Múlik means “pass, go by, subside,” and in the frame valamin múlik it means that an outcome hinges on a factor. The depend-frame uses superessive -on/-en/-ön/-n or personal rajtam/rajtad/rajta…, not an accusative object. Prefix el- commonly marks a condition’s disappearance or a completed stretch of time, while ki- creates more specialized meanings of dying or ceasing to function.
Principal parts and the pseudo-ik pattern
Long ú is present in every form: múlik, múlt, múlna, múlj. Like válik, this is a pseudo--ik verb: first-person present is múlok, not múlom. The short past múlt works in all central meanings. Alternative múlott is particularly common in the depend-expression nem rajtam múlott “it was not up to me.”
| Function | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dictionary / present 3sg | múlik | pseudo--ik |
| past 3sg | múlt / múlott | múlott especially with “depend” |
| conditional 3sg | múlna | back-vowel ending |
| imperative–subjunctive 2sg | múlj | stem + -j |
| infinitive | múlni | stem + -ni |
| present participle | múló | “passing; transient” |
Complete indefinite conjugation
| Person | Present | Past | Conditional | Imperative–subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| én | múlok | múltam | múlnék | múljak |
| te | múlsz | múltál | múlnál | múlj / múljál |
| ő | múlik | múlt / múlott | múlna | múljon |
| mi | múlunk | múltunk | múlnánk | múljunk |
| ti | múltok | múltatok | múlnátok | múljatok |
| ők | múlnak | múltak | múlnának | múljanak |
The core senses are intransitive, so no definite-object paradigm is used. First- and second-person forms are uncommon with literal passing time but ordinary in age statements such as elmúltam harminc “I am over thirty.”
Már elmúltam harmincöt éves, de még mindig diákigazolványt kérnek tőlem.
I’m already over thirty-five, but people still ask me for a student ID.
Ahogy múlnak az évek, egyre fontosabbak lesznek a régi barátságok.
As the years pass, old friendships become increasingly important.
Time passing and time offsets
With a time period as subject, múlik means “pass” or “go by.” The verb agrees with an unquantified plural subject, but Hungarian counted nouns remain singular.
Lassan múlik az idő, amikor az ember egyedül vár a folyosón.
Time passes slowly when you wait alone in the corridor.
Három hét gyorsan elmúlt, és máris indulnunk kellett haza.
Three weeks passed quickly, and we already had to leave for home.
The adverbial participle múlva creates a future offset: tíz perc múlva means “in ten minutes,” measured forward from the reference time. The duration has no accusative ending.
Tíz perc múlva kezdődik a tájékoztató a nagyteremben.
The information session starts in ten minutes in the main hall.
A szerelő azt ígérte, hogy két nap múlva visszajön.
The repair technician promised to return in two days.
English in two days and two days ago are mirror images, but Hungarian uses different constructions: két nap múlva looks forward, while két nappal ezelőtt looks backward. Két napot múlva is not possible.
Past múlt also participates in clock expressions and elapsed-since clauses:
Öt perccel múlt három, amikor végre megérkezett a busz.
It was five past three when the bus finally arrived.
Egy hónapja múlt, hogy utoljára személyesen találkoztunk.
It has been a month since we last met in person.
These are established temporal frames. Do not analyze múlt as an English preposition placed before the clock time; it remains a verb.
A condition fades: múlik and elmúlik
Bare múlik can present a gradual weakening. Elmúlik commonly presents the endpoint: pain, fear, bad weather, or another temporary condition goes away.
Már múlik a fejfájásom, de ma még inkább itthon maradok.
My headache is already subsiding, but I’ll still stay home today.
A vihar reggelre elmúlt, és újra elindultak a kompok.
The storm had passed by morning, and the ferries started running again.
Ez a kellemetlen érzés általában néhány perc alatt elmúlik.
This unpleasant feeling usually goes away within a few minutes.
The subject is the fading condition. Hungarian does not make the sufferer an object of múlik: múlik a fájdalmam is literally closer to “my pain is subsiding.”
Negation and focus separate el-:
A duzzanat két nap után sem múlt el.
The swelling did not go down even after two days.
