Category Archives: Cases/Postpositions

Suffixes -vá, -vé – Translative Case

SUFFIXES -VÁ, -VÉ

The name of the grammatical case for these suffixes is: translative case

You already know how -val, -vel behaves when attached to a word ending with a consonant. > COMPLETE ASSIMILATION

gyerek + –vel = gyerekkel (with child)
asztal + –val = asztallal (with table)

The same happens to these suffixes: -vá, -vé. Take a look at it:

gyerek + –vé = gyerekké
asztal + –vá = asztallá

And what do these suffixes express? A simple answer would be: it is equivalent to the English preposition into. However, it has nothing to do with going into a place.

It indicates:
-a change
-someone/something turns into something else

Examples with the words above:

Szeretnék megint gyerekké válni.
I’d like to become a child again.

A hercegnő hirtelen asztallá változott.
The princess suddenly turned into a table.

As you see, English doesn’t always reflect the Hungarian method. There is no preposition equivalent to -vé in the first sentence. I guess you see the point, so more examples on the way:

Porrá zúzták az épületet.
The building has been smashed to dust.

A fiú férfivá érett.
The boy has become a man.

A lakberendező széppé varázsolta a lakásomat.
The decorator changed my flat into a beautiful place.

Kővé dermedtem az ijedtségtől.
I was petrified with fear.

Tedd magad hasznossá!
Do something useful.

–Mivé változott a herceg? –Békává.
-What did the prince become? –A frog.

The suffixes -vá, -vé are not to be confused with -va, -ve for condition!!!

Grammatical Cases – Nyelvtani esetek

GRAMMATICAL CASES

NOTE! The plural ending -k does not specifically mark a case! It just forms the plural of singular words in subjective case.

1. SUBJECTIVE/NOMINATIVE = unmarked like in English
2. ACCUSATIVE = -t
3. DATIVE = -nak, -nek
4. ILLATIVE = -ba, -be
5. INESSIVE = -ban, -ben
6. ELATIVE = -ból, -ből
7. SUBLATIVE = -ra, -re
8. SUPERESSIVE = -n, -on, -en, -ön
9. DELATIVE = -ról, -ről
10. ALLATIVE = -hoz, -hez, -höz
11. ADESIVE = -nál, -nél
12. ABLATIVE = -tól, -től
13. TEMPORAL = -kor
14. INSTRUMENTAL = -val, -vel
15. COMITATIVE = -stul,-stül
16. DISTRIBUTIVE = -nként
17. DISTRIBUTIVE TEMPORAL = -nként, -nta, -nte
18. TERMINATIVE = -ig
19. MODAL = -képp, -képpen, -ként
20. TRANSLATIVE = -vá, -vé

So let’s count a little bit now. It is 1, 2, 3, 4…ah yeah, only 20 cases. I think we can establish a fact based on our counting:

THERE ARE 20 CASES IN THE HUNGARIAN LANGUAGE!

No more than that! And now comes the best part of it. Apart from basic cases like subjective, accusative, dative, you don’t need to remember the goddamn names of these cases!

Seriously, guys. Forget them. You don’t need them. It is just another crappy topic grammar books try to get into your head. And for what? For the fun of it? Bullshit. 🙂 Take a look at this sentence:

Cérnával varrok. – I sew with a thread.

All you need to know is the fact that the English preposition WITH is equal to the Hungarian suffixes -VAL, -VEL. Do you need to know the fact that it is instrumental case to translate the sentence? No, you don’t.

The name of the grammatical case is secondary, if not tertiary or meaningless in the first place.

The following examples will prove ”my theory”. Knowing the cases by names does not help you translate a sentence. What you need to remember is the Hungarian equivalent to English prepositions.

SUBJECTIVE/NOMINATIVE CASE:
A kutya kergeti a macskát. – The dog is chasing the cat.
A kutyák kergetik a macskát. – The dogs are chasing the cat.
Az ebéd kész van. – The lunch is ready.

