Lakik means “reside, have one’s home.” It answers where somebody’s home or regular living place is, not merely where that person happens to be now. Its conjugation is mostly regular, but the dictionary -ik, the location case, its lack of an object, and the boundary with él all create predictable problems for English speakers.
Principal parts
| Function | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dictionary form / present 3sg | lakik | -ik verb |
| past 3sg | lakott | regular past in -t/-ott |
| conditional 3sg | lakna | back-vowel conditional |
| imperative–subjunctive 2sg | lakj | stem + -j |
| infinitive | lakni | stem + -ni |
| present participle | lakó | “residing; resident” |
The -ik in lakik marks third-person singular in the present; it is not part of the stem used before every ending. Compare lak-om, lak-sz, lak-ik, lak-unk. Traditional careful usage favors first-person lakom. Lakok is also widespread in contemporary speech, but lakom remains the safest neutral form in writing and in a reference paradigm.
Complete indefinite conjugation
| Person | Present | Past | Conditional | Imperative–subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | lakom | laktam | laknék | lakjak |
| te | laksz | laktál | laknál | lakj / lakjál |
| ő | lakik | lakott | lakna | lakjon |
| mi | lakunk | laktunk | laknánk | lakjunk |
| ti | laktok | laktatok | laknátok | lakjatok |
| ők | laknak | laktak | laknának | lakjanak |
The central residence frame is intransitive: egy házban lakik “lives in a house.” Hungarian also has a less frequent transitive occupancy frame, especially when asking or stating who occupies a dwelling: Ki lakja ezt a lakást? “Who occupies/lives in this apartment?” That use licenses definite conjugation.
Complete definite conjugation
| Person | Present | Past | Conditional | Imperative–subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | lakom | laktam | laknám | lakjam |
| te | lakod | laktad | laknád | lakd / lakjad |
| ő | lakja | lakta | lakná | lakja |
| mi | lakjuk | laktuk | laknánk | lakjuk |
| ti | lakjátok | laktátok | laknátok | lakjátok |
| ők | lakják | lakták | laknák | lakják |
A sarokház felső szintjét jelenleg két egyetemista lakja.
The upper floor of the corner building is currently occupied by two university students.
Tavaly még mi laktuk a kertre néző lakást.
Last year, we were the ones living in the apartment overlooking the garden.
The definite object makes the occupancy prominent; everyday speakers more often choose the location frame két egyetemista lakik a felső szinten. The related transitive verb belak adds the idea of using or filling a whole space: A család gyorsan belakta a nagy házat “The family quickly made the large house feel lived-in.”
Residence requires a location form
Buildings, rooms, and many countries take the inessive -ban/-ben when construed as containers:
Egy kis lakásban lakom a pályaudvar közelében.
I live in a small apartment near the railway station.
A nővérem még kollégiumban lakik, de ősszel albérletbe költözik.
My older sister still lives in a dormitory, but she’s moving into a rental in the fall.
In this central frame, the place is not an accusative object. English puts a free preposition before it; Hungarian attaches a case ending. City names and many Hungarian place names instead use the superessive -on/-en/-ön:
A szüleim Kecskeméten laknak, én pedig Győrben dolgozom.
My parents live in Kecskemét, while I work in Győr.
Kecskeméten follows the common Hungarian-city pattern, whereas Győrben is a lexical exception that must be learned with the place name. Residence with a person uses -nál/-nél:
Amíg felújítják a házunkat, a nagybátyáméknál lakunk.
While our house is being renovated, we’re staying with my uncle and his family.
The suffix family therefore reflects the kind of ground: inside a dwelling, at a locality, or at someone’s household. See the inessive guide for the core inside relation.
Habitual home versus temporary presence
Lakik normally establishes an address or habitual residence. Van only locates someone now, and megszáll describes staying as a guest or traveler.
Bence most a könyvtárban van, de a folyó túloldalán lakik.
Bence is at the library now, but he lives across the river.
A konferencia alatt egy belvárosi panzióban szállunk meg.
During the conference, we’re staying at a guesthouse downtown.
