Magyar (Hungarian)
Prefixes and Suffixes
The list is neither complete nor comprehensive and any errors are entirely due to the author who accepts no responsibility for the use or misuse of this list.
Vowel Harmony in Magyar
| Front Vowels | Long | � | � | � | � |
| Short | e | � | � | i | |
| Back Vowels | Long | � | � | � | � |
| Short | a | o | u | � | |
| General Rule of Vowel
Harmony:- Every word in Magyar contains either all back or all front vowels. |
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| However, (a) a few words allow e, � to be used with back vowels (b) Front vowels i, � have no corresponding back vowels and so can also be used with back vowels. (c) Vowel Harmony does NOT apply to foreign words in Hungarian. |
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Some Magyar Verbal Prefixes
| �t- "across, through,over" | � |
| el- "away, off" | � |
| el�- "forward, fore" | vissza- "backward, behind" |
| fel- "up" | le- "down" |
| ki- "out of" | be- "into" |
| meg- "Express
the completion and sometimes the start of an action" |
� |
Some Magyar Suffixes
| -alom, -elem -(a)dalom, -(e)delem |
Create Abstract or Collective Nouns from Verbs, Nouns |
| -an, -en, -n | (a) Creates Adverbs of Manner from
adjectives (b) Creates Verbs meaning of a "sudden" action that only lasts a short time from certain verbs. (c) Indicates the number of people doing something or present when the suffix is added to numerals |
| -and�, -end� | Forms the Future Participle |
| -�s, -�s | Creates Abstract Nouns when added to certain Verbs |
| -�sz, -�sz -�szat, -�szet |
Suffix creates occupations and
professions from Nouns and sometimes from Verbs |
| -at, -et | Creates Nouns that express the
result of some action when added to certain Verbs |
| -ba, -be | The so-called Illative Case creates
Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where to some inside location' |
| -ban, -ben | (a) The so-called Inessive Case
creates Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where at inside some location' (b) Also forms Adverbs of Manner with the meaning 'state of mind' |
| -bb | Forms the Comparative when added to
bases (with a linking vowel) |
| -b�l, -b�l | The so-called Elative Case creates
Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where from some inside location' |
| -cska, -cske | Forms the Diminutive of certain Nouns |
| -d | Creates Fractions when added to a
Number (with a linking vowel) |
| -dog�l, -deg�l, -d�g�l
-gat, -get -kod, -ked, -k�d -oz, -ez, -�z |
Create Verbs meaning "to keep
on doing" whatever the originial Verb base implied |
| -� | Expresses Possession |
| -�k | Added to professions and names of people to denote groups |
| -�kony, -�keny | Creates Adjectives from Verbs expressing a willingness to perform some action |
| -�rt | The so-called Causalis Case. Expresses the Adverb of Cause or Reason |
| -hat, -het | Creates Verbs of Possibility from Verbs |
| -hoz, -hez, -h�z | The so-called Allative Case creates
Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where to some external location' |
| -i | Creates Adjectives (can have the sense of the preposition 'of', belonging to a place or time) from Nouns |
| -ig | The so-called Terminative Case Expresses (a) Adverb of Place and (b) Time |
| -ik | (a) Creates the Ordinal Numbers
from the Fractions with two exceptions (els� 'first' and m�sodik 'second') (b) Added to the Verb base forms the 3rd Pers.Sing. |
| -j | Forms the Imperative/Subjunctive when added to the Verb base |
| -k | Plural suffix with a linking vowel subject to vowel harmony |
| -ka, -ke | Form the Diminutive of certain Nouns |
| -k�nt, -k�pp(en) | Create Adverbs of Manner meaning 'an unusual state' |
| -kod-ik, -ked-ik, -k�d-ik -koz-ik, -kez-ik, -�d-ik, -�d-ik |
Create Reflexive Verbs which are always intransitive from Active Verbs |
| -kor | The so-called Temporalis Case. Expresses a point of time or a period |
| -l, -z | Create Verbs from certain Nouns |
| -lag, -leg | Forms Adverbs of Manner from
Adjectives and Nouns and describes the manner or mode of the action |
| -lak, -lek | Creates Verb forms expressing the
object of the second person when added to certain Verbs |
| -lal, -lel | Forms the Instrumental Case |
| -n, -on, -en, -�n | The so-called Superessive Case
creates Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where at on some surface location' |
| -n, -an, -en | Creates Adverbs of Manner from most Adjectives |
| -n�, -n� | Suffix of the Conditional Mood |
| -na, -ne | Forms the 3rd Pers. Sing. of the indef. conjugation |
| -nak, -nek | (a) Forms the Dative Case (to) (b) can also form the Genitive Case (of) (c) Adverbs of Manner meaning (as) |
| -n�l, -n�l | The so-called Adessive Case creates
Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where at some external location' |
| -ni | Adding this suffix to the Verb base forms the Infinitive |
| -nk�nt | The so-called Distributive Case
creates Adverbs of Manner with the meaning 'a regular division of something' |
| -nyi | Creates Adjectives from Nouns related to measure or size. |
| -�, -� | Creates Adjectives (= Present
Participle which can often be used as a Noun) |
| -(o)m�ny, -(e)m�ny | Creates Nouns expressing the result
of an activity when added to certain Verbs |
| -ra, -re | The so-called Sublative Case
creates Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where onto some surface location' |
| -r�l, -r�l | The so-called Delative Case creates
Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where from some surface location' |
| -s | Creates Adjective expressing lasting quality from Nouns |
| -s�g, -s�g | Creates Nouns of a collective type from Nouns |
| -stul, -st�l | Forms Adverbs of Manner with meaning 'close possession or belonging' |
| -szor, -szer, -sz�r | Attached to (a) the Cardinal
Numbers expresses "times" or multiplication; (b) fractions gives the Adverbial Ordinals of Time |
| -t | (a) Accusative suffix.when added to
Nouns (b) Adverbs of Degree when added to Adjectives and Indefinite Numerals. |
| -t, -tt | Added to Verbs these form the Past Tense |
| -tlan, -tlen, -talan, -telen |
Create Adjectives expressing a lack of something from Nouns |
| -tat, -tet -at, -et |
Creates Causative Verbs from Verbs |
| -t�l, -t�l | The so-called Ablative Case creates
Adverbs of Place with the meaning 'where from some external location' |
| -�, -� -j�, -j� |
Create Adjective used as an attribute from Nouns |
| -ul, -�l | The so-called Essive case Creates
Adverbs of Manner (a) from Nouns to denote a new situation or position (b) from Adjectives. |
| -va, -ve | Creates Adverbs |
| -v�, -v� | Creates Adverbs of Manner This suffix expresses a change from one state to another. |
| -val, -vel | Corresponds to English prepositions
"with" or "by" Adverb of Instrument and of Attendant Circumstances. |
| -v�ny, -v�ny | Creates Nouns from Verbs - expresses the result of an action |
Verb Formative Suffixes
| Common Base + | Transitive | Intransitive |
| -�t | -ul, -�l | |
| -t, -jt, -nt | -l(ik), -ml(ik) | |
| -szt | -d(ik) |
For Magyar
Dual, Plural and Group
Markers / Suffixes
See http://member.melbpc.org.au/~tmajlath/magyar18.html
Just a few of the Magyar Case Markers
| Case | Marker(s) | English |
| Nominative | -� | subject |
| Dative/Genitive | -nak,-nek | for, of |
| Accusative | -t,-ot,-et,-�t | object |
| Ablative | -t�l,-t�l | from |
| Allative | -hoz,-hez,-h�z | to |
| Delative | -r�l,-r�l | from (top of) |
| Elative | -b�l,-b�l | out of |
