Temporal Cases in Hungarian

In Brief

Hungarian commonly puts time relationships directly onto a time word: -kor marks a point (hétkor, “at seven”), -tól/-től a starting point, -ig an endpoint, and -ra/-re a deadline, scheduled time, or planned duration. Compare péntekig “until Friday” with péntekre “by/for Friday”: -ig tells you how long something continues, while -re tells you when a result or arrangement is intended.

Overview

A Hungarian case suffix is an ending added to a noun or noun-like expression to show its role. Where English normally places a preposition before a time expression—“at seven,” “from Monday,” “until noon”—Hungarian often adds a suffix: hétkor, hétfőtől, délig. The time word and its ending form one written word.

These suffixes let you locate an event precisely. They distinguish a point from an interval, the beginning of an interval from its end, and a continuing situation from a deadline. That precision matters in opening hours, travel plans, appointments, project schedules, and accounts of past events. At B2, the forms themselves are not the only challenge: you also need to choose between meanings that English may express with the same preposition.

The four suffix groups in this article are -kor, -ig, -tól/-től, and -ra/-re. Hungarian has other ways to mark time—such as hétfőn “on Monday,” januárban “in January,” and télen “in winter”—but those forms are discussed here only where they clarify the central contrasts.

How It Works

The core system

Suffix	Core meaning	Hungarian example	English meaning
-kor	at a point in time; on the occasion of	nyolckor	at eight
-tól/-től	from; starting at	hétfőtől	from Monday
-ig	until; up to an endpoint	péntekig	until Friday
-ra/-re	by a deadline; for a scheduled time; for a planned period	péntekre	by/for Friday

Think of an interval as a line. -tól/-től marks its left edge, -ig marks its right edge, and the two frequently occur together:

reggeltől estig — from morning to evening

hétfőtől péntekig — from Monday to Friday

By contrast, -kor places an event at a point, while -ra/-re points toward a target time at which something is expected, arranged, or ready.

-kor: at a specific time or occasion

-kor is invariable: it does not change for vowel harmony. Add it directly to clock numbers and to many words denoting occasions or stages:

• hatkor — at six
• fél nyolckor — at half past seven
• ebédkor — at lunchtime
• karácsonykor — at Christmas
• induláskor — at the time of departure / when leaving
• gyerekkoromban — in my childhood (a different construction, not simple -kor)

With clock times, óra “hour/o’clock” may be present: hét órakor means “at seven o’clock.” In ordinary conversation, hétkor is usually enough. Do not use -kor mechanically with every English expression containing “at.” Hungarian has established forms such as délben “at noon,” éjjel “at night,” and hajnalban “at dawn.”

With an event noun, -kor can correspond naturally to an English “when” clause: érkezéskor is literally “at arrival,” but often translates as “when arriving” or “upon arrival.”

-tól/-től: from a starting point

The suffix has two forms determined by vowel harmony (the pattern by which Hungarian chooses an ending to match the vowels of the word):

• use -tól after a back-vowel word: hétfőtől is an apparent exception only if you look at the written suffix—the last relevant vowel in hétfő is front, so it correctly takes -től; examples with -tól include szombattól and hat órától
• use -től after a front-vowel word: reggeltől, péntektől, öttől

In practice, learn the pair as one suffix and let the word’s vowel pattern select the form:

• holnaptól — from tomorrow / starting tomorrow
• jövő héttől — from next week
• három órától — from three o’clock
• szeptembertől — from September

This suffix marks the first included point of the period. Hétfőtől dolgozom means that the working begins on Monday. Context decides whether the endpoint is known.

-ig: until an endpoint

-ig is also invariable. It marks the limit up to which an action, state, route, or availability extends:

• ötig — until five
• holnapig — until tomorrow
• a hónap végéig — until the end of the month
• két óráig — for two hours / until two o’clock

The last example reveals an important ambiguity. Hungarian két óráig can refer to a clock endpoint or to a duration. Context usually resolves it:

• Két óráig dolgoztam. — I worked for two hours.
• Két óráig maradok az irodában. — I am staying in the office until two o’clock. (in a suitable context)

To make elapsed duration unmistakable, speakers can add két órán át “for two hours.” To make the clock reading explicit, they can say két óráig in a context already concerned with schedules, or mention the part of day.

