The dictionary forms ló “horse,” kő “stone,” and szó “word” end in a long vowel, but that is not the only stem speakers use. In many inflected and derived forms, a shorter vowel plus v appears: lovak, kövek, szavak. This is lexical stem allomorphy: the same word has more than one stem shape, and Hungarian grammar selects among them.
This page shows what those shapes do in real communication. The forms page gives the core inventory, while the contrasts page treats the least predictable choices. Unless labeled otherwise, every form below belongs to neutral modern standard Hungarian.
Referring to one thing versus building a larger form
An unsuffixed singular noun normally uses the long-vowel form. A plural, direct object, or possessive construction often needs an extended stem. With ló and kő, the most useful learning sets are therefore not isolated words but small families.
| Meaning | ló | kő |
|---|---|---|
| one, as subject/citation form | ló | kő |
| plural | lovak | kövek |
| direct object | lovat | követ |
| my … | lovam | kövem |
| on … | lovon | kövön |
A ló nyugodtan állt, de a többi lovat már bevezették az istállóba.
The horse stood calmly, but the other horses had already been led into the stable.
Ezt a követ a folyóparton találtam, a kisebb köveket pedig a kertből hoztam.
I found this stone on the riverbank, and I brought the smaller stones from the garden.
A lovam ma először engedte, hogy egyedül tegyem rá a nyerget.
Today, for the first time, my horse let me put the saddle on by myself.
The v does not add a meaning of its own. Lov- still means “horse” and köv- still means “stone.” The change merely supplies the stem shape required in that morphological environment.
Not every suffix selects the v-stem
Many consonant-initial case suffixes attach to the long-vowel form: lónak, lóban, lóról, lóhoz and kőnek, kőben, kőről, kőhöz. The instrumental suffix also follows the vowel-final form: lóval, kővel. Here the v belongs to -val/-vel, not to lov- or köv-.
Az idomárral együtt mentem oda a lóhoz.
I approached the horse together with the trainer.
A követ kalapáccsal sem tudtuk széttörni.
We could not break the stone apart even with a hammer.
The superessive “on” behaves differently: lovon, kövön. Its consonant-final-stem forms contain a linking vowel, and these nouns select their v-stem there. That is why a rule such as “use v before every suffix” fails, but so does “never use v before a case ending.” The distribution belongs to the lexical paradigm.
The especially uneven family of szó
Szó is central in both everyday and abstract discourse. Its plural and possessive forms use szav-: szavak, szavam, szavaid, szavaik. Yet its ordinary singular accusative is szót, and several case forms preserve szó-: szóban, szóról, szóhoz, szóval, szón.
Két szót töröltem a levélből, mert túl erősen hangzottak.
I deleted two words from the letter because they sounded too forceful.
Nem találom a megfelelő szavakat arra, ami tegnap történt.
I cannot find the right words for what happened yesterday.
Megígértem, ezért állom a szavam.
I promised, so I am keeping my word.
This split is genuinely lexical. There is no phonological calculation that predicts szót alongside szavak. Treat szó – szót – szavak – szavam as a high-frequency set. English supplies no comparable cue because word keeps one stem throughout.
Shortened stems: the same selection problem without v
Other Hungarian nouns change their vowel length but add no v. Common sets include kéz – kezek – kezet – kezem, víz – vizek – vizet – vizem, and nyár – nyarak – nyarat – nyaram. Consonant-initial case suffixes often retain the long vowel: kézben, kézzel; vízben, vízzel; nyáron.
Hideg vízzel mostam meg a kezemet.
I washed my hand with cold water.
Nyáron sok vizet iszunk, különösen a hosszabb túrákon.
In summer we drink a lot of water, especially on longer hikes.
A gyerekek kezet mostak, mielőtt leültek vacsorázni.
The children washed their hands before sitting down to dinner.
The short stem propagates through a suffix chain: vizek → vizeket → vizekben. Once the plural has selected viz-, a later case suffix does not restore víz-. Compare singular vízben with plural vizekben.
Harmony comes after stem selection
English-speaking learners often look at the nearest visible vowel in the citation form and immediately choose a suffix. Hungarian requires a layered analysis:
- identify the word and its lexical stem class;
- select the stem required by the construction;
- choose the suffix family and its linking vowel;
- apply backness and, where that suffix has three forms, rounding.
Thus kő contains rounded ő, but the lexical plural is kövek, not kövök. The superessive is kövön, while the allative is kőhöz. Ló gives lovak, not lovok, because the plural uses the noun's low linking-vowel class. Harmony constrains available forms, but it does not erase lexical stem classes.
A kövek között apró üvegdarabokat is találtunk.
We also found tiny pieces of glass among the stones.
A lovakhoz csak a gondozó engedélyével lehet bemenni.
You may enter the horses' area only with the keeper's permission.
Compounds and lexical families
When ló, kő, or szó is the final member of a transparent compound, its alternation usually remains: versenyló – versenylovak, drágakő – drágakövek, kulcsszó – kulcsszavak. Derived words may also reveal the extended stem: lovas “rider/equestrian,” köves “stony,” and háromszavas “three-word.” These are lexical families, not freely interchangeable stylistic variants.
A jelentés végén öt kulcsszót soroltak fel.
Five keywords were listed at the end of the report.
A köves ösvényen két lovas közeledett felénk.
Two riders were approaching us on the stony path.
Some derivations preserve the long form instead: szóbeli “oral” is built on szó-. The honest learning strategy is to store frequent derived words as part of the family and not force one allomorph into every derivative.
A short dialogue
This (informal) stable-yard exchange uses several members of one paradigm:
– Melyik ló a tiéd?
– Which horse is yours?
– A barna. A lovam még fiatal, ezért ma nem ülök lóra.
– The brown one. My horse is still young, so I am not riding today.
– Akkor ki viszi ki a többi lovat?
– Then who is taking the other horses out?
– A gondozó; ő jól ismeri a lovakat.
– The keeper; she knows the horses well.
The idiom lóra ül “mount a horse; get on horseback” preserves ló- before the sublative -ra. Nearby lovam, lovat, lovakat select lov- for independent morphological reasons.
Formal and informal discourse
Stem allomorphy itself is register-neutral. What changes is the surrounding vocabulary. A report may use szóbeli tájékoztatás (formal), while conversation uses szóltak róla (informal); both remain connected to szó.
A bizottság szóbeli tájékoztatást kért, majd jegyzőkönyvbe foglalta a tanú szavait.
The committee requested an oral briefing and then entered the witness's words in the minutes. (formal)
Szóltak róla pár szót, de a részleteket nem mondták el.
They said a few words about it, but they didn't give the details. (informal)
Do not replace szavait with an imagined “more formal” long-stem form. The alternation is grammatical and lexical, not a politeness choice.
Common Mistakes
1. Keeping the citation form before a plural ending.
❌ A lók már az istállóban vannak.
Incorrect — ló selects the extended stem lov- in the plural.
✅ A lovak már az istállóban vannak.
The horses are already in the stable.
2. Choosing a rounded linking vowel from ő alone.
❌ A kövök nedvesek az esőtől.
Incorrect — the lexical plural is kövek, despite rounded ő in kő.
✅ A kövek nedvesek az esőtől.
The stones are wet from the rain.
3. Extending szav- to the ordinary singular accusative.
❌ Csak egy szavat változtattam meg.
Incorrect in neutral modern usage — the ordinary accusative of szó is szót.
✅ Csak egy szót változtattam meg.
I changed only one word.
4. Retaining a long vowel in a shortened-stem object form.
❌ A vízet már a poharakba töltöttem.
Incorrect — víz selects the short stem viz- before the linked accusative.
✅ A vizet már a poharakba töltöttem.
I already poured the water into the glasses.
Key Takeaways
- Ló and kő regularly alternate with lov- and köv- in plurals, accusatives, possessives, and forms such as lovon, kövön.
- Szó has a narrower, lexically split pattern: szavak, szavam, but szót, szóban, szón.
- Shortened stems such as kéz – kezek and víz – vizek solve the same selection problem without inserting v.
- Select the stem before applying suffix inventory, backness, rounding, and linking-vowel rules.
Now practice Hungarian
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Start learning Hungarian →Related Topics
- v-Stems and Other Stem Allomorphy: Forms and Core PatternB1 — Form Hungarian v-stems such as ló–lov-, kő–köv-, and szó–szav-, and recognize related vowel-shortening stem classes.
- v-Stems and Other Stem Allomorphy: Contrasts and Learner TrapsB2 — Distinguish Hungarian v-stems from regular vowel-final nouns, shortened stems, and competing suffix patterns.
- Vowel-Dropping and Vowel-Lengthening Stems: Meanings and UsageB1 — Use alternating Hungarian stems naturally when marking objects, plurals, possession, location, and abstract reference.
- Linking Vowels: Meanings and UsageA2 — Use Hungarian linking vowels naturally when counting, marking objects, expressing possession, and conjugating everyday verbs.
- Three-Way Harmony and Rounding: Meanings and UsageA2 — How Hungarian uses three-way suffixes for targets, surfaces, settings, and frequency while limiting rounding to specific local environments.
- Major Noun Stem Classes: Meanings and UsageB1 — Use regular and changing Hungarian noun stems accurately in plural, object, possessive, spatial, and discourse contexts.