Demonstrative and Correlative Pronouns: Meanings and Usage | Hungarian Grammar

Hungarian demonstratives locate more than objects. Ez/az point to a nearer or more immediate referent versus a more distant or discourse-remote one; ilyen/olyan classify quality or type; ekkora/akkora indicate size or degree; and ennyi/annyi indicate quantity. These forms also enter correlative patterns such as amilyen … olyan “the kind that … that kind.” Their case marking is central: Hungarian says ebben “in this” and azzal “with that,” not a preposition plus unchanged “this/that.”

Ez and az in the physical situation

Use ez for something near the speaker or treated as immediately present, and az for something farther away or less immediate. A gesture, gaze, or shared visual field often supplies the contrast.

Ez az asztal szabad, az viszont már foglalt.

This table is free, but that one is already occupied.

Kérem ezt a kiflit és azt a két zsemlét.

I would like this crescent roll and those two bread rolls.

When a demonstrative modifies a noun, Hungarian normally uses the definite article and marks both the demonstrative and the noun phrase for case: ez az asztal, ezt az asztalt, azzal az autóval, ebben a szobában. When it stands alone, the demonstrative itself bears the relation: ezt kérem “I want this one,” abban lakom “I live in that one/there.”

Ebben a dobozban vannak a fényképek, abban pedig a levelek.

The photographs are in this box, while the letters are in that one.

Ezzel az ecsettel könnyebb dolgozni, mint azzal.

It is easier to work with this brush than with that one.

Forms such as ebben, abban, ezzel, azzal, ehhez, ahhoz, erről, arról contain stem changes and consonant assimilation. They are best learned as paired case paradigms. English keeps “this/that” unchanged after prepositions; Hungarian packages the relation into the demonstrative.

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With a noun, make the demonstrative and noun phrase travel through the case system together: ez a ház → ebben a házban; az az ember → attól az embertől.

Proximal and distal reference in conversation

Physical distance is only the prototype. Ez can present a thought, event, or passage as the current center of attention; az can point back to something more remote in the conversation or distance the speaker from it.

Ez jó kérdés; először tisztáznunk kell a célokat.

That is a good question; first we need to clarify the goals.

English idiom says “that is a good question,” but Hungarian ez treats the just-asked question as immediately present in discourse. A literal this/that substitution would miss the perspective.

Azt mondod, hogy később induljunk? Az nekem is megfelel.

Are you saying that we should leave later? That works for me too.

Here azt anticipates the following clause as the object of mondod, while az refers back to the proposal. Distal az is natural for an idea attributed to the other speaker.

Speakers also use ez to launch a conclusion or evaluation of the current situation.

Lekéstük az utolsó buszt. Ez azt jelenti, hogy taxit kell hívnunk.

We missed the last bus. This means that we need to call a taxi.

Ez is the subject; azt is the case-marked object that pairs with the following hogy clause. Hungarian does not need an extra personal subject pronoun: the demonstrative already names the proposition being evaluated.

Ilyen and olyan: type and quality

Ilyen means “like this, of this kind,” and olyan means “like that, of that kind.” They ask the listener to compare properties rather than identify one token.

Ilyen kabátot keresek, csak sötétkékben.

I am looking for a coat like this, only in dark blue.

Még soha nem ettem olyan finom levest, mint tegnap.

I have never eaten soup as delicious as the soup I had yesterday.

Before an indefinite noun, ilyen/olyan normally appear without a/az: ilyen kabát, olyan ötlet. The noun bears case: ilyen kabátot. When the quality word stands alone, it can take case itself: ilyet kérek “I want one like this,” olyannal beszéltem “I spoke with someone/something like that.”

Pont ilyet szeretnék a nappaliba.

I would like exactly one like this for the living room.

A definite phrase az ilyen emberek means “people like this / this kind of people” as an established class. The article belongs to the entire generic or identifiable phrase; it is not automatically required after every ilyen.

Az ilyen hibákat egy rövid ellenőrzéssel meg lehet előzni.

Mistakes of this kind can be prevented with a quick check.

Ekkora and akkora: size, extent, and degree

Ekkora points to a size or extent treated as immediate; akkora points to a more distant, previously mentioned, or emphatically large extent. They do not merely mean “this object” and “that object.”

Ekkora bőrönd nem fér be a csomagtartóba.

A suitcase this big will not fit in the trunk.

A gyerekek akkora zajt csaptak, hogy a szomszéd is átjött.

The children made so much noise that even the neighbor came over.

The second sentence uses the correlative frame akkora … hogy: the degree is large enough to produce the following result. English may translate akkora as “such,” “so much,” or “that big” depending on the noun.

Standalone forms carry case: ekkorát “one this big / this much,” akkorával “with one that big.” Do not confuse ekkora “this big” with temporal ekkor “at this time.”

Nem számítottam ekkora érdeklődésre.

I did not expect this much interest.

Abstract nouns readily occur with size demonstratives when Hungarian conceptualizes the property as degree or extent.

Ennyi and annyi: amount and number

Ennyi means “this much/this many,” and annyi means “that much/that many.” As after numerals and other quantity words, a following Hungarian count noun is singular.

Ennyi szék elég lesz húsz embernek?

Will this many chairs be enough for twenty people?

Nem tudok annyi könyvet hazavinni egyszerre.

