Hungarian Grammar - Expressing Time

Expressing Time

Many expressions of time use the case endings and postpositions which are also used for position, e.g.:

  • -tól/-től - when from
  • -ig - until when
  • -ra/-re - by (before) a certain time
  • között (postposition) - between; among
  • előtt (postposition) - before
  • után (postposition) - after
  • -n belül (postposition with suffix) - within

There are also some which are used only for time, e.g.:

  • -kor - at what time, e.g. kilenckor ("at nine"), karácsonykor ("at Christmas")
  • -onta/-ente/-önte - every ..., e.g. naponta ("daily")
  • múlva (postposition) - in ... time, e.g. 2 hét múlva ("in 2 weeks' time")

There are 2 ways of expressing how long ago something happened:

  • 3rd singular possessive suffix with past tense, e.g. 10 éve költözött el. ("He moved away 10 years ago.")
  • -val/-vel + ezelőtt with past tense, e.g. 10 évvel ezelőtt költözött el. ("He moved away 10 years ago.")

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Famous quotes containing the words expressing and/or time:

    Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    Once upon a time there were three little foxes
    Who didn’t wear stockings, and they didn’t wear sockses,
    But they all had handkerchiefs to blow their noses,
    And they kept their handkerchiefs in cardboard boxes.
    —A.A. (Alan Alexander)