Sikerült

Sikerült is a Hungarian word that means “it worked,” “it succeeded,” or “I managed to do it.” It is the past tense form of the verb sikerülni, which means to succeed or to manage to do something. The form is commonly used both in personal speech and in broader communication to indicate that an effort has achieved its aim.

In usage, sikerült can function as a finite verb or as part of a larger clause. It is often used without an explicit subject, especially in exclamatory or informal contexts, as in Sikerült! meaning “We did it!” or “It worked!” It can also appear with a subject or pronoun to specify who succeeded, for example Nekem sikerült (“I managed it”). The negative form nem sikerült means “it did not work” or “I did not manage to do it.” The phrase is versatile and appears in everyday conversation, journalism, and writing.

Etymologically, sikerült derives from the noun siker, meaning “success,” with a verb-form suffix that marks the action of achieving or managing to do something. The suffix and stem reflect a common Hungarian pattern for forming intransitive verbs related to accomplishment. As a frequent part of modern Hungarian, sikerült is widely understood across dialects and registers.

See also: the related forms sikerül (present/infinite sense), nem sikerült (negated past), and the noun siker, which underpins the meaning of success and achievement in Hungarian.