With negation, -ig often gives the latest point before which something does not happen: Péntekig nem jövök be means “I won’t come in until Friday.” As in English, the practical interpretation depends on whether Friday itself is included and on the situation; clarify exact deadlines when it matters.

-ra/-re: by, for, or for a period

-ra/-re follows vowel harmony:

• -ra after back-vowel words: szombatra, holnapra, nyolc órára
• -re after front-vowel words: péntekre, hétre, jövő hétre

Its temporal uses share the idea of a target.

A deadline or expected result

Péntekre kész lesz means “It will be ready by Friday.” The result is expected to hold at the target time. This differs from péntekig, which describes continuation up to Friday:

• Péntekig dolgozom rajta. — I will work on it until Friday.
• Péntekre befejezem. — I will finish it by Friday.

A scheduled or requested time

Hétre foglaltam asztalt means “I booked a table for seven.” The suffix identifies the time for which the arrangement was made. With motion, it can also mean arrival by a target time: Hétre odaérek “I’ll get there by seven.”

A planned or bounded duration

With a quantity of time, -ra/-re can mark the period for which something is planned, assigned, borrowed, or arranged:

• Két napra béreltünk autót. — We rented a car for two days.
• Egy hétre Budapestre utazom. — I’m going to Budapest for a week.

This often presents the duration as a plan or bounded allocation. By contrast, -ig looks toward the endpoint, and át can emphasize actual elapsed duration.

Endings attach to the whole time expression

Hungarian writes the suffix on the final word that carries the time relationship:

• jövő hétig — until next week
• a hónap végére — by the end of the month
• az előadás kezdetétől — from the beginning of the lecture

Other suffixes may come before the temporal case ending. A possessive ending, for example, remains inside the word: érkezésemkor “when I arrive / at my arrival,” where -em means “my” and -kor supplies the temporal relationship.

Examples in Context

Hungarian	English	Note
A film hétkor kezdődik.	The film starts at seven.	-kor marks an exact clock time.
Érkezéskor mutassa be az útlevelét.	Show your passport upon arrival.	Event noun + -kor; formal instruction.
Karácsonykor meglátogatjuk a nagyszüleimet.	At Christmas we visit my grandparents.	An occasion marked by -kor.
Az üzlet reggel nyolctól este hatig tart nyitva.	The shop is open from eight in the morning until six in the evening.	Start and endpoint form a pair.
Holnaptól többet fogok gyalogolni.	Starting tomorrow, I’m going to walk more.	-tól introduces a new starting point.
Péntekig küldd el a jelentést.	Send the report by Friday.	-ig sets the final limit; English naturally uses “by.”
Ötig az irodában leszek.	I’ll be in the office until five.	A state continues to an endpoint.
Két óráig beszélgettünk.	We talked for two hours.	-ig expresses elapsed duration.
A jelentés péntekre kész lesz.	The report will be ready by Friday.	-re focuses on the expected result.
Hétre foglaltam asztalt.	I booked a table for seven.	Scheduled target time.
Nyolcra oda kell érnünk.	We have to get there by eight.	Arrival no later than the target time.
Három napra bérelték ki a lakást.	They rented the apartment for three days.	Planned, bounded duration.
Reggeltől estig esett az eső.	It rained from morning to evening.	The complete span is stated.
A hónap végére minden megváltozott.	By the end of the month, everything had changed.	Change completed by a reference point.

Notice that English “by” appears in translations of both -ig and -ra/-re. The Hungarian choice depends on viewpoint: -ig is the outer limit for an action (send it no later than Friday), while -re presents Friday as the target at which a result should exist (be ready for Friday). Some real situations allow either form, but the sentence then frames the deadline differently.

Common Mistakes

Using -kor for every English “at”

• Wrong: délkor találkozunk
• Right: délben találkozunk
• Why: Clock numbers readily take -kor, but common time words often have fixed forms. “At noon” is délben, not normally délkor.

Ignoring vowel harmony

• Wrong: péntektól, szombatre
• Right: péntektől, szombatra
• Why: Front-vowel péntek selects -től; back-vowel szombat selects -ra. -kor and -ig, however, never alternate.

