Understanding Magyar Adjective Agreement
In the Hungarian language, adjectives are words that describe nouns. Just like in English, they tell us more about a person, place, or thing. But in Hungarian, adjectives must match the noun they describe in a special way called 'agreement.'
This means that if the noun is singular or plural, or if it's definite or indefinite, the adjective changes a little bit to match.
How Adjectives Agree with Nouns
Important Points
- Adjectives do not change for gender because Hungarian doesn't have gendered nouns.
- In singular, adjectives usually stay in their base form.
- In plural, adjectives get an '-ak' or '-ek' ending, depending on vowel harmony.
- For definite nouns, adjectives do not change form.
- For indefinite nouns, adjectives also do not change form.
Examples
- A piros alma finom. (The red apple is delicious.)
- A pirosak almák finomak. (The red apples are delicious.)
- Egy kék autó gyors. (A blue car is fast.)
When you describe more than one thing, you need to change the adjective to show that there are many. This is called the plural form.
Vowel Harmony in Adjective Agreement
Hungarian words follow a special rule called vowel harmony. This means that the vowels in a word like to match each other. So, when you make adjectives plural, you choose the ending based on the vowels in the word.
Examples
- A szép házak nagyok. (The beautiful houses are big.)
- A zöld fák magasak. (The green trees are tall.)
- A kicsi kutyák aranyosak. (The small dogs are cute.)
Now you know how to make adjectives agree with nouns in Hungarian! With practice, it will become easier to remember these rules.