The Hungarian Helicon Society offers Hungarian Language classes for adults. The courses focus on grammar, vocabulary expansion and conversation, but also include some reading and writing in Hungarian.

Please note that this is a not an accredited program and academic credit will not be awarded upon completion of our language courses. Our courses focus on providing language skills for students who have a genuine interest in learning the language to communicate with friends or family.

Each new course begins in the Fall and consists of classes held across three semesters (Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer). In order to progress and build on one’s knowledge, it is expected that students will continue the courses each semester. Three semesters are held each year (Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer).

2011/2012 Session:

We plan to offer the following courses this session:

Level 1: This is the class for absolute beginners. The Level 1 course is intended for those learners who have very little prior knowledge of the Hungarian language. This course will be an introduction to the mechanism of Hungarian in terms of its phonetics (speech sounds), alphabet system, morphology (the forms and rules of how to build words), and basic syntax (how to put together words to form sentences). Besides laying the foundation, a great emphasis will be placed on the unique features of Hungarian due to its origin. Also, a consistent comparison will be made with English highlighting the striking differences and certain commonalities between the two languages. This course will teach 80-100 Hungarian words used in everyday communication.

Schedule: Saturdays – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. – Winter Semester (Session B) classes begin January 14, 2012. The semester will consist of 12 classes. Location: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, school building - 432 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, just west of Bayview Avenue. Map. Instructor: Katalin Bagi Course Fee: $285.00 per semester (includes course materials fee) There is no textbook required for this course.

Level 2/3: This course is a continuation of the Level 1C course offered in the summer 2011 session. The Level 2/3 course will integrate teacher-guided communicative approach and learner's input into deepening students' existing knowledge and their use of Hungarian. The course will teach grammar in the context of wide-ranging vocabulary and common expressions on relevant topics useful in everyday conversations reflecting spoken Hungarian. Also, the students will be exposed to learning cultural information as the framework of the language through short readings and visual representations. .

Schedule: Saturdays – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. – Winter Semester (Session B) classes begin January 14, 2012. The semester will consist of 12 classes. Location: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, school building - 432 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, just west of Bayview Avenue. Map. Instructor: Ilona Sándor Course Fee: $285.00 per semester (includes course materials fee) There is no textbook required for this course.

Level 4: Not offered in the Fall 2011 semester.

Level 5: This course is a continuation of the Level 4C course offered in the summer 2011 session. The Level 5 course is for more advanced learners who can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics, which are familiar, or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Although grammar teaching constitutes a vital part of the lessons, greater emphasis will be placed on oral communication practicing everyday used expressions. The course will also provide the learners with some background information about Hungary and the Hungarians.

Schedule: Tuesdays – 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Winter Semester (Session B) classes begin January 17th, 2012. Location: St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, school building - 432 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, just west of Bayview Avenue. Map. Instructor:   Course Fee: $285.00 per semester (includes course materials fee) There is no textbook required for this course.

Course Schedule:

Our classes are held once a week for a 2-hour session. Each course runs for three semesters. The Fall semester (Session A) is from September to December; the Winter semester (Session B) runs from January to early April, and the Spring/Summer semester (Session C) runs May through the end of July. Each semester comprises of 12 weeks of classes.

Course Location:

Our classes are held at the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, school building - 432 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, just west of Bayview Avenue. Map.

Course Fee:

The course fee is $285 per semester, for a total of $855 per course for all three semesters. This fee includes the handouts and other course material provided by the instructors. The fee does not include any textbooks, if applicable, or dictionaries that the students may find useful to have, which may be purchased independently from local bookstores.

Registration for the Winter 2012 Semester: Please complete the course registration form and mail it in with your payment to the address shown on the form: Registration Form. Registration deadline: January 6th, 2012 for all Winter classes.

For more information, please contact our Director of Education, Réka Nicholas, at  Education@HeliconSociety.com or by telephone at (416) 560-7352.