Breakdown of Mielőtt elmegyek otthonról, felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet.
Questions & Answers about Mielőtt elmegyek otthonról, felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet.
Mielőtt is a subordinating conjunction meaning before (something happens). It introduces a subordinate clause, just like before in English.
Word order in the mielőtt‑clause is not like German; the verb does not go to the end. It stays in normal Hungarian order:
- Mielőtt elmegyek otthonról, …
Before I leave home, …
You can also put the mielőtt‑clause after the main clause:
- Felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet, mielőtt elmegyek otthonról.
I put on my coat and shoes before I leave home.
So:
- Conjunction: mielőtt
- Clause order: flexible (before or after main clause)
- Verb position: normal (no verb‑at‑the‑end rule)
Hungarian typically uses the present tense in time clauses introduced by mielőtt, even when English might use a future form:
- Mielőtt elmegyek otthonról, felveszem a kabátomat.
Literally: Before I go away from home, I put on my coat.
Natural English: Before I leave home, I put on my coat.
If you are talking about the past, then Hungarian also shifts to past:
- Mielőtt elmentem otthonról, felvettem a kabátomat.
Before I left home, I put on my coat.
But for future meaning, Hungarian still prefers present tense in these clauses:
- Holnap, mielőtt elmegyek otthonról, felhívom anyut.
Tomorrow, before I leave home, I’ll call my mom.
So: present tense in the mielőtt‑clause can refer to future time from the context.
The base verb menni = to go.
The form megyek = I go / I am going.
The prefix el- often means away, off, out (from somewhere).
Elmegyek therefore means I go away / I leave.
Compare:
- Megyek haza. – I am going home. (direction: towards home)
- Elmegyek otthonról. – I am leaving home. (direction: away from home)
In this sentence, the idea is that you are leaving home, not just moving somewhere in general, so elmegyek otthonról is the idiomatic choice.
Grammatically, elmegyek is:
- el- (preverb)
- megy- (verb stem)
- -ek (1st person singular, indefinite conjugation)
Hungarian verbs have two main conjugations:
- Indefinite: used when there is no specific, definite direct object, or there is no direct object at all.
- Definite: used when there is a specific direct object (often with a / az, a pronoun like őt, ezt, etc.).
In the sentence:
elmegyek otthonról
There is no direct object; from home (otthonról) is just an adverbial phrase (a place expression). So the verb is indefinite: megyek → elmegyek.felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet
Here, the verb felveszem has clear, specific objects: a kabátomat and a cipőmet (my coat and my shoes).
Therefore the verb must be in definite conjugation:- indefinite would be felveszek (I put on something),
- definite is felveszem (I put it / them on).
So:
- No definite object → elmegyek
- Definite objects (with a / az and possessive) → felveszem
The base verb venni = to take.
With the prefix fel- (roughly up), felvenni can mean:
- to pick something up (from a lower position)
- to put on (clothes, shoes)
In this sentence it clearly has meaning 2:
- Felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet.
I put on my coat and my shoes.
So felveszem is:
- fel- (up)
- vesz- (take)
- -em (1st person singular, definite conjugation)
You would usually use felvenni with clothes, shoes, gloves, hats, etc., when you mean to put them on.
Both kabátomat and cipőmet are:
noun + possessive suffix (my X) + accusative ending (as an object).
- kabátomat
- kabát – coat
- kabátom – my coat
- -om is the 1st person singular possessive suffix (back‑vowel type)
- kabátomat – my coat as a direct object
- add -t (accusative), which appears as -at here due to vowel harmony
So a kabátomat = my coat (object: I put on my coat).
- cipőmet
- cipő – shoe (Hungarian often uses the singular for a pair)
- cipőm – my shoe(s)
- here the 1st person possessive is just -m with no extra vowel, because cipő already has a vowel at the end
- cipőmet – my shoe(s) as a direct object
- add -t (accusative), which appears as -et in this front‑vowel environment
So structurally:
- kabát-om-at → kabátomat
- cipő-m-et → cipőmet
Also note the singular: in Hungarian you normally say a cipőmet (my shoe) when English says my shoes.
Otthon means at home / home as a place.
The suffix -ról / -ről is the delative case. It often means:
- from the surface of something
- off of something
- and in many place expressions, simply from (a place)
So otthonról = from home.
Other possible forms:
- otthonból – from inside home/house (with -ból / -ből, the elative case)
- otthontól – from home as a point (with -tól / -től, the ablative case)
However, with otthon, the idiomatic, everyday form for from home is otthonról:
- Elmegyek otthonról. – I’m leaving home.
You could say elmegyek otthonról or elindulok otthonról; otthonból would sound more like from inside the house (as a building) and is less idiomatic in this everyday expression.
In Hungarian, a comma is normally required between a main clause and a subordinate clause introduced by conjunctions such as mielőtt, mert, hogy, etc.
So:
- Mielőtt elmegyek otthonról, felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet.
- Felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet, mielőtt elmegyek otthonról.
Both must have a comma between the two clauses.
This is different from English, where the comma after before I leave home is optional in some styles; in Hungarian it is standard to keep it.
Yes, Hungarian can move the verbal prefix (preverb) after the verb, but this is not neutral. It usually indicates:
- negation,
- focus on some other element,
- certain tenses/aspects (e.g. future with fog),
- imperatives, questions, etc.
Neutral, unmarked word order (as in your sentence):
- Elmegyek otthonról. – I’m leaving home.
- Felveszem a kabátomat. – I put on my coat.
When the preverb moves after the verb, it often adds emphasis/focus or appears in specific constructions:
- Otthonról megyek el. – Emphasis on otthonról (It’s from home that I leave).
- Fel fogom venni a kabátomat. – Future with fog, so fel goes after fogom venni.
In your sentence, since there is no focus or special construction, the normal, neutral forms elmegyek and felveszem are used, with the prefix before the verb.
Both are grammatically possible, but repeating a is more typical and often sounds clearer and more natural:
- Felveszem a kabátomat és a cipőmet. – very natural
- Felveszem a kabátomat és cipőmet. – possible, but a bit more compact; in speech you’re more likely to repeat a.
General tendencies:
- When the two nouns are closely linked or form a fixed pair, you sometimes see one article:
- a férj és feleség – the husband and (the) wife
- When both are independent items, repeating the article is very common:
- a kabátomat és a cipőmet – two separate things you put on.
So for learners, it’s safe and natural to repeat the article here.
No, not in this context. Here kabátomat and cipőmet are direct objects of felveszem, so they must be in the accusative case (marked with -t).
Compare:
- A kabátom kényelmes. – My coat is comfortable.
- kabátom is the subject, so no accusative -t.
- Felveszem a kabátomat. – I put on my coat.
- kabátomat is a direct object, so it takes -t.
Same with cipőm vs cipőmet:
- A cipőm új. – My shoes are new. (subject)
- Felveszem a cipőmet. – I put on my shoes. (object)
So in your sentence, a kabátomat és a cipőmet is the correct form, with both nouns in the accusative.