ACCUSATIVE CASE: -t
A kutya kergeti a macskát. – The dog is chasing the cat.
A kutya kergeti a macskákat. – The dog is chasing the cats.
A kutyát kergeti a macska. – The cat is chasing the dog.
Az ebédet megfőztem. – I’ve cooked the lunch.
Megfőztem az ebédet. – I’ve cooked the lunch.

DATIVE CASE: -nak, -nek
A kislánynak ne adj cukrot ebéd előtt.
Don’t give any candy to the little girl before lunch.

Ha nem hiszel a papnak, kérdezd a tudóst!
If you don’t believe the priest, ask the scientist.

A gazdagoknak nincs szépérzékük.
The rich has no sense of beauty.
(There is no sense of beauty for the rich.)

ILLATIVE CASE: -ba, -be
Elmegyek a vidámparkba.
I’ll go to the funfair.

Beugrok a vízbe. – I’ll jump into the water.

Az anya álomba ringatta a gyereket.
The mother put the child to sleep.

A hír hallatán rögtön méregbe gurultam.
On hearing the news I got into a rage.

Csalánba nem üt a mennykő. – Weed doesn’t spoil.
(The thunderbolt doesn’t hit the nettle.)

INESSIVE CASE: -ban, -ben
A városban alig vannak.
There’s barely anyone in the city.

A hegyben dübörög a láva.
The lava is rumbling inside the mountain.

Hiszel Istenben? – Do you believe in God?

Ilyen hőségben nem húzok kabátot.
I won’t put on a coat in this heat.

ELATIVE CASE: -ból, -ből
Tegnap óta nem jött ki a szobából.
He hasn’t left the room since yesterday.
(He hasn’t come out of the room since yesterday.)

A hegyből kitört a láva. – The lava erupted from the mountain.

–Miből él? -Tanításból.
–What does he do for a living? –He’s a teacher.

Vedd ki a kezed a forró vízből!
Take your hand out of the boiling water.

Meglepődtem, amikor a sátorból kinézett egy vaddisznó.
I was surprised when a wild-boar looked out of the tent.

SUBLATIVE CASE: -ra, -re
Több együttérzésre számítottam.
I counted on more sympathy.

–Kire vársz? –Az osztálytársamra várok.
–Who are you waiting for? I’m waiting for my class-mate.

Lustasággal nem megyünk semmire.
We’re not getting anywhere with laziness.
(We’re going to nothing with laziness.)

Ne ülj a padra, még nedves!
Don’t sit down on the bench. It’s still wet.

SUPERESSIVE CASE: -n, -on, -en, -ön
A tetőn madár fészkel.
A bird is nestling on the roof.

Az állomáson sokan vannak.
There are a lot of people at the station.

Az egyetemen ma bulit rendeznek.
A party is organized at the university today.

Nem tudom, mit eszel azon a nőn.
I don’t know why you’re digging that woman.
(I don’t know what you’re eating on that woman.)

DELATIVE CASE: -ról, -ről
A székről leugrott a macska.
The cat jumped from the chair.

Benyitott hozzám egy vadidegen az utcáról.
A stranger opened the door on me from the street.

Beszéljünk a választásokról!
Let’s talk about the elections.

–Miről szól a történet? -Egy fiúról meg egy lányról, ahogy az lenni szokott.
–What is the story about? –About boy and a girl as usual.

ALLATIVE CASE: -hoz, -hez, -höz
Menjünk a kocsihoz! – Let’s go to the car.

-Mit szólsz az esethez? -Azt, hogy elképesztő.
-What do you say to the affair? -It’s astonishing.

Férjhez ment a híres színésznő.
The famous actress got married.
(The famous actress went to a husband.)

Az őrökhöz beszélt, amikor beléptem.
He was talking to the guards when I entered.

ADESIVE CASE: -nál, -nél
Az orvosnál mindig zsúfolt a váróterem.
The waiting room is always crowded at the doctor’s.

A falnál állok és a buszra várok.
I’m standing at the wall and waiting for the bus.

A hentesnél minden drága.
Everything’s expensive at the butcher’s.

