Nyelvtani tema
Possessive Constructions with Two Nouns, such as 'the Teacher's Book'
When one thing belongs to another thing or person, as in “the teacher’s table” or “the room’s window,” Hungarian uses two main patterns.
Rule 1: simple noun + possessed noun
This is the most common pattern. The owner stays in its base form and comes before the possessed item. The possessed item gets a 3rd-person possessive ending such as -a/-e or -ja/-je.
- a lány barátja - the girl’s friend; literally “the girl friend-her”
- a tanár könyve - the teacher’s book; literally “the teacher book-his/her”
- a város utcái - the city’s streets; literally “the city streets-its”
Rule 2: dative owner with -nak/-nek
Use this when you want to strongly emphasize the owner, or when the owner has a demonstrative like “this” or “that.” The owner gets -nak/-nek, and the possessed item uses a/az plus a possessive ending.
- a lánynak a barátja - the girl’s friend, emphasizing this girl as the owner
- ennek a fiúnak az autója - this boy’s car
Reading Practice
- Hol van a fiú kutyája? [Where is the boy’s dog?]
- A szálloda étterme nagyon drága. [The hotel’s restaurant is very expensive.]
- Ez a diák szobája. [This is the student’s room.]
- Ezek a tanárok könyvei. [These are the teachers’ books.]
- Mi a neve a folyónak? [What is the river’s name? Literally: what is the name to the river?]
- Ennek a lánynak a táskája régi. [This girl’s bag is old.]
- Az épület ablakai nagyok. [The building’s windows are large.]
- Gábor testvére Budapesten lakik. [Gábor’s sibling lives in Budapest.]