To, At, From People and Things

You already know two sets of three local cases: one for inside things (Lesson 8) and one for surfaces (Lesson 11). This lesson adds the third and last set. It is for being near something or at someone's place, going to it, and coming from it. You use it most of all with people: going to the doctor, staying at a friend's, getting a present from your mother.

After that you will learn two more very common cases: -val/-vel (with) and -nak/-nek (to, for).

The third set: -hoz, -nál, -tól

Notice that -hoz has three forms, like the "on" ending in Lesson 11: -hoz for back words, -hez for front words, and -höz for words with ö, ő, ü, ű in the last syllable. The other two have just two forms. None of them needs a linking vowel. As usual, a final a or e becomes long.

-hoz, -hez, -höz: to

With people, this is the case for going to someone. In English you go "to the doctor" and "to the doctor's"; in Hungarian you go to the person:

▶Holnap orvoshoz megyek. (I'm going to the doctor tomorrow.)

▶Péterhez megyünk vacsorára. (We're going to Péter's for dinner.)

▶A főnökhöz megyek. (I'm going to see the boss.)

▶Kihez mész? (Who are you going to see?)

With things, it means going up to them, but not into or onto them:

▶Odamegyek az ablakhoz. (I go over to the window.)

▶A taxi az ajtóhoz jön. (The taxi comes to the door.)

-nál, -nél: at

This is "at someone's place", like French chez, or "by, next to" with things:

▶Az orvosnál voltam. (I was at the doctor's.)

▶Ma Péternél alszom. (I'm sleeping at Péter's tonight.)

▶Az ablaknál ülök. (I'm sitting by the window.)

▶A Balatonnál nyaralunk. (We're spending the summer at Lake Balaton.)

▶Kinél vagy? (Whose place are you at?)

-tól, -től: from

This is "from" a person, or "away from" a thing. It is the case for getting something from someone:

▶Az orvostól jövök. (I'm coming from the doctor's.)

▶Pétertől kaptam ezt a könyvet. (I got this book from Péter.)

▶Megkérdezem Annától. (I'll ask Anna.) Hungarian asks "from" someone.

▶A posta nincs messze a háztól. (The post office isn't far from the house.)

▶Kitől kaptad? (Who did you get it from?)

A few verbs always take -tól/-től. The most useful is ▶fél (to be afraid): ▶Félek a kutyától (I'm afraid of the dog).

All nine local cases

Now you can see the whole system. Every place word can answer "where to?", "where?" and "where from?" in three different ways:

The Case Table has all of them side by side.

Hozzám, nálam, tőlem

Like the cases in Lesson 11, these three have special pronoun forms. Each one is a stem with the possessive endings you know from Lesson 9:

▶Gyere hozzánk vacsorára! (Come to our place for dinner!) gyere = come! (Lesson 21)

▶Nálunk vasárnap mindig húslevest eszünk. (At our house we always have meat soup on Sunday.)

▶Mit kaptál tőle? (What did you get from him / her?)

▶Tőled kaptam. (I got it from you.)

-val, -vel: with

The ending -val/-vel means "with". You use it for people you are with, for things you add, and for the tool or vehicle you use:

▶Annával moziba megyünk. (Anna and I are going to the cinema.) Literally "with Anna we go".

▶Kávét kérek tejjel. (I'd like coffee with milk.)

▶Autóval megyek. (I'm going by car.)

▶Tollal írok. (I'm writing with a pen.)

The v changes

After a vowel, the ending is simply -val or -vel, and a final a or e becomes long:

▶autó → autóval (by car)

▶kávé → kávéval (with coffee)

▶taxi → taxival (by taxi)

▶Anna → Annával (with Anna)

▶kutya → kutyával (with a dog)

After a consonant, something interesting happens. The v disappears and the last consonant of the word is doubled instead. This is called assimilation: the v turns into a copy of the sound before it.

▶Péter → Péterrel (with Péter)

▶vonat → vonattal (by train)

▶tej → tejjel (with milk)

▶cukor → cukorral (with sugar)

▶barát → baráttal (with a friend)

▶gyerek → gyerekkel (with a child)

▶villamos → villamossal (by tram)

When the last consonant is written with two letters, such as sz, cs or gy, only the first letter is doubled:

▶busz → busszal (by bus)

▶Kovács → Kováccsal (with Mr / Ms Kovács)

▶kulcs → kulccsal (with a key)

And when the word already ends in a double consonant, nothing more is added: ▶toll becomes ▶tollal.

Possessives and pronouns

After a possessive ending like -m or -d, the same rule applies, so you get -mal, -dal:

▶a feleségemmel (with my wife)

▶a barátommal (with my friend)

▶a családoddal (with your family)

The pronoun forms are short and very common:

▶Jössz velem? (Are you coming with me?)

▶Beszéltem vele. (I spoke to him / her.) Hungarian speaks "with" someone.

▶Mi van veled? (How are things with you?)

▶Kivel beszélsz? (Who are you talking to?)

▶Mivel mész? (How are you getting there?) Literally "with what are you going?"

▶Busszal. (By bus.)

-nak, -nek: to, for

You met -nak/-nek in Lesson 9, in ▶Péternek van egy autója. Its main job is the English "to" or "for" with a person: giving to someone, writing to them, doing something for them. Grammar books call it the dative.

▶Adok neked egy könyvet. (I'll give you a book.)

▶Péternek adom a könyvet. (I'm giving the book to Péter.)

▶Írok egy levelet a barátomnak. (I'm writing a letter to my friend.)

▶Megmutatom Annának a várost. (I'll show Anna the city.)

▶Kinek adod a virágot? (Who are you giving the flowers to?)

▶Mit mondtál neki? (What did you tell him / her?)

Some verbs that take a direct object in English take -nak/-nek in Hungarian. The most important is ▶segít (to help):

▶Segítek neked. (I'll help you.)

▶Telefonálok az anyukámnak. (I'm phoning my mum.)

▶Hiányzol nekem. (I miss you.) Literally "you are missing to me".

▶Tetszik nekem ez a ház. (I like this house.) From Lesson 7.

The pronoun forms are the ones you learned in Lesson 9: ▶nekem, ▶neked, ▶neki, ▶nekünk, ▶nektek, ▶nekik, and the formal ▶Önnek.

Conclusion

You now know all nine local cases, plus "with" and "to, for". That covers most of what Hungarian cases do in everyday speech. The Case Table sets them all out, and the Cases grammar page has the full list. Then learn the Vocabulary and try the Exercises. The next lesson takes a step back and looks at the hundred words you will meet most often.