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Questions & Answers about Látom a számot.
Why is it látom and not látok?
Because Hungarian uses two different verb conjugations depending on the object:
- indefinite conjugation: used when there is no definite object, or the object is indefinite
- definite conjugation: used when the object is definite
In Látom a számot, the object is a számot = the number, which is definite because of a (the).
So the verb must be in the definite form:
- látok = I see / I am seeing something
- látom = I see it / I see the ...
That is why látom is correct here.
What exactly does the ending -om in látom mean?
The ending -om shows:
- 1st person singular = I
- definite conjugation = the verb has a definite object
So látom means roughly I see it or I see the ...
It is built from:
- lát- = the verb stem, see
- -om = I with a definite object
This is one of the most important patterns in Hungarian grammar.
Why is there both a and in ?