Hungarian

Suffix

-nak

1. (case suffix) to, for. Used to form the dative case.

   húg ‎(“younger sister”) → Adtam egy könyvet a húgomnak. - I gave a book to my little sister.

Usage notes

• (case suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -nak is added to back vowel words. Final -a changes to -á-.

  házigazda ‎(“host”) → Ajándékot hoztunk a házigazdának. - We brought gifts for the host.

  -nek is added to front vowel words. Final -e changes to -é-.

  gyerek ‎(“child”) → Vettem egy játékot a gyereknek. - I bought a toy for the child.

  körte ‎(“pear”) → A körtének jó íze van. - The pear tastes good.

Etymology 2

Personal suffix.

Suffix

-nak

1. (personal suffix) third-person plural present tense (indicative mood, indefinite conjugation)

   olvas ‎(“read”) → olvasnak ‎(“they read, they are reading”)

Usage notes

• (personal suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -nak is added to back vowel verbs

  tanul ‎(“study”) → A gyerekek nem tanulnak eleget. - The children are not studying enough.

  -nek is added to front vowel verbs

  énekel ‎(“sing”) → A madarak énekelnek. - The birds are singing.

  -anak is added to front vowel verbs ending in two consonants or -ít

  tanít ‎(“teach”) → Mire tanítanak minket az állatok? - What do animals teach us?

  -enek is added to front vowel verbs ending in two consonants or -ít

  fest ‎(“paint”) → A gyerekek festenek. - The children are painting.

See also

• Category:Hungarian noun forms
• Category:Hungarian words taking -nak/-nek
• Category:Hungarian verb forms
• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes