Demonstrative and Correlative Pronouns: Forms and Core Pattern | Hungarian Grammar

Hungarian demonstratives form a connected system. Ez/az identify a person, object, or idea as “this/that”; ilyen/olyan identify a kind, ekkora/akkora a size or degree, and ennyi/annyi a quantity. The initial e- typically points to the nearer choice, while a-/o- points farther away or back to something less immediate.

This page presents the core forms and suffix behavior. Extended discourse meanings appear on the usage page, and close choices on the contrast page. Unless labeled otherwise, every form is neutral modern standard Hungarian.

The identifying pronouns ez and az

Standing alone, ez means “this” and az means “that.” Their plurals are ezek and azok. When a consonant-initial case suffix is added, the final z generally assimilates to that consonant, which is then written double.

Case/function	Proximal	Distal	Structural clue
nominative	ez	az	base form
accusative	ezt	azt	the cluster zt remains
dative	ennek	annak	z + n → nn
inessive	ebben	abban	z + b → bb
illative	ebbe	abba	fused form in -bbe/-bba
elative	ebből	abból	z + b → bb
superessive	ezen	azon	vowel-initial ending; z remains
sublative	erre	arra	z + r → rr
delative	erről	arról	z + r → rr
adessive	ennél	annál	z + n → nn
allative	ehhez	ahhoz	z + h → hh
ablative	ettől	attól	z + t → tt
instrumental	ezzel	azzal	z + v → zz

These should be learned as a tightly connected paradigm, not recreated by writing ezben or azhoz. The initial vowel usually signals proximity, and the assimilated consonant still signals the case.

Ezt kérem, azt pedig tegye vissza, legyen szíves.

I'll take this one; please put that one back.

Erről már beszéltünk, de arról még nem.

We've already talked about this, but not about that yet.

Ehhez kérek egy kisebb dobozt.

I'd like a smaller box for this.

An accusative ezt/azt is a definite object, so the verb takes the definite conjugation: ezt kérem, azt láttam. The subject “I” is already expressed by the verb ending and is normally omitted.

💡

Read the doubled consonant as meaningful structure: ebben has long bb, erre long rr, and ezzel long zz. Hungarian consonant length is pronounced, not decorative spelling.

Pronoun versus noun modifier

The forms above can stand alone. Before a noun, ez/az participates in a different construction in which the demonstrative and noun phrase both show the case, with the definite article between them: ebben a házban, azzal a busszal. That double-marking pattern is developed on the determiner forms page.

Ebben lakunk, a szomszéd házban pedig a nagyszüleim.

We live in this one, and my grandparents live in the neighboring house.

Here ebben stands alone. Compare ebben a házban lakunk, “we live in this house,” where both demonstrative and noun bear the inessive form.

The kind series: ilyen/olyan

Ilyen means “like this; this kind of,” and olyan means “like that; that kind of.” They answer milyen? “what kind of?” These words can modify a noun without the definite article or stand alone with case marking.

Question	Near/just shown	Far/previously mentioned
milyen? — what kind?	ilyen	olyan
milyet? — what kind (object)?	ilyet	olyat
milyennel? — with what kind?	ilyennel	olyannal

The accusatives ilyet/olyat are established stem variants; do not produce ilyent or olyant. With -val/-vel, its initial v assimilates to the final n: ilyen + -vel → ilyennel, olyan + -val → olyannal. Other suffixes attach normally with vowel harmony, as in olyanban.

Ilyen hátizsákot keresek, csak kisebb méretben.

I'm looking for a backpack like this, just in a smaller size.

Olyat még soha nem kóstoltam.

I've never tasted anything like that before.

Unlike ezt, the object ilyet is non-specific by kind and normally triggers the indefinite conjugation: ilyet keresek, not ilyet keresem.

The size series: ekkora/akkora

Ekkora means “this big/this size,” and akkora means “that big/that size.” They answer mekkora? The final a lengthens before many suffixes: ekkorát, akkorának, ekkorával.

Ekkora bőrönd nem fér be az autóba.

A suitcase this big won't fit in the car.

Akkorát nevetett, hogy mindenki odanézett.

She laughed so loudly that everyone looked over.

The second example extends size to degree: literally, she gave “that big” a laugh. Hungarian productively uses the series with dimensions, amounts of action, and intensity. Ekkora is not simply an adjective meaning “big”; it measures against a contextually indicated scale.

The quantity series: ennyi/annyi

Ennyi means “this much/this many,” and annyi means “that much/that many.” They answer mennyi? A following counted noun remains singular in Hungarian: ennyi ember, annyi kérdés. This differs sharply from English plural marking.

Ennyi pénz nincs nálam.

I don't have this much money on me.

Annyi vendég érkezett, hogy elfogyott az összes szék.

So many guests arrived that all the chairs were taken.

When the quantity word stands alone as an object, use ennyit/annyit. Other common forms include ennyivel/annyival “by/with this much/that much” and ennyiért/annyiért “for this much/that much.”

Csak ennyit kérek, többet nem.

I only want this much, nothing more.

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Keep the four questions together: mi? asks identity, milyen? kind, mekkora? size or degree, and mennyi? quantity. Their answer series—ez/ilyen/ekkora/ennyi—preserve the same semantic distinctions.

Proximal and distal are discourse choices

The e- series often accompanies something physically near, currently visible, or central in the speaker's attention. The a-/o- series may point farther away, retrieve something already mentioned, or build a correlative result.

Ez a pohár tiszta, az viszont még mosogatásra vár.

This glass is clean, but that one still needs washing.

Olyan filmet szeretnék, amiről utána sokáig beszélgetünk.

I'd like a film of the kind that we'll discuss for a long time afterward.

In the second sentence, olyan ... amiről announces a quality that the following relative clause specifies. This is not literal physical distance. Such correlative discourse patterns are common in every register.

Segmentation exercise

Identify the base, case, and sound change.

ezzel: ez + -vel → ezzel; instrumental v assimilates to z.
annak: az + -nak → annak; z assimilates to n, with back-vowel -nak.
ilyennel: ilyen + -vel → ilyennel; v assimilates to final n.
ekkorát: ekkora + -t → ekkorát; final a lengthens to á before the suffix.
ennyit: ennyi + -t → ennyit; accusative is added without changing i.
ezekből: ezek + -ből; the plural stem takes the front-vowel elative suffix, without the singular z + b assimilation pattern.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ezvel tudom kinyitni az ajtót.

Incorrect — the instrumental form is not made by preserving z and v separately.

✅ Ezzel tudom kinyitni az ajtót.

I can open the door with this.

❌ Azban nem vagyok biztos.

Incorrect — az plus the inessive ending gives the assimilated form abban.

✅ Abban nem vagyok biztos.

I'm not sure about that.

❌ Én ezt kérek.

Morphologically wrong and needlessly heavy in the neutral reading — definite ezt requires kérem, while én adds an unmotivated subject contrast.

✅ Ezt kérem.

I'd like this one.

❌ Ennyi emberek várnak kint.

Incorrect — a noun quantified by ennyi remains singular.

✅ Ennyi ember vár kint.

This many people are waiting outside.

Key Takeaways

Ez/az identify; ilyen/olyan classify by kind; ekkora/akkora indicate size or degree; ennyi/annyi indicate quantity.
Singular ez/az has strongly assimilated case forms such as ebben, arra, ahhoz, ezzel.
Ezt/azt are definite objects, but ilyet/olyat normally take indefinite verb forms.
E- generally marks proximal discourse focus; a-/o- marks distal or previously established material.
Quantified nouns remain singular: ennyi ember, not a mechanically English-style plural.

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