Mikor múlt el teljesen a zsibbadás?
When did the numbness disappear completely?
Neutral affirmative order is elmúlt a zsibbadás. The same prefix-order principles apply here as with transitive verbs, even though there is no object.
Dependence and responsibility: valamin múlik
In valami valamin múlik, the outcome is the subject and the controlling factor takes superessive. Personal forms are rajtam, rajtad, rajta, rajtunk, rajtatok, rajtuk.
A kirándulás az időjáráson múlik.
The outing depends on the weather.
Rajtad múlik, hogy időben elkészül-e a pályázat.
It is up to you whether the application is completed on time.
A siker nem egyetlen döntésen, hanem sok apró lépésen múlik.
Success does not depend on a single decision but on many small steps.
Interrogative min is the superessive form of mi:
Min múlott, hogy végül elmaradt az előadás?
What caused the performance to be canceled in the end?
The older central logic is often causal or responsibility-focused: some factor made an outcome succeed or fail. Contemporary Hungarian also widely uses múlik for neutral “depend on.” In especially careful formal prose, függ valamitől may be preferred for purely neutral dependency, while azon múlik, hogy… remains natural when an outcome hinges on a condition.
Nem rajtam múlt/múlott means “it was not up to me” or “it was not my fault.” The longer past is particularly established here.
Nem rajtunk múlott a késés; a beszállító küldte el későn az alkatrészt.
The delay was not our fault; the supplier sent the part late.
Kimúlik and register
Kimúlik traditionally means die, especially of an animal, and can sound blunt if applied to a person. It also describes a machine finally giving up the ghost (informal) or something ceasing to exist. Use meghal for a human death in neutral language.
A nagyon öreg mosógép tegnap végleg kimúlt.
The very old washing machine finally gave up the ghost yesterday. (informal)
A sérült őz még az állatorvos érkezése előtt kimúlt.
The injured deer died before the veterinarian arrived.
With people, kimúlt is normally deliberately harsh, contemptuous, archaizing, or darkly humorous—not a respectful synonym for meghalt. That register restriction is part of the lexical entry and cannot be predicted from spatial ki.
Infinitive and participles
The personal infinitive forms are múlnom, múlnod, múlnia, múlnunk, múlnotok, múlniuk.
A gyulladásnak néhány napon belül teljesen el kell múlnia.
The inflammation should disappear completely within a few days.
| Form | Typical use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| múlni | lassan múlni “subside slowly” | unmarked |
| múló | múló rosszullét “temporary spell of sickness” | unmarked |
| múlt | múlt idő “past time/tense” | unmarked, often lexicalized |
| múlva | egy óra múlva “in one hour” | unmarked |
| múlandó | múlandó dicsőség “transient glory” | (literary), lexicalized |
Common Mistakes
❌ Minden tőled múlik ezen a héten.
Incorrect for the múlik frame — the controlling person takes rajtad, not tőled.
✅ Ezen a héten minden rajtad múlik.
Everything is up to you this week.
❌ Mit múlik a végső eredmény?
Incorrect — ask for the superessive factor with min.
✅ Min múlik a végső eredmény a gyakorlatban?
What does the final result depend on in practice?
❌ Két napot múlva kapjuk meg a választ.
Incorrect — the duration before múlva has no accusative -t.
✅ Két nap múlva kapjuk meg a labor válaszát.
We will receive the laboratory’s answer in two days.
❌ A fájdalom még nem elmúlt.
Incorrect in neutral negation — el- follows the finite verb.
✅ A vállfájdalom még nem múlt el teljesen.
The shoulder pain has not completely gone away yet.
Key Takeaways
- The principal forms are múlik – múlt/múlott – múlna – múlj – múlni – múló; keep long ú.
- The central senses are intransitive, so no definite-object paradigm is used.
- Time passes with múlik; két nap múlva means “in two days,” without accusative -t.
- A fading condition is the subject: múlik a fájdalom; completed disappearance is often elmúlik.
- Dependence uses superessive valamin/min or personal rajtam/rajtad/rajta.
- Kimúlik is acceptable for animals and machines but is blunt or marked for people.
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