Using lakunk for a two-night hotel stay is possible only if the speaker playfully treats it as temporary living; megszállunk is the ordinary travel choice.
Time expressions with lakik typically describe duration of residence:
Már nyolc éve ugyanabban az utcában lakunk.
We’ve lived on the same street for eight years.
Hungarian uses the present with már nyolc éve for a state that began in the past and continues now. English requires a perfect construction; copying English tense logic and using laktunk would normally imply that the residence has ended.
Lakik versus él
Lakik locates a home. Él can also mean “live somewhere,” but it presents a broader life situation and can mean “be alive.”
A lakcímem szerint Szolnokon lakom, de hét közben Budapesten élek és dolgozom.
According to my registered address, I reside in Szolnok, but during the week I live and work in Budapest.
This contrast is contextual rather than absolute. In Berlinben él, the city is the setting of somebody’s life; in Berlinben lakik, it is the person’s residence. Él alone also means biological existence: A teknős még él “The tortoise is still alive.” The dedicated él reference follows this page in the guide, so the present contrast is limited to residence.
Limited prefixed use: ellakik
Unlike many motion verbs, lakik does not normally add a prefix just to perfectivize “reside.” The current but more restricted ellakik means roughly “manage/live adequately for a stretch,” often with an evaluation of the place.
Ebben a világos garzonban ketten is kényelmesen ellaknánk egy ideig.
The two of us could live comfortably in this bright studio for a while.
Because el- is a verbal prefix, negation or focus separates it:
Egyedül nem laknék el itt egész télen.
I wouldn’t manage living here alone all winter.
This is a useful recognition pattern, but it is not a replacement for neutral lakik. For “move into,” use beköltözik; for “fill a home through use, scent, or presence,” transitive belak may be appropriate.
Participles and nonfinite forms
The personal infinitive forms are laknom, laknod, laknia, laknunk, laknotok, lakniuk.
Még egy évig kell ebben a lakásban laknunk.
We have to live in this apartment for another year.
| Form | Typical use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| lakni | szeretne vidéken lakni “would like to live in the country” | unmarked |
| lakó | a házban lakó család “the family living in the house” | unmarked |
| lakott | lakott terület “built-up/inhabited area” | unmarked, partly lexicalized |
| lakva | rare adverbial form | (literary) |
| lakandó | rare future-participial form | (archaic) or (literary) |
A fölöttünk lakó család tegnap áthozott egy csomagot.
The family living above us brought a parcel over yesterday.
Common Mistakes
❌ Két éve lakom Budapestben.
Incorrect — Budapest conventionally takes the superessive city ending.
✅ Két éve lakom Budapesten, a tizenegyedik kerületben.
I’ve lived in Budapest, in the eleventh district, for two years.
❌ A barátom lakja egy modern társasházban.
Incorrect — the locative frame has no object to license the definite form.
✅ A barátom egy modern társasházban lakik a Duna-parton.
My friend lives in a modern apartment building on the Danube embankment.
❌ Tavaly óta ugyanitt laktam.
Incorrect — the past suggests a finished residence despite the continuing time span.
✅ Tavaly óta ugyanitt lakom, csak egy másik emeleten.
I’ve lived in the same place since last year, just on a different floor.
❌ Holnap a barátaimban lakom.
Incorrect — staying with people requires the adessive household form.
✅ Holnaptól néhány napig a barátaimnál lakom.
Starting tomorrow, I’m staying with my friends for a few days.
Key Takeaways
- The main forms are lakik – lakott – lakna – lakj – lakni – lakó.
- Traditional neutral first person is lakom; lakok is widespread in speech.
- Lakik valahol is the central intransitive residence frame; less frequent lakja a lakást is a genuine transitive occupancy frame.
- Buildings commonly take -ban/-ben, many Hungarian cities take -on/-en/-ön, and a person’s household takes -nál/-nél.
- Lakik identifies habitual residence; él presents a broader life setting, van current location, and megszáll guest accommodation.
- Restricted ellakik is aspectual/evaluative, and its prefix separates under negation or focus.
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