A Janiéknál két csecsemő is van!
There are two babies at Jani’s place.

A postánál vagyok és nézem a forgalmat.
I’m at the post-office watching the traffic.

ABLATIVE CASE: -tól, -től
Gyere el a kutyától, még megharap!
Get away from the dog. It’s going to bite you.

A kerítéstől négy méterre kidőlt egy fa.
A tree fell four meters from the fence.

Félek a pókoktól.
I’m afraid of spiders.

Próbálj meg tartózkodni a helytelen megjegyzésektől.
Try to abstain from the inappropriate remarks.

TEMPORAL CASE: -kor
Karácsonykor mindenki szereti egymást.
All love each other at Christmas.

Ebédkor a család asztalhoz ül.
The family sits down to the table for lunch.

Éjfélkor nem járnak a buszok.
There’s no bus service at midnight.

Öt órakor vége a műszaknak.
The shift is over at five o’clock.

INSTRUMENTAL CASE: -val, -vel
>Words in a vowel take -val, -vel. Words in a consonant assimilate with -val, -vel.

Ásóval ások. – I dig with a spade.
Tollal írok. – I’m writing with a pen.

Mindig paprikával főzöm a gulyást.
I always cook goulash with paprika.

–Kivel házasodtál össze? –A szomszédlánnyal.
-Who did you marry? -The girl next door.

Találkoztam az ügyvéddel tegnap.
I met the lawyer yesterday.

COMITATIVE CASE: -stul, -stül
Családostul mentek kirándulni.
They made an excursion with the whole family.

Ruhástul esett a medencébe.
She fell into the pool with her clothes on.

Úgy szeretlek, ahogy vagy. Szőröstül-bőröstül.
I love you the way you are. Flesh and fell.

DISTRIBUTIVE CASE: -nként
Egyenként jöttek elő a kismacskák.
The kittens came forth one by one.

Fejenként két almát kaptok.
You get two apples per head/each.

Szemenként ettük a szőlőt.
We were eating the grapes one by one.

DISTRIBUTIVE TEMPORAL CASE: -nként, -nta, -nte
Keddenként és csütörtökönként jön.
He comes on Tuesdays and on Thursdays.

Naponta megy az edzőterembe.
He’s going to the gym day by day.

Hetente kapnak fizetést.
They are paid every week.

Percenként szól a beteg a nővérnek.
The patient calls the nurse every minute.

TERMINATIVE CASE: -ig
A városig gyalogoltam. – I was walking up to the town.

Hétfőig kell a tervrajznak elkészülnie.
The plan has to be finished until Monday.

A kerttől a házig tíz méter van.
There are ten meters from the garden to the house.

MODAL CASE: -képp, -képpen, -ként
Orvosként dolgozik. – He’s working as a doctor.

Mindenképp meglátogatlak!
I’ll visit you by all means.

Egyféleképpen lehet csak elmondani.
It can be said in one way only.

TRANSLATIVE CASE: -vá, -vé
A boszorkány hollóvá változatta a lányt. – The witch turned the girl into a crow.
A víz jéggé dermedt. – The water has frozen.
>note that the v assimilates with the last consonant just like in Instrumental case

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, More Postpositions

NÉLKÜL

If you want to do without something, that’s the right postposition for it.

Esernyő nélkül nem megyek el.
I’m not leaving without an umbrella.

Cukor nélkül isszák a kávét.
They drink coffee without sugar.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
enélkül – without this, anélkül – without that

Personal forms: nélkülem, nélküled, nélküle, nélkülünk, nélkületek, nélkülük
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök nélkül

HELYETT

It replaces something with something else: instead of, for

Cipő helyett pólót veszünk.
Instead of shoes, we’ll buy a shirt.

Helyetted nem tudok dönteni.
I can’t make this decision for you.

Helyette végzem el a munkát.
I’m accomplishing this job for him/instead of him.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
ehelyett – instead of this, ahelyett – instead of that

Personal forms: helyettem, helyetted, helyette, helyettünk, helyettetek, helyettük
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök helyett

SZERINT

If you want to refer to other people’s opinion: according to, to think, to say

Az igazgató szerint nincs pénz.
The director says we have no money.

