The dative case: -nak/-nek

The Hungarian dative suffix -nak/-nek covers most English uses of "to" and "for" with people: Írok Annának ("I'm writing to Anna"). It is also the key to saying "I have" and "I like", and it appears in possessive phrases. This page covers every major use, the verbs that require it, and the pronoun forms.

Forming the dative

The dative has two forms, chosen by vowel harmony: -nak after back-vowel words and -nek after front-vowel words. It never needs a linking vowel and never changes the stem, apart from the usual lengthening of final a/e.

Because the suffix starts with a consonant, stem-changing nouns keep their basic form: lónak (not *lovnak), kéznek (not *keznek). Plural and possessed nouns add the dative at the end: a gyerekeknek (to the children), a barátomnak (to my friend), a szüleimnek (to my parents).

Pronoun forms: nekem, neked, neki

Personal pronouns do not take -nak/-nek. Instead, a stem nek- takes possessive-style endings:

Demonstratives and question words are regular: ennek, annak, kinek?, minek?. Note minek? in speech often means "what for?": Minek az neked? ("What do you need that for?"). For "whose", Hungarian also uses kinek a ...?: Kinek a kabátja ez? ("Whose coat is this?"). Pronoun omission rules are on personal pronouns: nekem is often dropped when the verb or a possessive suffix already shows the person.

The recipient: giving, saying, showing

The core use is the indirect object: the person who receives something or is addressed.

• Adok Péternek egy könyvet. I'm giving Péter a book.
• Megmutatom neked a lakást. I'll show you the flat.
• Elmondtam anyámnak az igazat. I told my mother the truth.
• Virágot vettem a feleségemnek. I bought flowers for my wife.
• Köszönj a néninek! Say hello to the lady!

The last two examples show that the dative covers the beneficiary ("for my wife") as well as the recipient. Where English "for" means "in exchange for" or "to fetch", Hungarian uses -ért instead (see minor cases).

"Have": Nekem van, Péternek van

Hungarian has no everyday verb meaning "have". It says "to me there is my dog": dative possessor + van + possessed noun with a possessive suffix.

• (Nekem) van egy kutyám. I have a dog.
• Péternek van egy kutyája. Péter has a dog.
• Annának két testvére van. Anna has two siblings.
• Nincs időm. I don't have time.
• A szomszédoknak nem volt autójuk. The neighbours didn't have a car.

With pronouns, nekem, neked and so on are optional because the possessive suffix already shows the owner; you add them for contrast (Nekem van kutyám, neked nincs. "I have a dog, you don't."). With nouns, the dative is required: Péternek tells you who the owner is. Negation uses nincs in the present (see van and nincs). More on these structures in possession with -nak and -é.

The experiencer: who feels, likes or needs

Many Hungarian predicates express feelings and states "happening to" someone. The person affected goes in the dative, while the thing that causes the feeling is the grammatical subject.

• Nekem tetszik ez a film. I like this film. (literally "this film pleases me")
• Hiányzol nekem. I miss you. (literally "you are missing to me")
• Sikerült neki. He managed it.
• Nehéz neki. It's hard for her.
• Nekem mindegy. It's all the same to me.
• Péternek dolgoznia kell. Péter has to work.
• Fáj a fejem. I have a headache. (a dative nekem can be added for emphasis)

Watch the verb agreement in Hiányzol nekem: the verb agrees with you, the one who is missing, which is the reverse of English. Likewise Tetszel nekem means "I like you". With kell and an infinitive, the person who must act is in the dative and the infinitive takes a personal ending: Nekem mennem kell ("I have to go"); see the infinitive.

Verbs and adjectives that require -nak/-nek

Some verbs take a dative where English uses a direct object or another preposition. These are the ones learners stumble over most:

Compare hisz valakinek (believe what someone says) with hisz valamiben (believe in something): Hiszek Istenben. "I believe in God." Also note segít valakinek valamiben: Segítesz nekem a házi feladatban? ("Will you help me with the homework?").

Role and classification

The dative also marks what something is considered, named or seems to be:

• Péternek hívnak. My name is Péter. (literally "they call me as Péter")
• Fáradtnak tűnsz. You look tired.
• Okos embernek tartom. I consider him a clever man.
• Orvosnak tanul. She is studying to be a doctor.

-nak/-nek in "X of Y" phrases

The possessor in "Péter's house" is normally bare: Péter háza. But it can, and sometimes must, carry -nak/-nek, with the possessed noun then taking the article: Péternek a háza.

• Ennek a háznak a teteje piros. The roof of this house is red. (demonstrative possessor)
• Kinek a kulcsa ez? Whose key is this? (question word possessor)
• Péter barátjának az autója Péter's friend's car (chain of possessors)
• Péternek elromlott az autója. Péter's car broke down. (possessor separated from possessed)

The full rules for when the -nak form is required are in possession with -nak and -é.

Typical learner errors

Most errors come from mapping English "to" and "for" onto -nak/-nek too eagerly. A quick contrast set:

• Írok Annának. I'm writing to Anna. (recipient: dative)
• Megyek Annához. I'm going to Anna's. (destination person: -hoz)
• Veszek Annának egy ajándékot. I'm buying a present for Anna. (beneficiary: dative)
• Megyek Annáért. I'm going to pick Anna up. (fetching: -ért)

• *Segítek téged. Wrong: segít takes the dative. Say Segítek neked.
• *Hívok Annát. Hív ("call") takes an object: Felhívom Annát. But telefonál takes the dative: Telefonálok Annának.
• *Én tetszem a film. The film is the subject: Tetszik (nekem) a film.
• *Nekem van egy kutya. The possessive suffix is not optional: Nekem van egy kutyám. Similarly *Én van egy kutyám is wrong, because the owner must be in the dative (or left out).
• Using -nak for "to" a place. -nak is for people and things as recipients; destinations use local cases: Budapestre megyek.

Sources and further reading

• Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on the dative and possession
• Katalin É. Kiss, The Syntax of Hungarian (Cambridge University Press, 2002), on dative possessors
• István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998)

Frequently asked questions