Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives

In Hungarian, possessive pronouns and adjectives are used to indicate possession. They show the relationship between the owner and what is owned. Whether you are talking about personal belongings, family members, or any other possessions, possessive pronouns and adjectives are handy tools to express ownership.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns replace nouns and indicate possession. They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace. Here are the possessive pronouns in Hungarian:

• enyém - mine
• tiéd - yours
• övé - his/hers
• miénk - ours
• tiétek - yours (plural)
• övék - theirs

Example:

• A könyv az enyém. (The book is mine.)
• A tollak a tiédek. (The pens are yours.)

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives are used to modify nouns and indicate ownership. They agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Here are the possessive adjectives in Hungarian:

Singular:

• enyém - mine
• tiéd - yours
• övé - his/hers

Plural:

• miénk - ours
• tiétek - yours
• övék - theirs

Example:

• Az enyém könyv az asztalon van. (The book that is mine is on the table.)
• A tiéd toll ott hever a földön. (Your pen is lying there on the ground.)

Note: Possessive adjectives always come before the noun they modify.

Possessive Pronouns vs. Possessive Adjectives

While both possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives indicate possession, there are some differences between the two:

• Possessive pronouns replace the noun, while possessive adjectives modify the noun.
• Possessive pronouns need to match the gender and number of the noun they replace, while possessive adjectives need to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify.
• Possessive pronouns are used when emphasis is on ownership, while possessive adjectives are used when the ownership is secondary information.

Example:

• A toll az enyém. (The pen is mine.) - Possessive pronoun
• Az enyém toll az asztalon van. (The pen that is mine is on the table.) - Possessive adjective

Conclusion

Possessive pronouns and adjectives are essential tools when expressing ownership in Hungarian. Practice using them in various sentences to become comfortable with their usage.