| Illative | -ba,-be | into |
| Sublative | -ra,-re | on, onto |
| Instrumental | -(V)al, -(V)el | with |
| Essive-modal | -stul, -st�l | with smtng in its entirety |
| Translative | -(V)�, -(V)� | into |
| Causal-final | -�rt | for |
| Adessive | -n�l, -n�l | at |
| Inessive | -ban, -ben | in |
| Superessive | -n, -on, -en, -�n | on |
| Terminative | -ig | as far as |
| Formal | -k�nt | as |
| Temporal | -kor | at (in time) |
Adverbs of Place Formative Suffixes
| � | Where to? | Where at? | Where from? | |||
| � | Front Vowel Class |
Back Vowel Class |
Front Vowel Class |
Back Vowel Class |
Front Vowel Class |
Back Vowel Class |
| Related to inside locations | -be | -ba | -ben | -ban | -b�l | -b�l |
| On a surface | -re | -ra | -en, -�n |
-n, -on |
-r�l | -r�l |
| External locations | -hez, -h�z |
-hoz | -n�l | -n�l | -t�l | -t�l |
Some Examples
| Case | Front Vowel Class | Back Vowel Class | ||
| Nominative | kert | garden | h�z | house |
| Illative | kert-be | into the garden | h�z-ba | into the house |
| Inessive | kert-ben | in the garden | h�z-ban | in the house |
| Elative | kert-b�l | out of the garden | h�z-b�l | out of the house |
| � | � | � | � | � |
| Nominative | sz�k | chair, stool | asztal | table |
| Sublative | sz�k-re | onto the chair | aztal-ra | onto the table |
| Superessive | sz�k-en | on the chair | asztal-on | on the table |
| Delative | sz�k-r�l | from or off the chair | asztal-r�l | from or off the table |
| � | � | � | � | � |
| Demonstrative Pronoun |
ez | this | az | that |
| Allative | ehhez = ez + hez |
towards this | ahhoz = az + hoz |
towards that |
| Adessive | enn�l = ez + n�l |
at/by this | ann�l = az + n�l |
at/by that |
| Ablative | ett�l = ez + t�l |
away from this | att�l = az + t�l |
away from that |
Observe how the /-z/ of the demonstrative pronoun assimilates with the /h-/, /n-/, /t-/ of the suffix.
Magyar Possessive Suffixes
| � | Words ending in a Vowel | Words ending in a Consonant | |||||
| � | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |||
| 1st.P | -m | -nk | -om, -am | -em, -�m | -unk | -�nk | |
| 2nd.P | -d | -tok | -tek, -t�k | -od, -ad | -ed, -�d | -otok, -atok | -etek, -�t�k |
| 3rd.P | -ja, -je | -juk | -j�k | -a | -e | -uk | -�k |
Personal Suffixes of the Present Tense
| � | � | � | Front Vowel | Back Vowel |
| Singular | 1st. Person | � | -ek, -�k | -ok |
| 2nd. Person | after sibilants -s, -sz, -z | -el, -�l | -ol | |
| after long vowel + /t/ or after 2 consonants |
-esz | -asz | ||
| regular ending | -sz | -sz | ||
| 3rd. Person | � | � | � | |
| Plural | 1st. Person | � | -�nk | -unk |
| 2nd. Person | after long vowel+/t/ or after 2 consonants |
-etek, -�t�k | -otok | |
| regular ending | -tek, -t�k | -tok | ||
| 3rd. Person | after long vowel+/t/ or after 2 consonants |
-enek | -anak | |
| regular ending | -nek | -nak |
Some Examples
| � | Front Vowel Class | Back Vowel Class | ||
| Infinitive | nyer-ni to win |
�t-ni to hit, beat |
tud-ni to know |
olvas-ni to read |
| 1st.Person Singular | nyer-ek I win |
�t-�k I hit |
tud-ok I know |
olvas-ok I read |
| 2nd. Pers. Sing. | nyer-sz you win |
�t-sz you hit |
tud-sz you know |
olvas-ol you read |
| 3rd. pers. Sing. Often equals the Verb Base |
nyer he, she wins |
�t he, she hits |
tud he, she knows |
olvas he, she reads |
| 1st.Person Plural | nyer-�nk we win |
�t-�nk we hit |
tud-unk we know |
olvas-unk we read |
| 2nd. Pers. Plural | nyer-tek you win |
�t-t�k you hit |
tud-tok you know |
olvas-tok you read |
| 3rd. pers. Plural | nyer-nek they win |
�t-nek they hit |
tud-nak they know |
olvas-nak they read |
The 3rd. Person Singular and the Verb Base are often one and the same!
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Last updated 31 August 2003