Instrumental and More
Hungarian Grammar 2
Chapter 7 · Instrumental, Translative and the Rest
🧰 The Other Cases — A többi eset
The place cases and the accusative and dative are done. Seven endings remain, and each has its own job: -val / -vel (with, by means of), -vá / -vé (becoming), -ért (for, in exchange for), -ig (until, as far as), -ul / -ül and -ként (as), and -kor (at a time). Only the first two need real care, because their v changes.
1. The instrumental: -val / -vel
The instrumental means with (accompanying someone), by or with (a tool, a means of transport). It is the case behind the assimilation rule in Hungarian Grammar 1, chapter 5.
| Stem ends in… | Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A vowel | -val / -vel | autó → autóval · fa → fával · kávé → kávéval · tanú → tanúval |
| A single consonant | the v copies it | kéz → kézzel · ház → házzal · toll → tollal · kert → kerttel · barát → baráttal · Péter → Péterrel |
| A digraph (sz, zs, cs, gy, ny, ty, ly) | the digraph doubles in spelling | busz → busszal · kulcs → kulccsal · hegy → heggyel · lány → lánnyal |
| v | stays v | könyv → könyvvel |
Spelling note: when the v copies a digraph, the doubled digraph is written with only its first letter doubled: sz + sz becomes ssz, cs + cs becomes ccs, gy + gy becomes ggy, ny + ny becomes nny. So: busszal, kulccsal, heggyel, lánnyal.
| Hungarian | English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| A barátommal megyek. | I'm going with my friend. | accompaniment |
| Busszal megyek. | I'm going by bus. | means of transport |
| Tollal írok. | I write with a pen. | tool |
| Kézzel csinálom. | I make it by hand. | manner |
| Találkozom Péterrel. | I'm meeting Peter. | verb that needs it |
Verbs that need -val / -vel include találkozik (meet), beszél (talk to), foglalkozik (deal with), egyetért (agree with) and megismerkedik (get to know). Learn each with its case, as with the dative verbs in Chapter 3.
The personal forms are velem, veled, vele, velünk, veletek, velük, and the question words are Kivel? (with whom) and Mivel? (with what, by what means).
2. The translative: -vá / -vé
The translative (the "becoming" case) names the state something turns into. It follows exactly the same v-assimilation rule as the instrumental.
| Hungarian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A víz jéggé fagy. | The water freezes into ice. | jég + gé |
| A fiú orvossá válik. | The boy becomes a doctor. | orvos + sá |
| Péter elnökké lett. | Peter became president. | elnök + ké |
| A szobát irodává alakítom. | I'm turning the room into an office. | after a vowel: -vá |
| Mivé lett? | What did it become? | question word |
3. The causal-final: -ért
The causal-final has one invariant form, -ért, and covers three ideas: for the sake of, in exchange for and to fetch.
| Hungarian | English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ezt a barátomért teszem. | I'm doing this for my friend. | for the sake of |
| Ezer forintot fizetek a könyvért. | I pay a thousand forints for the book. | price |
| Elmegyek a kenyérért. | I'm going to get the bread. | to fetch |
| Köszönöm a meghívásért! | Thank you for the invitation! | gratitude |
| Bocsánat a késésért. | Sorry for being late. | apology |
| Miért? | Why? (for what) | question word |
The personal forms are értem, érted, érte, értünk, értetek, értük.
4. The terminative: -ig
The terminative is another invariant ending. -ig marks the end point in space (as far as), in time (until) and in duration (for).
| Hungarian | English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Budapestig megyek. | I'm going as far as Budapest. | space |
| Péntekig dolgozom. | I'm working until Friday. | time |
| Hétfőtől péntekig dolgozom. | I work from Monday to Friday. | with -tól (Chapter 6) |
| Egy hétig maradok. | I'm staying for a week. | duration |
| Meddig maradsz? | How long are you staying? / Until when? | question word |
Duration can also take the accusative from Chapter 2 (Két hetet maradok). The two forms are close; -ig looks at the end point, the accusative at the length. The pronoun-like forms are eddig (until now), addig (until then) and idáig (up to here).
5. The essive: -ul / -ül and -ként
Two endings both mean as, with different jobs.
-ul / -ül: languages and fixed expressions
This ending follows two-way harmony (-ul back, -ül front) and is used above all to say in a language. After a vowel the ending is the same: franciául.
| Hungarian | English |
|---|---|
| magyarul · angolul · oroszul | in Hungarian · in English · in Russian |
| németül · törökül · franciául | in German · in Turkish · in French |
| Hogy mondják ezt magyarul? | How do you say this in Hungarian? |
| Beszélsz angolul? | Do you speak English? |
-ként: in the role of
The ending -ként is invariant and means as in the sense of "in the role or capacity of".
| Hungarian | English |
|---|---|
| Tanárként dolgozom. | I work as a teacher. |
| Ajándékként kaptam. | I got it as a present. |
| Példaként mondom. | I say it as an example. |
6. The temporal: -kor
The ending -kor gives a point in time: a clock time, a meal, a festival. It is invariant and attaches directly to the number or the word.
| Hungarian | English |
|---|---|
| háromkor · négykor · hétkor | at three · at four · at seven |
| fél háromkor | at half past two |
| három órakor | at three o'clock |
| ebédkor · vacsorakor | at lunchtime · at dinnertime |
| karácsonykor · húsvétkor | at Christmas · at Easter |
| Mikor? | When? |
🗣️ In Use — Használatban
The remaining cases in short exchanges.
① Getting there
② How long?
③ Languages and thanks
📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla
| Case | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Instrumental | -val / -vel (the v copies a final consonant) | autóval · házzal · busszal |
| Translative | -vá / -vé (same rule) | jéggé · orvossá |
| Causal-final | -ért | a barátomért · a kenyérért |
| Terminative | -ig | péntekig · Budapestig |
| Essive | -ul / -ül (languages) · -ként (role) | magyarul · tanárként |
| Temporal | -kor | háromkor · karácsonykor |
| Pronouns | velem · értem (and so on) | Velünk jössz? |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. "With the house": ház + the "with" case.
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házzal. The v copies the z.
2. "With the garden": kert + the "with" case.
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kerttel.
3. "By car": autó + the "with" case.
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autóval. After a vowel the v stays.
4. "By bus": busz + the "with" case.
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busszal. The digraph sz doubles: ssz.
5. "With the key": kulcs + the "with" case.
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kulccsal. The digraph cs doubles: ccs.
6. "With the girl": lány + the "with" case.
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lánnyal.
7. Say "with me" and "for them".
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velem and értük.
8. Translate: "The water freezes into ice."
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A víz jéggé fagy.
9. Say "until Friday" and "at four".
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péntekig and négykor.
10. Fix the sentence: Beszélek magyaron (I speak Hungarian).
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Beszélek magyarul. Languages take -ul / -ül, and are not capitalised.