Better Hungarian

These three all go together as cases of movement involving solids. They function like the other two groups we studied, but with solids instead of places or surfaces.

Allative (-hoz/-hez/-höz)

• back-vowel word: -hoz
• front-vowel word: -hez ; -höz (rounded)

This, like -ba/-be and -ra/-re, means that something is moving. The difference is that -hoz/-hez/-höz is talking about moving something TOWARDS something, instead of inside of or onto. Where “a szekrénybe” means “into the wardrobe”, and “a szekrényre” means “onto the wardrobe”, “a szekrényHEZ” means TOWARDS the wardrobe. You are going in the direction of the wardrobe, but you have not arrived, and have no contact with it.

Use -hoz/-hez/-höz when:

1. you are going towards something
2. you are going to someone’s house
3. you are going to a PERSON (doctor/dentist/etc)

Examples

A polchoz megyek  → I go towards the shelf.

A gyerek fut az anyához  → The child runs towards the mother.

A barátomhoz megyek  → I am going to my friend’s place. (lit. “I am going towards my friend”)

Nem szeretek a fogorvoshoz menni  → I don’t like going to the dentist. (lit. “towards the dentist”)

A tengerhez sétalok  → I walk towards the sea.

A simple way to think about it is that -hoz/-hez/-höz goes towards something without ever going inside (whereas -ba/-be means you’re actually going INTO something).

A templomba megy (I am going to (the) church (going all the way inside))

vs

A templomhoz megy (I am going towards the church (just going to the outside))

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Adessive (-nál/-nél)

• back-vowel word: -nál
• front-vowel word: -nél

This is essentially the static version of -hoz/-hez/-höz. Nothing is moving. Instead, something is currently BESIDE or AT something.

Use -nál/-nél when:

1. you are AT or BESIDE the place where you were going towards
2. you are making a comparison

Examples

A polcnál vagyok  → I am by/at the shelf.

A gyerek az anyánál van  → The child is by the mother.

A barátomnál vagyok  → I am at/by my friend’s place. (can also just mean “my friend”)

A fogorvosnál vagyok  → I am at the dentist.

A tengernél állok  → I stand by the sea.

Comparisons

When you are saying something is more X than X, you use -nál/-nél.

Ő erősebb nálad  → Xe is stronger than you.

Petra szebb annál a lánynál →  Petra is prettier than that girl.

A barátom fiatalabb az apámnál  → My friend is younger than my dad.

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Ablative (-tól/-től)

• back-vowel word: -tól
• front-vowel word: -től

Think of this as the reverse of -hoz/-hez/-höz. Instead of going towards something, you are going AWAY from something (a solid).

Use -tól/-től when:

1. you are going AWAY from the place you were at

Examples

A polctól megyek  → I am going away from the shelf.

A gyerek az anyától fut  → The child runs from the mother.

A barátomtól megyek  → I am going away from (leaving) my friend’s place (can also just mean “my friend”)

A fogorvostól jövök  → I am coming (away) from (leaving) the dentist.

A tengertől sétalok  → I walk away from the sea.

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For fun, here are some visual illustrations: