Hungarian builds ordinary attributive “this/these” and “that/those” phrases with a demonstrative followed by the definite article: ez a könyv “this book,” ez az autó “this car,” az a könyv “that book,” az az autó “that car.” The demonstrative distinguishes proximal ez from distal az; the article still changes between a and az according to the next sound.
The construction becomes especially Hungarian when a case is added: the demonstrative and the noun both carry the case, while the article stays unchanged. This page establishes that architecture. The usage page develops physical and discourse reference.
Singular: demonstrative + definite article + noun
The neutral modern-standard word order is:
ez/az + a/az + (adjective) + noun
| Distance | Before consonant | Before vowel |
|---|---|---|
| proximal “this” | ez a ház | ez az épület |
| distal “that” | az a ház | az az épület |
Ez a pékség vasárnap is nyitva van.
This bakery is open on Sundays too.
Ez az út közvetlenül a tóhoz vezet.
This road leads directly to the lake.
Az a kabát jól áll neked.
That coat looks good on you.
Az az étterem mindig tele van.
That restaurant is always full.
The doubled-looking sequence az az is not a mistake. The first az means “that”; the second az means “the” and appears because étterem begins with a vowel. In az a kabát, the same distal demonstrative is followed by article a because kabát begins with a consonant.
Distance can also be conversational rather than physical. Az a történet, amelyet tegnap meséltél means “that story you told yesterday” and retrieves a shared discourse referent; its internal form is the same demonstrative + article + noun pattern.
An adjective goes after the article: ez a régi ház, not ez régi a ház. Since the article immediately precedes régi, its form follows that adjective's onset.
Ez az érdekes könyv a nővéremé.
This interesting book belongs to my sister.
Plural forms: ezek and azok
The plural demonstratives are ezek “these” and azok “those.” The noun is plural too, and the definite article remains between the demonstrative and noun.
| Number | Proximal | Distal |
|---|---|---|
| singular | ez a könyv | az a könyv |
| plural | ezek a könyvek | azok a könyvek |
Ezek a cipők kényelmesebbek, mint azok a feketék.
These shoes are more comfortable than those black ones.
Azok az ablakok az udvarra néznek.
Those windows face the courtyard.
English marks plural only on these/those and the noun. Hungarian likewise has plural marking on both demonstrative and noun: ez-ek … könyv-ek. This agreement is obligatory in the ordinary construction.
A numeral or quantity word changes this agreement pattern. Hungarian keeps the counted noun singular, and the demonstrative is singular too: ez a két könyv “these two books,” az a három ablak “those three windows.” With case marking, use the same singular frame: ezt a két könyvet, not ezeket a két könyveket.
Ezt a két jegyet kérem.
I'll take these two tickets.
Case appears twice
When the whole noun phrase has a case, put that case on both the demonstrative and the noun. The article a/az never takes a case suffix.
| Function | Proximal phrase | Distal phrase |
|---|---|---|
| unmarked | ez a ház | az a ház |
| accusative | ezt a házat | azt a házat |
| dative | ennek a háznak | annak a háznak |
| inessive “in” | ebben a házban | abban a házban |
| superessive “on” | ezen a házon | azon a házon |
| allative “to” | ehhez a házhoz | ahhoz a házhoz |
| instrumental “with” | ezzel a házzal | azzal a házzal |
The two suffixes express one syntactic relation. In ebben a házban, both ebben and házban are inessive. In ehhez a házhoz, both are allative. English puts one preposition before the phrase; Hungarian distributes case marking across its demonstrative and noun.
Ezt a filmet már háromszor láttam.
I've already seen this film three times.
Abban a kis boltban friss kenyeret árulnak.
They sell fresh bread in that little shop.
Ehhez az ételhez rizst szoktunk főzni.
We usually cook rice with this dish.
Azzal a busszal gyorsabban odaérsz.
You'll get there faster on that bus.
Adjectives between the article and noun do not take the case: abban a kis boltban, not abban a kisben boltban. Hungarian attributive adjectives are invariant here.
Why the demonstrative changes shape
The final z of ez/az fully assimilates to the initial consonant of many case suffixes. With instrumental -val/-vel, assimilation runs in the opposite morphological direction: the suffix's v becomes z. Either process produces the long consonant shown in spelling:
- ez + -ben → ebben, az + -ban → abban
- ez + -hez → ehhez, az + -hoz → ahhoz
- ez + -nél → ennél, az + -nál → annál
- ez + -ről → erről, az + -ról → arról
- ez + -től → ettől, az + -tól → attól
- ez + -vel → ezzel, az + -val → azzal
These double consonants are pronounced long. Do not simplify ebben to eben or azzal to azal. Some high-frequency forms have their own established pattern: accusative ezt/azt, dative ennek/annak, and superessive ezen/azon.
Erről a kérdésről később beszélünk.
We'll discuss this issue later.
Attól az embertől kaptam az üzenetet.
