-ás

Hungarian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [aːʃ]
Audio: (file)

Suffix

-ás

(noun-forming suffix) Added to a verb to form a noun. It may refer to a thing involved in the action or the action itself.
‎fut (“to run”) + ‎-ás → ‎futás (“running”)

‎ír (“to write”) + ‎-ás → ‎írás (“document; writing”)

‎lakik (“to live”) + ‎-ás → ‎lakás (“dwelling, home, flat”)

Usage notes

(noun-forming suffix) Variants:
-ás is added to back-vowel words

-és is added to front-vowel words
The suffix can be attached to any verb to make a noun that expresses the action or the process described by the verb itself, essentially like a gerund, more specifically an action noun (verbal noun):
‎olvas (“to read”) + ‎-ás → ‎olvasás (“reading”)

‎eszik (“to eat”) + ‎-ás → ‎evés (“eating”)
Another fairly common suffix in the same sense is -t, -tt, invariably followed by a possessive suffix and often by a case suffix as well, e.g. létrejötte, tudtommal, láttán, hallatán, futtában/kutyafuttában, jártában-keltében, ültében, együltében, szálltában, röptében, jártányi [ereje sincs], nyugtával [dicsérd a napot], megszűntével etc., and some of them have become nouns: napkelte, napnyugta.
-tal/-tel/-atal/-etel also occur synonymously: kivitel, behozatal, jövetel, menetel, vétel (especially derivatives of the small irregular group of vesz, visz, tesz, hoz, megy, jön).
Aside from the primary (action noun) meaning above, for some verbs, the derived noun also expresses the result or measurement (extent) of the process or action:
‎ír (“to write”) + ‎-ás → ‎írás (“the act of writing; document”)

‎fizet (“to pay”) + ‎-ás → ‎fizetés (“the act of paying; salary”)
Note: for other verbs the result may be expressed by -mány, -vány, -alom, -at, -ék, -ály, -ám, -am, etc.

Declension

More information singular, plural ...

Inflection (stem in *-o-*, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	-ás	-ások
accusative	-ást	-ásokat
dative	-ásnak	-ásoknak
instrumental	-ással	-ásokkal
causal-final	-ásért	-ásokért
translative	-ássá	-ásokká
terminative	-ásig	-ásokig
essive-formal	-ásként	-ásokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	-ásban	-ásokban
superessive	-áson	-ásokon
adessive	-ásnál	-ásoknál
illative	-ásba	-ásokba
sublative	-ásra	-ásokra
allative	-áshoz	-ásokhoz
elative	-ásból	-ásokból
delative	-ásról	-ásokról
ablative	-ástól	-ásoktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	-ásé	-ásoké
non-attributive possessive – plural	-áséi	-ásokéi

More information possessor, single possession ...

Possessive forms of *-ás*
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	-ásom	-ásaim
2nd person sing.	-ásod	-ásaid
3rd person sing.	-ása	-ásai
1st person plural	-ásunk	-ásaink
2nd person plural	-ásotok	-ásaitok
3rd person plural	-ásuk	-ásaik

Derived terms

Hungarian nouns suffixed with -ás