Better Hungarian

A verbal complement can be any part of speech and is considered an extension of the verb. Sometimes without it the verb would not make any sense, and other times the verb can stand alone.

Consider this an extra detail in Hungarian grammar – it is not necessarily a requirement to understand this topic or go in depth on it, as verbal complements (as taught to non-native Hungarian speakers) kind of lump a bunch of different parts of speech into one category and it can be a little confusing.

Take the example sentence: “A bátyáid a kanapén ülnek” (Your brothers are sitting on the sofa)

(topic)———(preverb)——(verb)
A bátyáid || a kanapén || ülnek

Without “a kanapén”, the brothers would just be sitting. The phrase “a kanapén” adds on to the verb and gives it another purpose.

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Verbal complements can be many things. Let’s take a look at some examples:

1. adjectives or nouns

Én tanár vagyok (noun) – I am a teacher

Szépek voltak (adjective) – They were pretty

2. the subjects of “there is/there are” phrases

Sok ember van az irodában – there are lots of people in the office

Egy ruha van a szekrényben – there is a dress in the wardrobe

3. direct objects

Petra könyvet olvas – Petra is reading a book

Anyukám tévét néz – My mother is watching TV

Játékokat játszom- I am playing games

Zsófia fát ültet – Zsófia is planting a tree

When direct or indirect objects are used as verbal complements, it typically emphasizes the object more. Take the last example sentence, “Zsófia fát ültet“. This could more directly translate to “It is a tree Zsófia is planting”. If we wanted the sentence to be completely neutral, we could restructure it as “Zsófia ültet egy fát“. An object as a verbal complement doesn’t always mean it’s emphasized; sometimes it just sounds better, and that’s unfortunately something one will have to learn with practice and repetition as you familiarize yourself more with the language.

You can read my post on neutral sentences here. The post for focus/emphasized sentences is here.

4. adverbials

Moziba megyünk – We are going to the movies/cinema

Templomba megyek – I am going to church

Emil postára sétál – Emil walks to the post office

A család Magyarországon él – The family lives in Hungary

The same applies to adverbials in regards to emphasis. “Moziba megyünk” puts a bit more emphasis on the place we are going (the movies/cinema), but you could also structure it more neutrally as “Megyünk a moziba”.

For example, if I am leaving the house and want to let my spouse know, I could simply say “Megyek a boltba” (I am going to the store). More of the focus here is on the act of going. If, however, I am leaving the house and my spouse sees me and asks “Where are you going?”, I could just respond “Boltba megyek” (It is the store I am going to). In this case, “boltba” is the answer to a question so it is emphasized.