azt

[Gerry905]

I don't quite understand the use of azt in sentences like 'Azt hiszem...', 'Azt mondom...' (I can't really think of another example right now but I'm sure there are a few). Are there verbs which always go with azt and you just have to add them? Though, I've seen the verb hisz used without azt which confused me further.

 

[AndrasBP]

"Azt" is often used with verbs related to the mind and communication. They don't always go with "azt", but omitting it often makes the phrase less idiomatic (to a varying degree). You may think of "azt" as a kind of emphatic determiner, as in "what he said was that..." (= azt mondta, hogy...)

Some common examples (in the past tense, 3rd person singular)
(note that "hogy" is often omitted in spoken Hungarian):

AZT

• írta, hogy... (he wrote)
• hitte, hogy... (he thought/believed)
• kérdezte, hogy... (he asked)
• válaszolta, hogy... (he answered)
• akarta, hogy... (he wanted)
• gondolta, hogy... (he thought)
• képzelte, hogy... (he imagined)
• hazudta, hogy... (he lied)
• tervezte, hogy... (he planned)

 

[Gerry905]

So, if I said something like "Hiszem, (hogy) ez most kicsit sürgetőbb ..." instead of "Azt hiszem, (hogy) ez most kicsit sügertőbb ..." it wouldn't be grammatically incorrect per se, just "less idiomatic"?

 

[AndrasBP]

"Azt hiszem" is an everyday phrase to express an opinion, roughly the same as "I think". It's so common that many people pronounce it "asszem".
"Hiszem" is possible, but in a different context: it sounds more formal or literary. It's closer to "I believe in...", when talking about religious/moral beliefs.

With other verbs, the difference between the phrases with and without "azt" might be different.

 

[Fredsky]

Azt hiszem, hogy szeret engem - I believe that she loves me... where believe is close to "I think" here. ("Ugy gondolom, hogy ...")
Hiszem, hogy szeret engem - I believe that she loves me ... where it is more like "I do believe", "I believe and I strongly hope it is true".
-- another version of the "azt hiszem - hiszem" difference. I'm not sure if there are such differences regarding the other words AndrasBP has listed.
I think "Azt ... hogy" is the default, and the lack of "azt" sometimes conveys additional fine distinctions.