Confusing an endpoint with a target result

• Awkward for the intended meaning: Péntekre dolgozom rajta.
• Right: Péntekig dolgozom rajta. — I work on it until Friday.
• Why: Continuing work extends until an endpoint, so use -ig. Use -re for the intended completion: Péntekre befejezem.

Translating “for” with one suffix every time

• Wrong: Két órára beszélgettünk. (if you mean the actual elapsed conversation)
• Right: Két óráig beszélgettünk. / Két órán át beszélgettünk.
• Why: -ra/-re often presents a planned allocation, as in renting something for two hours. Actual elapsed duration is commonly expressed with -ig or -n át.

Writing the ending as a separate word

• Wrong: hét kor, péntek ig
• Right: hétkor, péntekig
• Why: These are suffixes and are normally written together with their host word.

Usage Notes

In timetables and notices, paired forms are extremely common: 9-től 17 óráig “from 9 to 5,” hétfőtől péntekig “Monday through Friday.” In running prose, spell out numbers when appropriate; real-world signs often use digits and hyphens according to Hungarian spelling conventions.

Hungarian may omit words that English needs when the situation makes the time scale clear. Öttől nyolcig dolgozom literally gives just “from five until eight”; the listener supplies “o’clock.” Conversely, öt órától can be useful when clarity matters.

English “by” does not provide a foolproof shortcut. Imperatives with a latest permissible deadline often use -ig: Holnapig válaszolj! “Reply by tomorrow!” Statements about readiness, arrival, or preparation often use -ra/-re: Holnapra kész lesz “It will be ready by tomorrow.” Learn the whole construction with its verb rather than matching one English word to one Hungarian suffix.

The exact inclusion of an endpoint can depend on convention. Opening hours ending hatig normally mean the business closes at six; a task due péntekig may need clarification about whether Friday is fully available. In important arrangements, Hungarian speakers also specify péntek délig “until noon on Friday” or péntek 17 óráig “until 5 p.m. Friday.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Event nouns with -kor are a compact alternative to clauses. Compare Amikor megérkeztem, felhívtam Annát “When I arrived, I called Anna” with Megérkezésemkor felhívtam Annát “Upon my arrival, I called Anna.” The latter is denser and often suits formal or written contexts. Possessive marking identifies whose event it is: megérkezésedkor “when you arrive,” megérkezésünkkor “when we arrive.”

The contrast between -ra/-re, -ig, and át becomes especially useful in narratives and planning:

Hungarian	English	Viewpoint
Két napra mentem Pécsre.	I went to Pécs for two days.	Planned or bounded stay.
Két napig maradtam Pécsen.	I stayed in Pécs for two days.	Duration up to its endpoint.
Két napon át esett.	It rained for two days.	Continuous elapsed span is emphasized.

Temporal and spatial meanings can look identical because these suffixes are not restricted to time. Az állomástól a szállodáig means “from the station to the hotel,” while hétfőtől péntekig uses the same start-to-end pattern in time. Likewise, -ra/-re can mark movement onto a surface or toward a destination as well as a temporal target. Context and the meaning of the noun normally make the reading obvious.

Finally, not every time expression takes one of these four suffixes. Days commonly use -n (hétfőn), months often use -ban/-ben (januárban), seasons have established forms (nyáron, télen), and repeated timing may use other constructions (naponta “daily,” minden héten “every week”). Mastery means selecting the conventional Hungarian form, not forcing all time expressions into a single case pattern.

Practice Tips

1. Build one four-way schedule. Choose a clock time and say hétkor “at seven,” héttől “from seven,” hétig “until seven,” and hétre “by/for seven.” Then repeat with a day such as péntek.
2. Pair the suffix with a typical verb. Practise -ig with dolgozik/marad “work/stay,” and -ra/-re with elkészül/odaér/foglal “become ready/arrive/book.” This trains meaning, not just endings.
3. Rewrite plans as completed events. Start with Két napra bérelek autót “I’m renting a car for two days,” then report the actual duration: Két napig volt nálam az autó “I had the car for two days.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Introduction to Cases — introduces Hungarian suffixes, case functions, and how endings attach to words.