How to Use Relative Clauses in Hungarian for English Speakers

Understanding Relative Clauses in Hungarian

Relative clauses are used to provide additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. In Hungarian, relative clauses function similarly to English but have unique features and structures that learners should understand.

What is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun, giving more detail about it. For example, in English: "The book that I read was interesting." The phrase "that I read" is the relative clause describing "the book."

Relative Pronouns in Hungarian

Hungarian uses relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses. The most common relative pronoun is "aki" for people and "ami" for things. These pronouns correspond roughly to English "who," "which," or "that."

Forming Relative Clauses in Hungarian

In Hungarian, the relative pronoun agrees with the noun it refers to in number and sometimes in case. The relative clause follows the noun it modifies, similar to English.

Example:
"A férfi, aki ott áll, a tanárom."
Translation: "The man who is standing there is my teacher."

Omission of the Relative Pronoun

In some cases, especially in spoken Hungarian, the relative pronoun can be omitted if it is the object of the relative clause. However, this is less common in formal writing.

Example with omission:
"A könyv, olvastam, érdekes volt." (Less formal)
Translation: "The book I read was interesting."

Relative Clauses with Possessive and Other Cases

Hungarian relative pronouns can take possessive suffixes and case endings to express relationships within the relative clause.

Example:
"A lány, akinek a könyve az asztalon van, a testvérem."
Translation: "The girl whose book is on the table is my sister."

Summary of Key Points

- Use aki for people and ami for things as relative pronouns.
- The relative clause follows the noun it modifies.
- Relative pronouns can take suffixes to show possession or case.
- Sometimes the relative pronoun can be omitted in informal speech.