Szerinted megy ma dolgozni?
Do you think he’s going to work today?

A törvény szerint itt tilos a dohányzás.
According to the law, smoking is prohibited here.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
eszerint – according to this, aszerint – according to that

Personal forms: szerintem, szerinted, szerinte, szerintünk, szerintetek, szerintük
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök szerint

ÁLTAL

This postposition is used if something is done by somebody. English equivalent: by

A titkárság által küldött levél megérkezett.
The letter sent by the secretariat has arrived.

It takes the possessive endings if it refers specifically to the person by whom something was done.

Az általa mondott történet igaz.
The story told by him is true.

The demonstrative pronoun az, ez change like this:
ezáltal – through this, azáltal – through that

Personal forms: általam, általad, általa, általunk, általatok, általuk
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök által

ELLEN

This is a deceitful postposition. Let’s see why! The word itself ellen means: against

A döntése ellen nem tehetünk semmit.
We can’t do anything against his decision.

Nincs ellene kifogásom.
I have no objection against it.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
ez ellen – against this, az ellen – against that

Personal forms: ellenem, ellened, ellene, ellenünk, ellenetek, ellenük
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök ellen

-If it takes the suffix -ben plus possessive ending, it has the meaning: in return for

Megfelelő szolgáltatás ellenében fizetek.
I’ll pay in return for appropriate service.

nyugta ellenében – against a receipt

készpénzfizetés ellenében – cash down

-If it takes the suffix -re, it means: notwithstanding, in spite of sg

A sztrájk ellenére nyugodt nap ez a mai.
Despite the strike, it is a calm day.

A bizonytalanságom ellenére elboldogulok.
In spite of my uncertainty, I’m getting on well.

akaratom ellenére – against my will

NO CONFUSION HERE:
ellen(e) – against
ellenében – in return for
ellenére- in spite of, despite, notwithstanding

MIATT, VÉGETT

Justifying something goes with these postpositions: because of. The postposition végett is almost completely extinct.

Az eső miatt bent ülünk a házban.
Because of the rain we’re sitting in the house.

Miattam történt a baleset. (>The accident happened because of me.)
The accident is my fault.

Emiatt nem látom a filmet.
That’s why/Therefore I won’t see the movie.

Az irat végett jöttem. (> I came because of the document.)
I’ve come for the document.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
emiatt, evégett – for this, amiatt, avégett – for that

Personal forms: miattam, miattad, miatta, miattunk, miattatok, miattuk
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök miatt

No personal forms for végett. Actually, there are such forms, but they are too archaic.

IRÁNT

If I’m interested in something or someone, I say iránt which comes from irány (direction). Equivalent: towards

Nem érzek iránta semmit. – I don’t feel anything for her.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
ez iránt – for this, az iránt – for that

Personal forms: irántam, irántad, iránta, irántunk, irántatok, irántuk
Polite pers. forms: maga/maguk/ön/önök iránt

-NAK A, -NEK A JAVÁRA

If something happens for someone’s sake, that is: in favour of

4:0 a magyarok(nak a) javára – four up for the Hungarian team
A javamra írt ezer forintot. – He credited me thousand forints.
a vendégek(nek a) javára – in favour of the guests

Note that the suffix -nak a, -nek a are not mandatory to use because ‘java’ has a possessive ending. The context is clear: someone possesses something. Hence the parenthesis. As a matter of fact, java is the possessive form of jó (good). In itselg, it is used as a noun.

Csak a javadat akarom. – I just want you the best.

The demonstrative pronouns az, ez change like this:
ennek a javára – in favour of this, annak a javára – in favour of that

Personal forms: a javamra, javadra, javára, javunkra, javatokra, javukra
Polite pers. forms: a maga/maguk/ön/önök javára
>Note the definite article preceding java…

SZÁMÁRA, RÉSZÉRE

These postpositions are equal to the suffix -ért: for, to

Foglalok asztalt részükre. – I’ll book a table for them.
Számunkra ez nem jelent semmit. – To us, it doesn’t mean anything.

