Linking Vowels and Stem Changes
Hungarian Grammar 1
Chapter 4 · Linking Vowels and Stem Changes
🔗 Linking Vowels and Stem Changes — Kötőhangzók és tőváltozások
Harmony chooses between -ban and -ben. This chapter handles the other thing suffixes do: they sometimes bring a linking vowel with them, and they sometimes change the stem underneath. These two effects explain nearly every 'irregular' plural and accusative in a beginner's book. Most of them are regular once you know the type.
The two endings we use as examples
The plural is -k, and the accusative (the object marker you know from Kérek egy kávét) is -t. After a vowel they attach directly (kávé → kávék, kávét), and after a consonant they usually need a linking vowel first (kert → kertek, kertet). The same linking vowels appear before possessive endings (házam, kertem, könyvem), so the patterns you learn here are reused again and again.
1. Which linking vowel? The four groups
| Stem group | Linking vowel | Plural -k | Accusative -t | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back, 'a' group (a small set) | a | -ak | -at | ház → házak · házat |
| Back, 'o' group (the larger set) | o | -ok | -ot | ablak → ablakok · ablakot |
| Front, unrounded | e | -ek | -et | kert → kertek · kertet |
| Front, rounded | ö (or e) | -ök / -ek | -öt / -et | tükör → tükrök · tükröt |
2. After r, l, ny, s, sz and a few others: no linking vowel in the accusative
After some consonants the accusative -t attaches straight on, with no linking vowel. The plural still has its vowel. Compare:
| Word | Meaning | Plural | Accusative | Linking vowel in accusative? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ember | person | emberek | embert | no |
| asztal | table | asztalok | asztalt | no |
| tanár | teacher | tanárok | tanárt | no |
| lány | girl | lányok | lányt | no |
| város | town | városok | várost | no |
| orvos | doctor | orvosok | orvost | no |
| sör | beer | sörök | sört | no |
| ablak | window | ablakok | ablakot | yes |
| kert | garden | kertek | kertet | yes |
| könyv | book | könyvek | könyvet | yes |
3. Shortening stems
A few very common nouns have a long vowel in the dictionary form that shortens when an ending is added. The change is regular for each word and it affects the plural, accusative, possessive and most of the cases.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | Plural | Accusative | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kéz | hand | kezek | kezet | é → e |
| víz | water | vizek | vizet | í → i |
| tűz | fire | tüzek | tüzet | ű → ü |
| nyár | summer | nyarak | nyarat | á → a |
| kenyér | bread | kenyerek | kenyeret | é → e |
4. The v-stems
A few stems end in a long vowel that grows a v before the ending: they are common words, so worth learning as a small set.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | Plural | Accusative | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ló | horse | lovak | lovat | ó → ov |
| tó | lake | tavak | tavat | ó → av |
| kő | stone | kövek | követ | ő → öv |
| szó | word | szavak | szót | plural has v, accusative singular does not |
5. Vowel-dropping stems
A few two-syllable stems drop the second vowel before an ending that begins with a vowel. You can hear why: the stem is easier to say with one fewer syllable.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | Plural | Accusative | Possessive (my) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tükör | mirror | tükrök | tükröt | tükröm |
| bokor | bush | bokrok | bokrot | bokrom |
| majom | monkey | majmok | majmot | majmom |
| teher | load | terhek | terhet | terhem |
6. Lengthening final vowels
A noun that ends in a short a or e lengthens it to á or é before an ending: the dictionary form is the only one with the short vowel.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | Plural | Accusative | Possessive (my) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alma | apple | almák | almát | almám |
| szoba | room | szobák | szobát | szobám |
| iskola | school | iskolák | iskolát | iskolám |
| kefe | brush | kefék | kefét | kefém |
A word that does several things at once
Real words can combine these effects. Work through them one at a time: tükör (mirror) drops its vowel and takes a linking vowel (tükrök); víz (water) shortens and takes a linking vowel (vizet); alma (apple) lengthens and then adds -k directly (almák).
🗣️ In Use — Használatban
The rule in real sentences. Read each exchange aloud and spot the pattern.
① At home
② Shopping
📋 Quick Reference — Gyorstábla
| Change | Example | Dictionary tip |
|---|---|---|
| Linking vowel a / o (back) | házak · ablakok | learn the plural with the noun |
| Linking vowel e / ö (front) | kertek · sörök | rounded stems vary (könyvek) |
| No linking vowel (r, l, ny, s …) | embert · asztalt · lányt | accusative only |
| Shortening | kéz → kezek | kéz, víz, tűz, nyár |
| v-stems | ló → lovak | ló, tó, kő, szó |
| Vowel dropping | tükör → tükrök | tükör, bokor, majom, teher |
| Lengthening | alma → almák | all nouns ending in short a / e |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Gyakorlás
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Plural of ház
Show answer
házak. 'a' group.
2. Plural of könyv
Show answer
könyvek. Front rounded, but takes -ek.
3. Plural of kéz
Show answer
kezek. The long é shortens.
4. Plural of tükör
Show answer
tükrök. The second vowel drops, and the linking vowel is ö.
5. Plural of alma
Show answer
almák. The final a lengthens to á.
6. Accusative of ablak
Show answer
ablakot. Linking o after k.
7. Accusative of ember
Show answer
embert. No linking vowel after r.
8. Accusative of asztal
Show answer
asztalt. No linking vowel after l.
9. Accusative of lány
Show answer
lányt. No linking vowel after ny.
10. Accusative of víz
Show answer
vizet. The long í shortens, and a linking e is added.