Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés, hosszabbítást kérek.

Whenever the loan expires, I ask for a renewal.

Breakdown of Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés, hosszabbítást kérek.

• kérni: to ask for
• az: the
• hosszabbítás: an extension or renewal
• kölcsönzés: the borrowing or lending of an item

Questions & Answers about Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés, hosszabbítást kérek.

What does valahányszor mean, and is it common?

Valahányszor means whenever or every time that. It introduces a repeated situation:

• Valahányszor lejár a kölcsönzés... = Whenever the loan period expires...

It is correct and natural, though in everyday speech some speakers may more often use alternatives like amikor or minden alkalommal, amikor, depending on style and context. Valahányszor has a slightly more formal or literary feel, but it is still perfectly usable.

Why is the verb lejár used here? What does the prefix le- do?

The verb lejár means to expire, to run out, or to come to an end.

It is built from:

• jár = to go, to function, to run
• lejár = to run down / expire / end

In this sentence, lejár a kölcsönzés means that the borrowing period reaches its end.

This kind of verbal prefix is very common in Hungarian. The prefix often changes the meaning significantly, so jár and lejár should be learned as separate lexical items in practice.

What exactly does kölcsönzés mean here?