The translative case is less common than some of the other ones, but it’s still used semi-regularly (just in more specific situations).

The purpose of this case is to show that something/someone is becoming/turning into something/someone else.

The translative works like -val/-vel in that if the word ends in a consonant, the “v” will change to whatever that last consonant is. Remember to read vowel harmony if you haven’t already!

boldog (happy) + -vá = boldoggá (NOT “boldogvá”)

szegény (poor) + -vé = szegénnyé (n is the last consonant here – with ny, only the n doubles)

rossz (bad) + -vá = rosszá (with sz, no consonants are doubled – just add -á/-é)

rosszabb (worse) + -vá = rosszabbá (with words already ending in a double consonant, such as superlatives, you will just add -á/-é)

If the word ends in a vowel, then you can just add -vá/-vé normally. Remember vowel lengthening rules!

medve (bear) -> medvévé

macska (cat) -> macskává

gyenge (weak) -> gyengévé

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Usage

While you will see this case paired with the verb “van“, this is only applicable to future tense (lesz) or the permutations (lett, lenne). Even so, -vá/-vé + lesz/lett/lenne is pretty rare to use unless it’s poetry or literature, as it’s rather lofty and formal.

For an example, here is a verse from the song “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks, which I translated to Hungarian a while back (full translation here).

Na, elmúltak a hetek (well the weeks went by)
‘s a tavasz nyárrá lett (and spring turned to summer)
‘s a nyár ősszé fakult (and summer faded into fall)
Kiderült, hogy az, hogy eltűnt, fel senkinek se tűnt (and it turns out he was a missing person who nobody missed at all)

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The translative case is more commonly used with the following verbs:

válik (to become/turn into) – this is more for realistic things like “becoming a better person”. It is intransitive, meaning the action happens on its own and is not the result of someone else’s actions.

változik (to change/turn into) – this can be for literal transformations or figurative situations. It is intransitive, meaning the action happens on its own and is not the result of someone else’s actions.

változtat (to change/turn something/someone) – this is a transitive verb, used when someone is directly making someone else turn into/change into something. You can read more about the causative case here.

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Examples

Szerintem anyukám kedvesebb emberré válik (I think that mom is becoming/turning into a nicer person)

Minden teliholdkor vérfarkassá változom (On every full moon, I become/turn into a werewolf)

A boszorkány változtatott engem macskává (The witch turned me into a cat)

Soha nem akarok gyengévé válni (I never want to become weak)

A buli nagy katasztrófává lett, amikor bejött egy mosómedve a házba (The party became/turned into a disaster when a racoon came into the house)

This is a situation where -vá/-vé + lett doesn’t sound as out of place in regular speech

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In Summary

-This is not a very common case, and is even less commonly used with “lesz/lett/lenne”, except for literature. That said, it can turn up in everyday speech, but it depends on the situation/sentence.

-Used mostly with verbs like válik, változik, változtat (verbs that have to do with changing/turning).