How to Use the Inessive Case in Hungarian

Understanding the Inessive Case in Hungarian

The inessive case in Hungarian is used to indicate the location "in" or "inside" something. It answers the question "Where?" and is one of the many locative cases in Hungarian grammar.

Forming the Inessive Case

To form the inessive case, you add the suffix -ban or -ben to the noun, depending on vowel harmony rules. Use -ban after back vowels and -ben after front vowels.

For example:

• ház (house) → házban (in the house)
• kert (garden) → kertben (in the garden)
• iskola (school) → iskolában (in the school)

Vowel Harmony in the Inessive Case

Hungarian vowels are divided into back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) and front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű). The suffix changes to match the vowel harmony of the word it attaches to.

Examples:

• asztal (table) → asztalban (in the table)
• szék (chair) → székben (in the chair)

Usage of the Inessive Case

The inessive case is primarily used to express being inside a physical location, but it can also be used metaphorically.

Examples:

• A könyv a táskában van. (The book is in the bag.)
• A gyerek a szobában játszik. (The child is playing in the room.)
• Az ötlet a fejemben van. (The idea is in my head.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One common mistake is confusing the inessive case with other locative cases such as the superessive (-on/-en/-ön/-n) which means "on" or "onto".

Practice Examples