Personal forms: számomra, számodra, számára, számunkra, számotokra, számukra
Polite pers. forms: a maga/maguk/ön/önök számára
Personal forms: részemre, részedre, részére, részünkre, részetekre, részükre
Polite pers. forms: a maga/maguk/ön/önök részére
>Note the definite article for polite forms.

-NAK A, -NEK A FEJÉBEN

This postposition corresponds with ellenében: nyugta/nyugtának a fejében – against a receipt

No personal forms possible.

-NAK A, -NEK AZ ALAPJÁN

 Meaning: on the basis of sg, based on sg, by

A lány külseje alapján ítéli meg.
He judges the girl by her look.

Órabér alapján fizetnek. – I’m paid by the hour.

Az alapján, amit mondott, nem ő a hibás.
Based on what he said, it’s not his fault.

No personal forms possible.

-NAK A, NEK A NYOMÁN

It is something like a stilted postposition for saying: based on. Mainly used when you’re talking about somebody’s work, book, and so on:

Gene Roddenberry Star Trek-e nyomán
based on Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek

No personal forms possible.

-NAK A, -NEK A RÉVÉN

It means: through sy/sg, by way of, by means of

A szakács révén megtudtuk, mennyi só kell a levesbe.
Through the cook we learned how much salt you need to add to the soup.

You can also say: A szakácstól = A szakács révén = A szakács által

No personal forms possible.

-RA, -RE NÉZVE

This postposition is equal to: in point of, by

Foglalkozására nézve erdész. – He’s a forester by profession.
Ez kedvező ránk nézve. – This is favourable to us.

Personal forms: rám/rád/rá/ránk/rátok/rájuk nézve
Polite pers. forms: magára/magukra/önre/önökre nézve

-T BELEÉRTVE / ELTEKINTVE –TÓL, -TŐL

These two words can be translated as: including sg / apart from sg

Beleértve téged is, hárman vagyunk itt.
Including you, three of us are here.

A szobától eltekintve tetszik a hely.
Apart from the room, I like the place.

Personal forms: engem/téged/őt/minket/titeket/őket beleértve
Polite pers. forms: magát/magukat/önt/önöket beleértve
Personal forms: tőlem/tőled/tőle/tőlünk/tőletek/tőlük eltekintve
Polite pers. forms: magától/maguktól/öntől/önöktől eltekintve

AMI –T ILLETI

Equivalent: as for; as far as sg/sy is concerned, regarding sy/sg

Ami engem illet, nem érdekel.
As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care.

Ami a bevásárlást illeti, túl sok pénzt költöttetek.
As for the shopping, you’ve spent too much money.

Personal forms: ami engem/téged/minket/titeket illet (!); ami őt/őket illeti (!)
Polite pers. forms: ami magát/magukat/önt/önöket illeti (!)

-NÁL, -NÉL FOGVA

Equivalent: by, by virtue of, by dint of; therefore

Nem jött el, ennél fogva nem tud levizsgázni.
He hasn’t come, therefore he won’t be able to pass the exam.

Ügyességénél fogva mindenre képes.
By her skills she’s capable of everything.

Synonym for ennél fogva: ezért, emiatt, így
Synonym for -nál, -nél fogva: ami -t illeti

No personal forms possible.

-NAK A, -NEK A KAPCSÁN

Equivalent: apropos of, in connection with, as for

Az ügy kapcsán eszébe jutott más is.
As for the issue, she remembered other things, too.

Synonym is: az ügy kapcsán = ami az ügyet illeti

-NAK AZ, -NEK AZ ÉRDEKÉBEN

Equivalent: for the sake of; in sy’s interest

A te érdekedben mondom.
I’m saying this in your own interest.

Péter érdekében tartom a szám.
I’ll keep my tongue for Peter’s sake.

