kié
Hungarian
Etymology
ki (“who”) + -é (non-attributive possessive suffix)
Pronunciation
Pronoun
kié?
- (interrogative) whose?
Usage notes
- Kié is only used predicatively (as a pronoun form), as opposed to being a determinant (in adjectival position). For the latter, see kinek [plural: kiknek] a/az …-a/-e/-ja/-je/-i/-ai/-ei/-jai/-jei?.
- Kié is only used in questions. For the relative pronoun, see akié.
- Kié can only refer to human beings (and occasionally certain pets). Referring to objects (and the other animals), the normal way to ask is using mi + -nek as a determiner, e.g. Ez minek a teteje? (‘What does this lid belong to?’, instead of a theoretical mié).
- Kié can only refer to the possession of one single person. If the possession of several people is meant, kiké can be used, e.g. Kiké ez az iskola? – A helyi gyerekeké (‘To what people does this school belong? – To the local children.’). However, it is often rephrased with a determiner: Ez kiknek az iskolája?
- Strictly speaking, kié could only refer to one single possession, its plural equivalent being kiéi. However, the latter may be perceived as overly pedantic even by renowned writers. One can use kié even in the plural sense, or opt for kiék instead,[1] or one can rephase it with a determiner (see above), e.g. Ezek kinek a ruhái? (instead of Kiék/kiéi/kié ezek a ruhák?) for ‘Who do these garments belong to?’ or ‘Whose garments are these?’
Declension
Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, front unrounded harmony) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | kié | — |
accusative | kiét | — |
dative | kiének | — |
instrumental | kiével | — |
causal-final | kiéért | — |
translative | kiévé | — |
terminative | kiéig | — |
essive-formal | kiéként | — |
essive-modal | — | — |
inessive | kiében | — |
superessive | kién | — |
adessive | kiénél | — |
illative | kiébe | — |
sublative | kiére | — |
allative | kiéhez | — |
elative | kiéből | — |
delative | kiéről | — |
ablative | kiétől | — |
non-attributive possessive - singular |
— | — |
non-attributive possessive - plural |
— | — |
References
- ^ Te még nem tudod, hogy ki is vagyok, / Hogy kiék ezek a fáradt szemek / Melyekben életfény sosem ragyog. (‘You don’t yet know just who I am, / Or to whom these tired eyes belong / Where the light of life no longer shines.’) by Miklós Radnóti, translated by Gábor Barabás. [1]
– Héj hopp! – kiáltotta el magát –, kiék ezek a ruhák? (’Hey, he shouted, who do these garments belong to?’) by Józsi Jenő Tersánszky. [2]
Lote
Noun
kié
References
- Greg Pearson, René van den Berg, Lote Grammar Sketch (2008)