Hungarian Grammar: Passive Construction and Voice

In Hungarian, the passive construction is used to emphasize the object or to express that the subject is the recipient of the action. This guide will help you understand and apply the concepts of active and passive voice in Hungarian, and teach you how to transform sentences between the two.

Active Voice

In active voice sentences, the subject performs the action described by the verb. The basic word order in Hungarian is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). For example:

English: "She writes a letter." Hungarian: "Ő ír egy levelet."

In this sentence, "Ő" (she) is the subject, "ír" (writes) is the verb, and "egy levelet" (a letter) is the object.

Passive Voice

In passive voice sentences, the subject is the receiver of the action described by the verb. The basic word order in Hungarian is Object-Verb-Subject (OVS). To form the passive voice, follow these steps:

1. Move the object to the beginning of the sentence.
2. Use the appropriate form of the verb "le" before the main verb.
3. Use the appropriate form of the verb "van" after the main verb.
4. Add the agent (optional) with the preposition "által" or "általánosan."

Here's an example:

English: "The letter is written by her." Hungarian: "Egy levél íródik ő által."

In this sentence, "Egy levél" (a letter) is the object, "íródik" (is written) is the main verb, and "ő által" (by her) is the optional agent.

Transforming Active to Passive Voice

To transform an active voice sentence to passive voice, follow these steps:

1. Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
2. Move the object to the beginning of the sentence.
3. Use the appropriate form of the verb "le" before the main verb.
4. Use the appropriate form of the verb "van" after the main verb.
5. Add the agent (optional) with the preposition "által" or "általánosan."

Let's see an example:

Active: "Azt az ételt Mária főzi." (Maria cooks that food.) Passive: "Azt az ételt főzik Mária által." (That food is cooked by Maria.)

Transforming Passive to Active Voice

To transform a passive voice sentence to active voice, follow these steps:

1. Identify the object, main verb, and agent (if provided) in the passive sentence.
2. Move the object to its original position in the sentence.
3. Remove the verb "le" before the main verb.
4. Remove the verb "van" after the main verb.
5. Move the agent (if provided) to its appropriate position based on the active voice structure.

Let's see an example:

Passive: "Azt az ételt főzik Mária által." (That food is cooked by Maria.) Active: "Mária főzi azt az ételt." (Maria cooks that food.)

Tips and Tricks

• In Hungarian, the word "le" is used to indicate the passive voice. It can be translated as "is" or "are" in English.
• The agent in passive voice sentences is optional. Use the preposition "által" or "általánosan" to introduce the agent when necessary.
• Pay attention to word order when transforming between active and passive voice. The subject becomes the object and vice versa.

With these guidelines, you can now understand and apply the concepts of active and passive voice in Hungarian. Remember to practice transforming sentences to reinforce your understanding.