áéíoöóőuüúű
Answers to your questions:
1) Why does the ő change to an e?
These are commonly referred to as őgglies/or we would say ewwglies (the ő changing to an e like in szülő changing to szüleim).
Notice how even the section on the Brick(blue book) has an area for these under possession or the Green Monster pg. 160/161 for
possessions dealing with relationships.
2) Can you tell if words with neutral vowels are going to have front or back ending?
There is a pattern but again there are exceptions. Verbs with neutral vowels normally get back vowel endings while nouns take front
vowel endings.
Formative Suffixes (Green Monster pages 217-)
Noun Formative Suffixes:
-(a)ság/-(e)ség – Forms nouns from adjectives, sometimes verbs, and collective nouns from other nouns. Similar to -ness and -hood in
English. Works on everything. Sometimes gets a linking vowel, but it
never lengthens a vowel. It can sometimes mean a place as well.
*Words ending in an –a or –e do not lengthen before -ság/-ség
*When attached to monosyllabic (one syllable) words it usually gets the linking vowel a or e.
~Hold your hand under your chin and say the noun and see how many times your chin moves up and down to form the word – this
will allow you to get a better understanding of the meaning of monosyllabic.
hegy – mountain
hegység – mountain range
társ – companion
társaság – companionship
pék - baker
pékség - bakery
In some cases it produces abstract nouns:
anya – mother
anyaság – motherhood
barát – friend
barátság – friendship
bátor – brave
bátorság - courage
Nouns with an abstract meaning can be formed from nearly all adjectives:
szabad – free
szabadság – freedom
új – new
újság – newspaper/newness
egy - one
egység – unity
-ás/-és – This suffix can attach to any verb, and it can either mean the act of doing that verb or a product of the verb. For -szik verbs,
sometimes you need a v.
olvasni – to read
olvasás – reading
dohányzik – to smoke
dohányzás – smoking
csörögni – to ring
csörögés – ring, jangle
alszik(aludni) – to sleep
alvás – sleeping
érezni – to feel
érzés – feeling
írni – to write
írás - writing
tojik – to lay
tojás – egg
keresni – to search, look for
keresés – searching, the act of looking for
-at/-et/-t – This suffix denotes the product of a verb, typically more abstractly than the -ás/-és ending. The -t ending is for NNI verbs.
felelni – to answer
felelet – answer
feladni – to give up
feladat – task, exercise
mondani – to say, tell
mondat – sentence
épülni – to be built
épület – building
hinni – to believe
hit – faith
írni – to write
írat – writing, paper, document
-(o)mány/-(e)mény – Similar to -at/-et, but even more abstract. Attaches to some non-verb words as well. When attached to
monosyllabic words it usually gets the linking vowel o or e.
tudni – to know
tudomány – knowledge
festeni – to paint
festmény – painting
sütni – to bake, roast
sütemény – cake, pastry
Adjective Formative Suffixes:
-s (-os/-as/-es/-ös) – Good ole -s, it goes on everything. It usually means that something is covered with or somehow composed of and
or endowed with something. When attached to numbers, its a way of categorizing things where the order doesn't really matter, i.e.
buses and other public transportation(hatos busz- number six bus). It can also be attached to other adjectives to change them slightly.
*Common nouns will receive the -os/-es/-ös endings. Those in Appendix 3 of the Brick(Blue Book) will receive the -as/-es endings.
And yes the –s is added on to nouns ending in vowels – if the noun ends in an a or e it is lengthened.
víz – water
vizes – wet, watery
hat – six
hatos – number six
beteg – sick
beteges – sickly
vallás – religion
vallásos – religious
hála – gratitude
hálás – grateful
álom – dream
álmos – sleepy
-i – Used any other time when we want to make an adjective from a noun where the -s just doesn't work. Whereas the -s implies the
physical presence of something, the -i typically means it's related to something showing origin or some other kind of relationship. It
often takes the place of the 's or the word „of" in English. When attached to postpositions or a word formed with the -ként suffix it
simply turns them into adjectives.
víz – water
vízi – water-
Budapest – Budapest
Budapesti – from Budapest
oriás – giant
oriási – gigantic
tartózkodás – residence, stay
tartózkodási – residency (permit)
ma – today
mai – today's
kéz – hand
kézi – hand-
-(j)ú/-(j)ű – Similar to -s, often used when the word is already defined by an adjective(like the English -ed). Sometimes it simply must
be used instead of -s. If the two words are used often enough together, they often combine into one.
* The j’s are used usually after vowels
fekete hajú – black haired
barnaszemű – brown eyed
furcsa alakú – weird shaped
szigor – severity, strictness
szigorú – strict
jószívű – charitable
nagy erejű – of great strength
-t/-ott/-ött/-ett/-a/-e – This is the past participle, like the –ed ending in English. It forms adjectives and sometimes nouns, meaning
something that has been verbed. Sometimes the participle form takes the long form, even though the verb would not. The -a/-e ending
is the old Bible style version, and it shows up on some modern common words as well.
ismerni – to know, be familiar with számolni – to count
ismert – (well) known
számla – bill, invoice
meghalni – to die
halt, halott, holt- dead
-(a)tlan/-(e)tlen & -talan/-telen – A very useful ending meaning un- when attached to 1verbs(here it's –(a)tlan/-(e)tlen) or
adjectives(thus the opposite). When attached to nouns it means -less or -free. Sometimes multiple forms can be attached to the same
word for different meanings. Often times the opposite of a word formed with -s.
-tlan/-tlen follows a final vowel: hibátlan
1-atlan/-etlen follows two consonants: rendetlen and is used with all derivates from verbs: ismeretlen
-talan/-telen is sued with nouns ending in consonants: haszontalan
ismer – know, be familiar with
ismeretlen – unknown
tud – know
tudatlan – ignorant
nő –woman
nőtlen – bachelor
gond – worry
gondtalan – carefree
gond – worry
gondatlan – careless
komoly – serious
komolytalan- unserious
-hatatlan/-hetetlen – This ending, a combination of -hat/-het and the above ending, attaches to verbs and means „un-verb-able."
olvasni – to read
olvashatatlan – illegible
enni– to eat
ehetetlen – inedible
elfogadni – accept
elfogadhatatlan – unacceptable