-tlen

See also: tlen

Hungarian

Etymology

Derived as a shortening of -telen (“-less, without”).^[1] See the Usage notes section below.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tlɛn]
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Suffix

-tlen (comparative -tlenebb, superlative leg- -tlenebb)

1. (adjective-forming suffix) -less, un-, dis- (a privative suffix added to a noun or an adjective to form adjectives with a meaning of lacking something)

   ‎felhő (“cloud”) + ‎-tlen → ‎felhőtlen (“cloudless”)

   ‎hű (“faithful”) + ‎-tlen → ‎hűtlen (“unfaithful”)

Usage notes

• (adjective-forming suffix) Variants:

  -talan is added to back-vowel nouns (occasionally adjectives)

  -telen is added to front-vowel nouns (occasionally adjectives)

  -tlan is added to back-vowel nouns (occasionally adjectives) ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-.

  -tlen is added to front-vowel nouns (occasionally adjectives) ending in a vowel. Final -e changes to -é-.

  -atlan is added to back-vowel verbs and nouns (occasionally adjectives)

  -etlen is added to front-vowel verbs and nouns (occasionally adjectives)

• Using two different suffix variants with the same stem may result in different meanings:

  gond (“care”) → gondtalan (“carefree”)

  gond (“care”) → gondatlan (“careless”)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	-tlen	-tlenek
accusative	-tlent	-tleneket
dative	-tlennek	-tleneknek
instrumental	-tlennel	-tlenekkel
causal-final	-tlenért	-tlenekért
translative	-tlenné	-tlenekké
terminative	-tlenig	-tlenekig
essive-formal	-tlenként	-tlenekként
essive-modal	-tlenül	-tlenekül
inessive	-tlenben	-tlenekben
superessive	-tlenen	-tleneken
adessive	-tlennél	-tleneknél
illative	-tlenbe	-tlenekbe
sublative	-tlenre	-tlenekre
allative	-tlenhez	-tlenekhez
elative	-tlenből	-tlenekből
delative	-tlenről	-tlenekről
ablative	-tlentől	-tlenektől
non-attributive possessive - singular	-tlené	-tleneké
non-attributive possessive - plural	-tlenéi	-tlenekéi

Derived terms

Hungarian adjectives suffixed with -tlen

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

References

1. -tlen in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN.  (See also its 2nd edition.)