Synonym is the suffix –ért:
a te érdekedben = érted, Péter érdekében = Péterért

Personal forms:
az én érdekemben, a te érdekedben, az ő érdekében
a mi érdekünkben, a ti érdeketekben, az ő érdekükben
Polite pers. forms:
a maga/maguk/ön/önök érdekében

SUMMARY TABLE FOR CASES, ADVERBS OF MANNER

-val, -vel > instrumental case = with
-nként > distributive case = per, in, by
-képp, -képpen, -ként > modal case = as, -ly
-stul, -stül > comitative case = (along) with, together with

WE’RE FINISHED WITH ADVERBS OF MANNER!!!! 🙂

Next time we’ll discuss CASES. I’ll bring up all cases we’ve learned so far and explain a thing or two about them.

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, More Suffixes

We’re going through a couple of suffixes now. These suffixes can express a manner of some kind. Next time we’ll learn the postpositions related to this topic.

-NKÉNT

If you return to the ’adverbs of time’, you’ll see we’ve already met this suffix. In that case, it was distributive temporal case: something happens over and over again at a specific interval. We are talking about distribution now, as well! This case is: DISTRIBUTIVE CASE.

fejenként (per head)
egyenként (one by one)
páronként (in pairs, by two)
kilónként (a kilo)

Of course, you might need a link vowel sometimes:
-enként, -önként, -onként, -anként

For páronként there’s another version: párosával.

-KÉNT, -KÉPP, -KÉPPEN; MINT

Used to form adverbs of manner from adjectives. These suffixes –nként and -ként are not the same! The word mint is the only preposition in Hungarian! The suffixes -képp, -képpen can be interchanged even if not always. This case is called MODAL CASE.

kétféleképp(en) – in two different ways
hasonlóképpen – similarly
tulajdonképpen – properly speaking
önként – voluntarily

Tanárként dolgozik./ Mint tanár dolgozik.
He works as a teacher.

Synonyms can be:

hasonlóképpen = hasonlóan
önként = önkéntesen

-VAL, -VEL

These can be used to express manner.

kettesével – two at a time
hármasával – three at a time
százával – by hundreds; hundreds of
ezrével – by thousands; thousands of

-STUL, -STÜL

This case is COMITATIVE CASE. In a proper sense, it has the same meaning as -val, -vel, but it is used to express a stronger relationship!

családostul – with one’s entire family
mindenestül – with everything, root and branch
szőröstül-bőröstül – flesh and fell

Ruhástul állt a zuhany alatt.
He was standing under the shower with clothes on him.

-BAN, -BEN

Surprising as it is, these suffixes of place referring to occurrences inside an object, also reflect a state of mind. Words combined with -ban, -ben often take the possessive endings, as well! They can be translated using the preposition ‘with’.

Örömében sír.
She’s crying with joy.

Bánatában a tóba ugrott.
Sad as he was, he jumped into the lake.

Fájdalmukban üvöltenek.
They shout with pain.

Jó/rossz színben van.
He looks well/ill.
Literally: He’s in a good/in a bad color.

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, the Suffixes -l, -ul, -ül

GROUP 3: –L, -UL, -ÜL

These suffixes are attached to languages and adjectives with the privative suffixes -talan, -telen, -atlan, -etlen and some other adjectives.

bizonytalanul – vaguely
kelletlenül – reluctantly
magyarul – in Hungarian
olaszul – in Italian
angolul – in English
németül – in German
jól – well, right
rosszul – badly, wrong

Hungarian ’well’ and ’badly’ are not irregular. More examples:

például – for example
végül – in the end; finally, at last
feleségül megy valakihez – marry him (go to him as a wife)
vendégül lát – to entertain sy at one’s table
segítségül hív – to invoke
hírül ad – to report, to send a word
Jól beszél magyarul. – He speaks Hungarian well.
Rosszul tanul. – He’s bad at school.
Beszélek olaszul. – I speak Italian.

No confusion here please!

végleg – definitely
végül – in the end, finally, at last
a végén – at the end
Végre! – At last!

