Understanding Relative Clauses in Hungarian

Relative clauses are a valuable tool in Hungarian for providing additional information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence. They allow you to express relationships and give more context to your statements. In this guide, we will dive into the correct usage of relative clauses in Hungarian.

1. Introduction to Relative Clauses Relative clauses in Hungarian are introduced by relative pronouns or adverbs. These pronouns or adverbs refer back to a noun or pronoun mentioned earlier in the sentence. Here are the most common relative pronouns and adverbs:

• akit, akitől, akitőr, akitre, amit (who, whom, whose, to whom, which)
• ami, aminek, amin, amire (what, which, that)

2. Relative Clauses with Pronouns When using relative pronouns to introduce a relative clause, the agreement between the pronoun and its antecedent is crucial. The antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers back to. Pay attention to gender, number, and case agreement. Here are some examples:

• English: He is the man who helped me. Hungarian: Ő az a férfi, aki segített nekem.
• English: The book that I'm reading is interesting. Hungarian: A könyv, amit olvasok, érdekes.

3. Relative Clauses with Adverbs Relative adverbs are used to introduce relative clauses when the antecedent is a location or time. Here are some examples:

• English: This is the place where I was born. Hungarian: Ez az a hely, ahol születtem.
• English: The day when we met was unforgettable. Hungarian: Az a nap, amikor találkoztunk, felejthetetlen volt.

4. Omission of Pronouns In Hungarian, it is common to omit the relative pronoun when it is the object of the relative clause. This omission creates a more concise and elegant sentence. Here are some examples:

• English: The person (whom) I saw was my friend. Hungarian: A személy, akit láttam, a barátom volt.
• English: The book (that) I bought is excellent. Hungarian: A könyv, amit vettem, kiváló.

5. Relative Clauses with Prepositions When a preposition is used in a relative clause, it is important to modify the preposition to match the case required by the verb or preposition in the main clause. Here are some examples:

• English: The city in which I live is beautiful. Hungarian: A város, amiben lakok, gyönyörű.
• English: The person with whom I spoke is my boss. Hungarian: Az a személy, akivel beszéltem, az igazgatóm.

6. Relative Clauses with "Ki" and "Melyik" In addition to the common relative pronouns and adverbs mentioned earlier, Hungarian also uses the relative pronouns "ki" (who) and "melyik" (which) to introduce relative clauses. These pronouns can be used interchangeably with the others, depending on the context of the sentence.

• English: The person who helped me was kind. Hungarian: Az a személy, aki segített nekem, kedves volt.
• English: This is the book which I recommend. Hungarian: Ez a könyv, amit ajánlok.

In conclusion, understanding relative clauses in Hungarian allows you to provide additional information and context in an elegant manner. Practice using relative pronouns and adverbs, pay attention to agreement and case, and you'll be able to use relative clauses confidently in your Hungarian conversations.