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Hungarian → Grammar → Passive voice and indirect speech

Passive voice and indirect speech are two important features in Hungarian grammar that allow you to express yourself more precisely and elegantly. In this lesson, we will learn about the forms and uses of passive voice and indirect speech in Hungarian.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Comparisons and superlatives & Plurals.

Passive voice

Passive voice is a grammatical construction in which the subject of a sentence is not the agent that performs the action but the patient or the recipient of the action. In passive voice constructions, the verb is in a special form called the passive voice form.

To form passive voice in Hungarian, you need to use the verb "lesz" (to be) in the appropriate tense followed by the past participle of the main verb. The past participle is formed by adding the suffix "-va/-ve" to the infinitive form of the verb:

• Present tense: "Az alma megeszi a férget." (The apple eats the worm.) → "A férget megeszi az alma." (The worm is eaten by the apple.)
• Past tense: "Az alma megette a férget." (The apple ate the worm.) → "A férget megették az almával." (The worm was eaten by the apple.)
• Future tense: "Az alma megeszi a férget." (The apple will eat the worm.) → "A férget megeszi az alma." (The worm will be eaten by the apple.)

Note that the passive voice form does not indicate who or what performed the action. To add this information, you can use the preposition "által" (by) followed by the agent of the action in the instrumental case:

• "A férget megeszi az alma." (The worm is eaten by the apple.) → "Az alma által van megéve a férge." (The worm is eaten by the apple.)

In Hungarian, passive voice is often used to avoid specifying the agent of the action or to emphasize the patient or the recipient of the action.

Indirect speech

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is a way of reporting what someone else said or thought without using the exact words or thoughts. In indirect speech constructions, the verb is in a special form called the reported speech form.

To form indirect speech in Hungarian, you need to use the introductive verb "mondta" (said) or a synonym in the appropriate tense followed by the reported speech form of the main verb. The reported speech form is formed by adding the suffix "-ta/-te/-tte/-tta" to the stem of the verb:

• "A tanár azt mondta, hogy jövő héten lesz dolgozat." (The teacher said that there will be a test next week.) → "A tanár azt mondta, hogy jövő héten dolgozat lesz." (The teacher said that there will be a test next week.)
• "Az anyám azt mondta, hogy tegnap sütött rétes." (My mother said that she baked strudel yesterday.) → "Az anyám azt mondta, hogy tegnap réteset sütött." (My mother said that she baked strudel yesterday.)

Note that the reported speech form reflects the tense and mood of the original verb and that the word order of the sentence is different from the word order in direct speech.

In Hungarian, indirect speech is often used to paraphrase or summarize what someone said or thought, to express doubt or uncertainty, or to distance oneself from the original statement.

Conclusion

Passive voice and indirect speech are powerful tools in Hungarian grammar that can help you express yourself more effectively and creatively. By mastering these two constructs, you will be able to convey meaning with precision and elegance.

Sources

• Reported speech in French and Hungarian - Ivan Fonagy 1. Direct ...
• Simple Hungarian Short Stories Intermediate Level ...
• Hungarian verbs - Wikipedia

Congratulations on finishing this lesson! Explore these related pages to keep learning: Definite and indefinite articles & Personal Pronouns.

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• Cardinal Numbers
• Complex sentence structures