I cannot take that many books home at once.

English plural “chairs/books” corresponds to Hungarian singular szék/könyv after the quantity expression. When used alone, the quantity word takes case: ennyit “this much,” annyiból “from that much,” ennyivel “by/with this much.”

Ennyit tudok tenni érted, többet sajnos nem.

This is as much as I can do for you; unfortunately, no more.

Annyiból nem lehet felújítani az egész lakást.

You cannot renovate the whole apartment with that amount of money.

Annyi … amennyi can express equality or a limiting amount: Annyit vigyél, amennyit elbírsz “Take as much as you can carry.”

Correlative pairs build measured comparisons

Hungarian correlatives pair a relative form in a- with a demonstrative answer form. The two halves establish a scale, kind, size, or quantity.

Relative side	Demonstrative side	Meaning
amilyen	olyan	of whatever kind … of that kind
amekkora	akkora	as big as … that big
amennyi	annyi	as much/many as … that much/many

Amilyen gyorsan jött a vihar, olyan gyorsan el is vonult.

The storm passed as quickly as it arrived.

Akkora asztalt vegyünk, amekkora kényelmesen elfér.

Let’s buy the largest table that will fit comfortably.

Annyi jegyet nyomtattak, amennyi résztvevőre számítottak.

They printed one ticket for each participant they expected.

The order may vary with discourse, but the pair expresses a measured dependency. English often uses a single as … as frame, while Hungarian distributes meaning across two related forms.

Demonstratives, focus, and definite verbs

Case-marked ez/az objects are definite and select the definite verb paradigm.

Ezt választom, a másikat túl drágának találom.

I choose this one; I find the other one too expensive.

ARRÓL beszéltem, nem erről a problémáról.

I was talking about THAT, not about this problem.

Ezt triggers definite választom. Arról is delative rather than a direct object, so it does not select a definite conjugation; its preverbal position instead marks contrastive focus. Case and information structure perform different jobs.

The broader personal-pronoun principle matters here: Hungarian normally omits recoverable personal subject pronouns, while demonstrative relational forms remain when they express a required argument. Ezt választom needs no én; person is already in választom, but ezt identifies the object.

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Do not copy every English pronoun. In Ezt választom, the verb ending already means “I,” while ezt is necessary because it identifies what is being chosen.

Formal and informal discourse choices

Neutral conversation favors ordinary ez/az and often combines them with gesture or shared context. Formal documents may use heavier anaphoric phrases such as ezen rendelkezés or az említett eset, though ezen rendelkezés without a following article is specifically (formal/legal) and should not be generalized to everyday noun phrases.

Ezen rendelkezés 2027. január 1-jén lép hatályba.

This provision enters into force on January 1, 2027. (formal/legal)

Ez a szabály januártól érvényes.

This rule applies from January. (neutral/informal)

Everyday Hungarian uses ez a szabály, with article. The articleless attributive ezen rendelkezés belongs to an elevated administrative style.

A short dialogue

This exchange is ordinary (informal) Hungarian in a furniture shop.

– Ezt a polcot nézted ki? – Igen, de nem tudom, elég nagy-e.

– Is this the shelf you picked? – Yes, but I do not know whether it is big enough.

– Van belőle akkora, mint az ott? – Van, de annyi helyet foglal, hogy alig férne el nálatok.

– Is there one as big as that one over there? – Yes, but it takes up so much space that it would hardly fit at your place.

– Akkor inkább egy ekkorát kérek. – Rendben, ebből a színből van raktáron.

– Then I would prefer one this big. – All right, we have it in this color in stock.

The dialogue moves from token (ezt a polcot) to size (akkora, ekkorát), quantity/degree (annyi helyet), and a case-marked proximal form (ebből).

Common Mistakes

❌ Ebben házban lakunk.

Incorrect — an attributive ez/az demonstrative requires the definite article and matching case on the noun phrase.

✅ Ebben a házban lakunk.

We live in this house.

❌ Ezvel a késsel könnyebb vágni.

Incorrect — ez + -vel assimilates to ezzel, and the noun phrase is marked too.

✅ Ezzel a késsel könnyebb vágni.

It is easier to cut with this knife.

❌ Ennyi könyvek nem férnek el itt.

Incorrect — after ennyi, a count noun remains singular.

✅ Ennyi könyv nem fér el itt.

This many books will not fit here.

❌ Őt választom a két laptop közül.

Incorrect for an inanimate laptop — personal őt normally refers to an animate individual.

✅ Ezt választom a két laptop közül.

I choose this one from the two laptops.

❌ Ilyent kabátot keresek.

Incorrect — before a noun use invariant ilyen; standalone accusative is ilyet.

✅ Ilyen kabátot keresek.

I am looking for a coat like this.

Key Takeaways

Ez/az express proximal versus distal perspective in space and discourse.
With a noun, demonstrative and noun phrase show matching case: ezt a könyvet, ebben a házban.
Ilyen/olyan classify type, ekkora/akkora measure size or degree, and ennyi/annyi measure quantity.
Count nouns remain singular after ennyi/annyi.
Correlative pairs such as amilyen … olyan and amennyi … annyi distribute comparison across two clauses.
Demonstrative direct objects select definite verbs, while non-object case forms do not control conjugation.
Recoverable personal subjects remain omitted even when a demonstrative argument is expressed.

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