Appendix:Hungarian v-stem words
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Certain Hungarian words (nouns, adjectives, as well as verbs) take a -v- sound before their suffixes, while often shortening (sometimes changing in quality) the preceding stem-final vowel.
Nouns and adjectives[edit]
Words whose accusative is given take the -v- at all possible places (e.g. csövet, csövek, csövön; csövem, csöved, csöve etc.; csöves, csövű, csövenként, csövestül). Words where other forms are given take the -v- in certain forms only (usually the plural, sometimes only derivations; see their own entries for details).
| Word | Accusative (or other irregular form) | Meaning | Front/back | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bő | bővet (bőt) | (adjective) loose, ample, abundant | front rounded | |
| cső | csövet | tube, pipe | front rounded | with alternating vowel length |
| daru | darut BUT darvak (daruk) | crane (only as a bird) | back | regular when referring to “crane” as a machine |
| falu | falut BUT falvak | village | back | |
| fenyő | fenyőt BUT fenyves | pine, fir | front rounded | |
| fű | füvet | grass | front rounded | with alternating vowel length |
| hó | havat | snow | back | with an alternating final vowel; the homonymous short form hó (“month”) is regular |
| hő | hőt BUT heve / hője | heat | front rounded | with an alternating final vowel |
| hű | hűt BUT hűek / hívek | (adjective) faithful, loyal (noun) believer, adherent |
front rounded | |
| jó | jót, jók AND javak | (adjective) good; (plural noun) possessions, assets |
back | with an alternating final vowel; the adjective declension is regular; only the noun is affected |
| kő | követ | stone, rock | front rounded | with alternating vowel length |
| lé | levet | juice | front unrounded | with alternating vowel length |
| ló | lovat | horse | back | with alternating vowel length |
| mag | magot BUT magvak / magok | grain, seed, core, nucleus | back | the only consonant-final word with a v-stem |
| mű | művet | work (of art) | front rounded | |
| nyű | nyüvet | grub, maggot (folksy) | front rounded | with alternating vowel length |
| odú | odút (odvat) | hollow, lair, den | back | |
| szó | szót BUT szavak (szók) | word | back | with an alternating final vowel; szavak is more common on its own; the regular form may occur in compounds, chiefly in linguistics |
| szú | szút BUT szuvas | woodworm | back | with alternating vowel length |
| tetű | tetűt BUT tetvek (tetűk) | louse | front rounded | |
| tó | tavat | lake | back | with an alternating final vowel |
Verbs[edit]
| Word | 1st-pers. sg. | Meaning and register | Front/back | Feature | Alternative form of… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fő | fövök | to boil, cook (reflexive) | front rounded | with alternating vowel length | |
| fú | fúvok (literary) fújok |
to blow | back | fúj | |
| hí | hívok | to call (folksy or dialectal) |
back | antiharmonic | hív |
| lő | lövök | to shoot | front rounded | with alternating vowel length | |
| nő | növök | to grow | front rounded | with alternating vowel length | |
| nyí | nyívok | to whimper, whine (folksy or dialectal) |
back | antiharmonic | |
| nyű | nyüvök | to wear away/out | front rounded | with alternating vowel length | |
| ó | óvok | to protect, guard (archaic) |
back | óv | |
| rí | rívok | to weep, cry (dialectal/folksy or literary) |
back | antiharmonic | |
| ró | rovok | to notch, carve, engrave | back | with alternating vowel length | |
| sí | sívok | to howl, scream, screech, shriek (archaic or dialectal) |
back | antiharmonic | |
| szí | szívok | to inhale, suck (archaic) |
back | antiharmonic | szív |
| sző | szövök | to weave | front rounded | with alternating vowel length | |
| ví | vívok | to fence; to fight (archaic) |
back | antiharmonic | vív |
Further reading[edit]
- A v elemmel bővülő névszótövek (“Nominal stems extended with a v”) (thesis by Vivien Vékony)
- A v-vel bővülő tövek (“Stems extended with a v”) in Strukturális magyar nyelvtan (“Structural Hungarian Grammar”), vol. 3, Alaktan (“Morphology”) — (free) registration is required