elhisz, now jóllakni.

I wouldn't have thought to say "Ó, jól fogunk lakni." as I did not expect to sepearate jóllakni at all. ;-)

It just led me to think what the correct usage of the words are and what kind of different meanings this could be.


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## franknagy

"Hiszek"/"hiszem" without preverb and régimen "-ban/ben" is used for general abstract things:

 Hiszek Istenben = I believe in God.
Nem hiszek a szellemekben = I do not belive in ghosts.
Hiszek az evolúcióban. = I believe in the evolution.
"Elhiszem" (+Accsusativus , or "hogy+ subordinate sentence) is used for non-recurrent single facts.

Nem hiszem el, hogy az amerikai űrhajósok leszálltak a Holdra =I don't believe that American astronauts have landed on the Moon.
A zsaru elhitte az alibidet? = Has the cop believed your alibi?


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