Hungarian Lesson: Everything You Need to Know About the Hungarian Prefix “El-“

Exploring Hungarian Prefixes: Insights into the Use of -el

Before diving into the specifics of the Hungarian prefix -el, it's essential to understand the general characteristics of prefixes:

- Each prefix (excluding one sometimes students have a hard time with getting at first, but it is actually quite easy meg-) carries a distinct core meaning that modifies verbs without completely altering their original sense that you may not think by dictionary definition as an English speaker.
- In addition to their core meaning, prefixes can introduce various nuances to verbs:
- They may slightly modify or enhance the original verb,
- or completely change its meaning.

Remember to contact Lidia at info@learnhungariananywhere.com for your free consultation. 

The key lies in identifying the specific alteration being applied and also lots of practice and experience with the language to know which is which! 

Please don't feel frustrated if you have a hard time understanding these at first. 

Learning hungarian is a lot like putting together a puzzle, let's do this in steps.

Core Meaning of -el in Hungarian

At its fundamental level, -el signifies "away" (moving to another place, from here to there, or between points):

- Examples of -el as "away":
- megy (to go) vs. elmegy (to go away)
- rak (to put) vs. elrak (to put away)
- visz (to take) vs. elvisz (to take away)

- Complete sentences illustrating -el as "away":
- Holnap elmegyek, és még nem tudom, hogy mikor jövök vissza.
(Tomorrow I will go away, and I still don’t know when I’ll come back.)
- Elrakom innen ezeket a könyveket.
(I'll put these books away from here.)

Additional Impacts of the Hungarian Prefix -el

Besides its primary meaning as "away," -el can transform verbs in various other ways, often causing confusion among Hungarian learners:

- It can indicate closure:
- jön (to come) vs. eljön (to come and arrive)

- It may denote spread or dispersion:
- mond (to say) vs. elmond (to tell, to give away)

- It sometimes signifies definiteness or finality:
- vállal (to take on) vs. elvállal (to fully commit to)

- In certain contexts, it indicates a short duration:
- hisz (to believe permanently) vs. elhisz (to believe momentarily)

Nem hiszem el! I don't believe it! 

In the case above, you see how the prefix was put somewhere else? It got separated! Yes, that's a thing, and we will get into it later! 

Or why not contact Lidia at info@learnhungariananywhere.com right now for your free consultation?

- It can denote origin or acquisition:
- kér (to ask for) vs. elkér (to ask someone for something specific)

- -el can also imply inaccuracy or incorrectness:
- számol (to count) vs. elszámol (to miscount)

- Additionally, it may indicate the cessation of an ongoing action:
- zár (to close) vs. elzár (to turn off)

- It can intensify an action to indicate completeness or exhaustion:
- fárad (to become tired) vs. elfárad (to become exhausted)

I love this one as it literally means to tire away, or in other words, to kind of fade away from loss of energy, like you are not even there, somewhere else. Hungarian is awesome like this because many times the words have very powerful and literal meanings. It is a beautiful and very unique aspect of hungarian, a something that can make it so precise, poetic and sometime downright funny! 

- Finally, it may suggest prolonged activity:
- beszélget (to chat) vs. elbeszélget (to chat for a longer time)

Understanding these nuances is crucial for mastering Hungarian prefixes, especially -el, known for its versatility and complexity. Practice by encountering examples in Hungarian texts to grasp their correct usage effectively.

Happy learning from everyone at Learn Hungarian Anywhere! 😊

Are you struggling to learn Hungarian despite the vast amount of resources, like these, which seem to fall short? Remember to contact Lidia at info@learnhungariananywhere.com for your free consultation.