IMPORTANT! These suffixes (-ul, -ül) are always used when someone speaks/writes/learns a language! You see the examples above.

English does not always have a preposition before languages. More examples:

Olaszul írja a levelet. – He’s writing the letter in Italian.
Japánul tanul. – He’s learning Japanese.
Finnül beszél. – He speaks Finnish.

BUT!

-Hány nyelven beszélsz? – Három nyelven beszélek.
-How many languages do you speak? – I speak three languages.

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, -n, -on, -an, -en; -lag, -leg

The usual method to form adverbs of manner in English is adding –ly to the adjective. Hungarian has several suffixes for that, depending on what adjective you form an adverb of manner from.

GROUP 1: -N, -ON, -AN, -EN

These suffixes are the general ones to form adverbs of manner. Important to mention: depending on what plural suffix adjectives require, such a suffix for these adverbs of manner must be chosen. I’m talking about link vowels: –an, –en, –on or –n attached to words in a vowel. Examples:

okos > okosak = okosan (in a clever/smart way)
béna > bénák = bénán (crippled; in a lame way)
ügyes > ügyesek = ügyesen (ably)
vastag > vastagok = vastagon (in a thick way)

Of course there are exceptions: boldog > boldogok = boldogan (happily)

Adjectives formed with the suffixes -s, -os, -es, -ös always take these suffixes! Sometimes, words that end with ó, ő, ú, ű take -n (keserűn), but these forms sound a bit antiquated. Besides, other words can take them, too. Not to be confused with the suffixes of surface -n, -on, -en, -ön!

haragos – haragosan = testy – testily
fényes – fényesen = bright – brightly
gyors – gyorsan = quick – quickly
olcsó – olcsón = cheap – at a low price
drága – drágán = expensive – at a high price

Apparently, also English has its own forms now and then which can’t be translated in the same way.

ATTENTION! There are exceptions going through a change when transformed into adverbs of manner. These words end with ú, ű.

lassú – lassan = slow – slowly
könnyű – könnyen = easy – easily
szörnyű – szörnyen = terrible – terribly

NOTE! The adjective nagy means big, the adverb nagyon means very.

nagy = big > nagyon = very
nagy ház = big house > nagyon nagy ház = very big house

GROUP 2: -LAG, -LEG

These suffixes are attached mostly to words which end with ó, ő, ú, ű. Adjectives formed with the suffix -i take -lag, -leg, too.

állítólag – allegedly
ellenkezőleg – on the contrary
valószínűleg – probably
barátilag – in a friendly way
eredetileg – originally

But it doesn’t mean that other words must not take them:

aránylag – relatively
tényleg – really
végleg – definitely

Adjectives with these suffixes – that is as adverbs of manner – must not be compared at superlative degree!

Next time we’ll take a look at the suffixes -ul, -ül. Bye now! 🙂

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, Hogy?

HOGY?

English equivalent is: How?

ATTENTION! How? corresponds with the Hungarian word only if you express mode, condition, NEVER PROPERTY OR QUALITY. Of course, there are exceptions:

How was your day? – Milyen napod volt?

If the question word How? requires a specific quality as an answer, one says: Milyen?

But now we’re interested in Hogy? Examples:

Hogy vagy? – How are you?
Hogy jöttél ide? – How did you come here?
Hogy megy a munka? – How is your work going?

There’s a longer version of this word: Hogyan? No difference between the two forms, but the short version is more in use.

The answers to the question could be: jól – fine; gyalog – on foot; lassan – slowly. These words are adverbs of manner. The possibilities to form them are quite a few! Besides, there are adverbs of manner representing this part of the speech by themselves (gyalog). Standard English adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives with the ending –ly: happily, mainly, and so on…

Hungarian equivalents are:
-lag, -leg
-ul, -ül
-an, -en

Next time we’ll see their use.

