Accusative Case (-t) in Hungarian

Overview

The accusative case marks the direct object of a verb — the thing being acted upon. In Hungarian, this is formed by adding the suffix -t to the noun, often with a linking vowel. It is the most frequently used case after the nominative and one of the first grammatical structures every A1 learner encounters.

The accusative is closely tied to the definite/indefinite conjugation system: whether the accusative object is definite or indefinite determines which verb conjugation to use. This makes the accusative a gateway concept to understanding how Hungarian sentences fit together.

The rules for forming the accusative are straightforward, though linking vowel selection requires knowledge of vowel harmony and attention to the final sound of the noun stem.

How It Works

Basic Rule

Add -t to the noun. If the noun ends in a consonant, insert a linking vowel that follows vowel harmony.

Linking Vowel Rules

Noun ending	Accusative	Example
Vowel	just add -t	alma → almát, kávé → kávét
Back-vowel consonant	-at/-ot	ház → házat, toll → tollat
Front-vowel consonant	-et/-öt	szék → széket, tükör → tükröt
-a (short)	-á- + t	kutya → kutyát
-e (short)	-é- + t	lencse → lencsét

Special Cases

Some common nouns have irregular accusative forms:

Nominative	Accusative	Note
víz (water)	vizet	stem vowel shortens
kéz (hand)	kezet	stem vowel shortens
ló (horse)	lovat	stem changes
tó (lake)	tavat	stem changes

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
könyvet olvasok	I read a book	indef. object + indef. conjugation
almát eszem	I eat an apple	-á- linking (short a → á)
vizet iszom	I drink water	irregular stem
a házat látom	I see the house	def. object + def. conjugation
egy kutyát keresek	I'm looking for a dog	indef. object
széket veszek	I buy a chair	front vowel linking
a filmet nézem	I watch the film	def. object
levelet írok	I write a letter	front vowel linking
autót vezetek	I drive a car	back vowel linking
Pétert ismerem	I know Péter	proper noun — definite

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the linking vowel

• Wrong: házt
• Right: házat
• Why: Consonant-final nouns need a linking vowel before -t. Without it, the consonant cluster is unpronounceable.

Wrong linking vowel

• Wrong: székot
• Right: széket
• Why: Szék has front vowels, so the linking vowel must be front (-et), not back (-ot).

Not lengthening short final -a/-e

• Wrong: kutyat
• Right: kutyát
• Why: Nouns ending in short -a or -e lengthen the vowel to -á or -é before adding -t.

Using accusative with preposition-like postpositions

• Wrong: a ház*at előtt*
• Right: a ház előtt
• Why: Postpositions use the nominative form. Only verbs require accusative objects.

Usage Notes

The accusative is so common that Hungarians hardly think about it — but for learners, it is worth drilling thoroughly. Every transitive verb needs an accusative object, and the accusative form interacts directly with the definite/indefinite conjugation choice.

Personal pronouns also have accusative forms: engem (me), téged (you), őt (him/her), minket/bennünket (us), titeket/benneteket (you all), őket (them).

Practice Tips

• Take ten nouns and form their accusative. Check vowel harmony and linking vowels for each.
• Practice verb + accusative pairs: olvasok egy könyvet, írok egy levelet, eszem egy almát. Then switch to definite: olvasom a könyvet, írom a levelet, eszem az almát.
• Pay special attention to nouns with irregular stems (víz→vizet, kéz→kezet) — these are high-frequency words.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Introduction to Cases — the case system overview
• Next steps: Relative Clauses — accusative objects in subordinate clauses