I got the message from that person.
Plural plus case
In the plural, the plural marker precedes the case suffix on both demonstrative and noun: ez-ek-ben a könyv-ek-ben, az-ok-kal a barát-ok-kal. Assimilation with -val/-vel applies after the plural stem, giving ezekkel, azokkal, könyvekkel, barátokkal.
Ezekben a dobozokban vannak a régi fényképek.
The old photographs are in these boxes.
Azokkal az új kollégákkal még nem találkoztam.
I haven't met those new colleagues yet.
The order is fixed: demonstrative with number and case, then article, then adjective if present, then noun with number and case.
Standalone pronoun versus determiner
When ez/az stands alone, no article follows: Ez jó “This is good,” Azt kérem “I'll have that.” When it modifies an overt noun, the article is required: Ez a kávé jó, Azt a kávét kérem.
Ez túl nagy, de ez a kisebb méret jó lesz.
This is too big, but this smaller size will be fine.
Azt kérem, amelyik az ablak mellett van.
I'll take the one that's next to the window.
This distinction prevents the English transfer form ez könyv. English places this directly before the noun; ordinary Hungarian inserts the definite article.
Definite objects and word order
A demonstrative noun phrase is definite. As a direct object, it therefore requires the definite verbal paradigm where the forms differ: Ezt a könyvet olvasom, Azokat a képeket nézed. Word order may move the object for topic or focus, but its internal order and definiteness remain.
Ezt az űrlapot töltsd ki először!
Fill in this form first!
Azokat a képeket még nem láttad.
You haven't seen those pictures yet.
Formal alternatives
The short attributive e, as in e dokumentum, occurs in (formal), (academic), and sometimes (literary) prose. It appears without the definite article and is itself invariable: only the noun carries case, as in e dokumentumban. Elevated eme also occurs in literary or rhetorical prose. Beginners should actively produce neutral ez a dokumentum, ebben a dokumentumban, and learn the shorter forms for recognition.
Segmentation practice
- ezt az űrlapot = ez + -t
- article az
- űrlap + -ot.
- article az
- ebben a szobában = ez + -ben → ebben
- article a
- szoba + -ban.
- article a
- ehhez az emberhez = ez + -hez → ehhez
- article az
- ember + -hez.
- article az
- azokkal a gyerekekkel = az + -ok + -val → azokkal
- article a
- gyerek + -ek + -vel → gyerekekkel.
- article a
- erről a régi hídról = ez + -ről → erről
- article a
- adjective régi
- híd + -ról.
- adjective régi
- article a
Notice again that proximity fixes e- versus a- on the demonstrative, while each noun independently obeys vowel harmony.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ez könyv nagyon hasznos.
Incorrect — an attributive demonstrative requires the definite article.
✅ Ez a könyv nagyon hasznos.
This book is very useful.
❌ Ezben a házban lakunk.
Incorrect — ez assimilates with the inessive suffix, producing ebben.
✅ Ebben a házban lakunk.
We live in this house.
❌ Ezzel a kés vágd fel a kenyeret!
Incorrect — the noun must carry the instrumental suffix too.
✅ Ezzel a késsel vágd fel a kenyeret!
Slice the bread with this knife!
❌ Ezt a könyvet olvasok.
Incorrect — the demonstrative object is definite, so the verb needs definite conjugation.
✅ Ezt a könyvet olvasom.
I'm reading this book.
Key Takeaways
- Use ez a/az for “this” and az a/az for “that”; the article follows the next sound.
- Plural demonstratives are ezek and azok, and the noun is plural too.
- In a case-marked phrase, both demonstrative and noun carry the case; the article remains unchanged.
- Assimilation creates long consonants in ebben, ahhoz, erről, attól, ezzel, and related forms.
- Each word selects its own vowel-harmonic case form: ebben a házban is fully regular.
- A demonstrative direct object is definite and triggers the definite verbal paradigm.
Now practice Hungarian
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
- Demonstrative Determiners ez and az: Meanings and UsageA1 — Use ez a and az a for physical and discourse deixis, shared reference, contrast, plurals, and case-marked definite noun phrases.
- Demonstrative Determiners ez and az: Contrasts and Learner TrapsA2 — Distinguish proximal ez and distal az, control article and double-case agreement, and choose the definite verb paradigm.
- Choosing a or az by Sound: Forms and Core PatternA1 — Choose the Hungarian definite article a or az from the first spoken sound of the following expression, including numbers, abbreviations, and quoted words.
- Demonstrative and Correlative Pronouns: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Form and use Hungarian proximal and distal demonstratives for identity, kind, size, and quantity.
- The Hungarian Case Inventory: Forms and Core PatternA1 — See how Hungarian marks roughly eighteen case relations, including the nine-form spatial system and the zero nominative.
- Choosing Conjugation by Object Definiteness: Forms and Core PatternA2 — Choose Hungarian verb agreement from the case, person, definiteness, and discourse status of the object.