Relative Pronouns aki, ami, amely, and amelyik: Forms and Core Pattern

Hungarian relative pronouns do two jobs at once: they connect a modifying clause to an antecedent, and their form shows the role they play inside that modifying clause. The four central stems are aki for people, ami for nonhuman or clause-like antecedents, formal amely for an explicitly named nonhuman antecedent, and amelyik for one identifiable member of a set.

This page establishes their forms. The usage page develops their meanings in discourse, while the contrast page handles the difficult choice among ami, amely, and amelyik. Unlabeled examples below are neutral modern standard Hungarian; explicitly formal and informal choices are marked.

The four stems

The initial a- belongs to the relative word; it is not the definite article. Compare the interrogatives ki? “who?”, mi? “what?”, and melyik? “which one?” with relatives aki, ami, and amelyik. The relative forms are written as one word.

Case is determined inside the relative clause

English relative “who/that/which” often hides the relation or expresses it with a separate preposition. Hungarian puts the required case ending directly on the relative stem. Most endings attach productively, with ordinary vowel harmony and consonant assimilation.

Several forms deserve attention. Amely takes the object form amelyet, not amelyt. With -val/-vel, the initial v assimilates: aki + vel → akivel, ami + vel → amivel, but amely + vel → amellyel and amelyik + vel → amelyikkel. In the last two forms, the spelled long consonant reflects the actual assimilation point.

Plural human antecedents normally take akik, and careful nonhuman reference takes amelyek: azok az emberek, akik… “the people who…”; azok a feltételek, amelyek… “the conditions which…”. Conversational ami has plural amik, although speakers do not always maintain number agreement. Do not create amelyikek: standard Hungarian uses amelyik to select one member, while plural nonhuman reference uses amelyek in careful prose or amik in conversation. The usage page develops these register choices.

The antecedent’s case does not dictate the relative pronoun’s case. In Beszéltem a lánnyal, akinek írtál, the antecedent a lánnyal is instrumental because you spoke with the girl, while akinek is dative because you wrote to her. Each clause assigns its own grammatical relation.

Main-clause correlates

Hungarian often announces the antecedent with a demonstrative or a correlative expression. A comma normally separates that main-clause correlate from the following relative clause: az, aki “the one who”; az, ami “that which”; olyan, amilyen “the kind that”; annyi, amennyi “as much/many as.”

In az nyert, az is the main-clause subject. Inside the relative clause, aki is also a subject, but of a different verb. Other combinations need not share a case: Annak adom, aki kéri “I’ll give it to whoever asks for it” has main-clause dative annak, but relative nominative aki.

The correlate can be absent when a noun itself is the antecedent: a nő, aki…. It can also be omitted when the intended referent is recoverable, especially in proverbs or compact instructions, but learners should first master the explicit patterns.

Relative subjects versus ordinary personal subjects

Hungarian normally omits an ordinary nominative personal pronoun because the verb ending identifies the subject: Megérkezett means “He/she arrived,” and Dolgozunk means “We are working.” A relative pronoun is different. It is not merely a repeated subject; it marks where the relative clause attaches, so aki/ami/amely/amelyik remains overt when it is the subject of that clause.

Do not add ő beside aki. The finite verb lakik needs no ordinary subject pronoun, while aki already fills the relative subject position. Conversely, do not delete aki as English sometimes deletes object “that”: Hungarian finite relative clauses normally retain their relative word.

Whole-clause antecedents

When the antecedent is an entire preceding fact rather than a noun, use ami and its case forms. The case again comes from the new clause.

In the second sentence, aminek is dative because örül valaminek means “be pleased about something.” The antecedent is the whole fact that the proposal was accepted, not merely a javaslatot. Formal writing may restructure such sentences for precision, but ami/aminek is the standard relative series for a proposition.

Segmentation exercise

Identify the stem and the role within the relative clause.

1. akivel in a fiú, akivel találkoztam: aki + -vel → akivel; “the boy I met with.”
2. amelyet in a levél, amelyet elküldtünk: amely + -et → amelyet; formal nonhuman direct object.
3. amellyel in az eszköz, amellyel mérünk: amely + -vel → amellyel; instrumental assimilation gives lly.
4. amelyikkel in a kulcs, amelyikkel kinyitottam: amelyik + -vel → amelyikkel; the v assimilates to k.
5. amiről in az, amiről beszéltünk: ami + -ről; the topic required by beszél valamiről.
6. akinek in az orvos, akinek a rendelője itt van: aki + -nek; a dative-marked possessor inside the relative clause.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Use aki for people; use ami for general nonhuman, indefinite, and whole-clause antecedents.
• Amely is a careful or formal relative for an explicitly named nonhuman antecedent; amelyik selects or identifies within a set.
• The relative pronoun bears the case required inside its own clause, independently of the antecedent’s case.
• Learn conspicuous forms such as amelyet, amellyel, and amelyikkel rather than mechanically attaching endings.
• Ordinary personal subject pronouns are usually omitted, but a relative subject such as aki is an essential linker and is not replaced by ő.