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, the Suffix -ért

THE SUFFIX -ÉRT

The basic meaning of -ért is: for, for the sake of

The same rules are valid for it as for the other suffixes. It is simply attached to a word and if that word ends with a or e, then those vowels become á, é:

alma-almáért, gereblye-gereblyéért

It also has personal forms:
értem – for me
érted – for you
érte – for him/her/it
értünk – for us
értetek – for you
értük – for them

And the polite forms are: önért, magáért, önökért, magukért

It can be intensified: énértem, teérted, őérte, etc. The forms for the polite forms are intensified in the speech: önért, magáért

Not to be confused with the verb ért, that is to understand!

(Azt) értem. – I understand (that).
(Ezt) értem tetted? – You did (this) for me?

Like always az, ez can take this suffix.

azért – for that
ezért – for this

Ezért also means: therefore, this is why
Azért also means: therefore, that is why

Examples:

A népemért bármit megteszek.
I do anything for my people.

A lány beesett a Dunába, ő meg beugrott érte.
The girl fell into the Danube and he jumped after her.

Csak érted tettem, amit tettem.
I only did for you what I did.

Értem te ne hazudj a tanárnak!
Don’t lie to the teacher for my sake.

Kettőkor érte megyek az állomásra.
I’m going to pick her up at the station at two.

Nem jött, ezért hazamentem, nem vártam tovább.
He didn’t come, so I went home. I didn’t wait any longer.

Beteg volt és ezért nem hívott fel.
She was ill and this is why she didn’t call me.

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Manner, Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO ADVERBS OF MANNER

Hungarian adverbs of manner have a crucial part in expressing mood and condition, answering the question How? = Hogy?

But first let’s see another case in connection with a purpose or a reason. The base for that could be the question word ’Why?’, whose equivalent is Miért? That is, the question word Mi? takes the suffix -ért, whose meaning is the same as the preposition for.

In a word, Hungarian question words are: Miért? – Why? AND Kiért? – For whom?

If you want to say that somebody does something for a purpose or a reason, then do this.

–Miért vagy itt? –Azért vagyok itt, hogy beszéljek veled.
–Why are you here?- I’m here to talk to you.

–Miért vagy itt? –Azért vagyok itt, mert beszélni akarok veled.
–Why are you here? -I’m here because I want to talk to you.

So the question Miért? can be answered with a sentence explaining the purpose or the reason.

ATTENTION! In Hungarian, sometimes there’s an ANTECEDENT at the beginning of the sentence (in this case: Azért). This phenomenon does not exist in English. The first sentence literally is:

I’m here (for the purpose) so that I talk to you.

Whereas the second one:

I’m here (for the reason) that I want to talk to you.

Summary:

PURPOSE CLAUSE:
Question: Miért = Why?
Answer: Azért, …hogy = …(in order) to

REASON CLAUSE:
Question: Miért? = Why?
Answer: Azért, …mert = …because

So much for the introduction.

As for the following issues, we’ll learn the meaning of the suffix -ért and how to form adverbs of manner expressed with -ly in English (happily, easily…)

Bye now!

Suffixes / Postpositions, Adverbs of Time, Summary

So we’ve arrived at the end of this topic (adverbs of time). Below you see a summary with the names of the cases. However, we’re still talking about TIME in the following entries, too. Expressing time, date and so on…

SUMMARY TABLE FOR ADVERBS OF TIME

Suffixes/Postpositions > Case
= English Equilvalent

-val, -vel > instrumental case
= with

-kor > temporal case
= at (five, dawn)

-ig > terminative case
= until (tomorrow), up to (the house)

-tól, -től…-ig = from…(up) to

-(o/e)nként, -(o)nta, -(e)nte > distributive temporal case
= every, each, on…s (every day, on Mondays)

óta = for (a day), since (I arrived)

múlva = in, within (a year)

közben, alatt, során, folyamán = during, in the course of

körül, tájt, tájban = about (nine o’clock), round, towards (midnight)

felé = towards morning (a period of hour or day starts)

előtt, után = before, after

-val, -vel ezelőtt = ago (two days ago)

között = between (two and three o’clock)

hosszat = for (hours on end)

-n, -on, -en, -ön át/keresztül = for (two days)

-n, -on, -en, -ön belül = within (a week)