Hungarian Lesson: i-D Magazine's 'Model Mother Tongue'

With almost two million views for a black-and-white video that teaches the viewer a few key Hungarian phrases, it seems that the Hungarian language has suddenly become very popular indeed. With only 13 million Hungarian speakers worldwide, this represents a huge boost. OK, it’s possible that not everybody is tuning to improve their skills at 'magyarul', but even so, that so many people can properly say liliom (lily) in Hungarian represents something of a minor triumph.

It should be pointed out that the lesson – so to speak – was organized by fashion magazine i-D, and the teacher is known for her ability to capture attention. Over its near 40-year existence, the British i-D has been at the cutting edge of culture and fashion. Not long ago, they started a series of videos called “Model Mother Tongue” in which top international fashion models give a brief primer in their native tongue, along with a lot of atmospheric shots and doe eyes. Irrespective of your interest in fashion models, the videos are – of course – stylish, but also have a sense of humor.

With so many Hungarian models to chose from, who, you may be wondering, did i-D invite to lovingly torture the viewer with a lesson in Hungarian? It turns out the choice was easy in recruiting Barbara Palvin, a Victoria’s Secret model who has also graced the pages of Sports Illustrated iconic swimsuit issue, is a L’Oréal ambassador, and is ranked by Forbes as one of the world’s highest paid models. A British Vogue editor describes her as an “absolutely exquisite looking a cross between a young Brooke Shields and Natalia Vodianova."

While the video doesn’t appear to be shot in Hungary, there is a good amount of hungaricum (artifacts unique to Hungarian culture) dropped in the phrases, like gulyás (goulash) and Houdini. In other words, you might learn something, too. As a model and teacher, Palvin is at the top of her game. Her English isn’t bad, either.

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.