The inner cases: -ban, -ba, -ból

The inner cases are the first row of the Hungarian local case grid: -ban/-ben (in), -ba/-be (into) and -ból/-ből (out of). They are among the most frequent suffixes in the language, and their abstract uses (time, materials, causes, beliefs) are as important as their spatial ones.

Forms and vowel harmony

All three suffixes have two forms, chosen by vowel harmony. They start with a consonant, so they never need a linking vowel and never trigger stem changes. The only adjustment is the usual lengthening of a final a or e.

Three details from this table: a noun ending in b simply doubles in writing (zseb + ben → zsebben); front rounded vowels still take the two-way -ben/-ből (there is no *-bön); and stem-changing nouns keep their dictionary form (tóban, not *tavban; vízben, not *vizben).

With pronouns, use the special forms bennem, belém, belőlem and so on (full table on the local cases page). Demonstratives agree with the noun: ebben a szobában, abba a boltba, ebből a pohárból.

In, into, out of: physical space

Use the inner row for anything with an interior you can be contained in: rooms, buildings, containers, vehicles you sit inside, liquids, forests, towns abroad and countries.

• A kulcs a táskámban van. The key is in my bag.
• Beteszem a tejet a hűtőbe. I'm putting the milk in the fridge.
• Kiveszem a pénzt a zsebemből. I take the money out of my pocket.
• Az erdőben sétáltunk. We walked in the forest.
• Beült az autóba. She got into the car.
• Bécsben lakik, de Londonból jött. He lives in Vienna, but he came from London.

The prefixes be- (in) and ki- (out) often double the information carried by the case, just as English says "go in into" in spirit: bemegy a házba, kijön a házból. See verbal prefixes.

Cars versus buses

Vehicles you sit inside like a room take the inner row, while public transport takes the surface row: az autóban, a taxiban, a liftben but a buszon, a villamoson, a vonaton, a repülőn, a hajón. Getting on the bus is felszáll a buszra; getting into a car is beszáll az autóba.

Institutions and places

Most buildings and institutions take -ban: az iskolában, a kórházban, a könyvtárban, a moziban, az étteremben, a bankban, az irodában. Notable exceptions with -on: az egyetemen, a postán, a piacon, az állomáson, a munkahelyen, and events such as a koncerten, a meccsen, az órán (in class). For towns and countries see -ban or -on with place names.

Hol? A házba: the -ba for -ban confusion

In casual speech many Hungarians use -ba/-be where the standard language requires -ban/-ben: Hol vagy? *A boltba. This merger of "where" and "where to" is very widespread in informal speech, but it is regarded as nonstandard, it is corrected in schools and it looks wrong in writing. Learners should keep the two apart.

The reverse direction matters too: keres (look for) and felejt (forget, leave behind) take "where": A buszon felejtettem a táskámat ("I left my bag on the bus"). Hungarian uses location here because the bag stays where it was.

Time expressions with -ban/-ben

Months, years, centuries and some parts of the day use the inessive. Days and seasons mostly use other cases, which is a common source of mistakes:

Year numbers take the suffix with a hyphen in writing, and the harmony follows the pronounced last word: 2024-ben (kétezer-huszonnégyben), 2020-ban (kétezer-húszban), 1956-ban (...ötvenhatban). More on this in dates, days and months.

• Az utolsó pillanatban érkezett. He arrived at the last moment.
• Időben ott leszek. I'll be there on time.

Languages: magyarul, a magyarban, angolból

"In Hungarian" meaning "using the Hungarian language" is not *magyarban but magyarul, with the suffix -ul/-ül (see minor cases). The inner cases appear with languages in other senses:

• Magyarul beszélek. I speak Hungarian. / I'm speaking in Hungarian.
• A magyarban nincs nyelvtani nem. In Hungarian (the language system), there is no grammatical gender.
• Angolból fordít magyarra. She translates from English into Hungarian.
• Holnap vizsgázom németből. Tomorrow I have my German exam.

So: -ul for using a language, -ban for talking about a language as a system, -ból (source) and -ra (target) for translating, and -ból for school subjects and exams (ötöst kapott matekból, "she got top marks in maths").

Abstract uses

-ban/-ben: states, fields, beliefs

• Hiszek benned. I believe in you.
• Részt veszek a versenyben. I'm taking part in the competition.
• Biztos vagy benne? Are you sure (about it)?
• Nagy bajban vagyunk. We're in big trouble.
• Benne vagyok! Count me in! / I'm up for it!

Other verbs with -ban/-ben: bízik valakiben (trust), kételkedik valamiben (doubt), megegyezik valamiben (agree on), segít valakinek valamiben (help someone with), téved valamiben (be wrong about).

-ba/-be: entering a state, relationship or cost

• Beleszeretett egy franciába. She fell in love with a Frenchman.
• Mennyibe kerül ez a kabát? How much does this coat cost?
• Belefáradtam a várakozásba. I got tired of waiting.
• Iskolába jár. He goes to school (is a pupil).

-ból/-ből: material, source, cause, part

• Ez az asztal fából készült. This table is made of wood.
• Kíváncsiságból kérdezem. I'm asking out of curiosity.
• Tévedésből vitte el. He took it by mistake.
• Kérek még a levesből. I'd like some more of the soup.
• A csapat öt emberből áll. The team consists of five people.
• Elegem van ebből! I'm fed up with this!

The partitive use (Kérek a levesből) is worth noticing: Kérek levest means "I'd like soup", while Kérek a levesből means "I'd like some of that soup".

Typical learner errors

1. *Budapestben instead of Budapesten. Most Hungarian towns take -on.
2. *a buszban for "on the bus". Say a buszon for travelling by bus. A buszban is used only when you focus on the interior as a space: Meleg van a buszban ("It's hot inside the bus").
3. *hétfőben or *nyárban. Days and summer take -on: hétfőn, nyáron.
4. *magyarban beszél. Use magyarul beszél.
5. Mixing up "in" and "into" after verbs of placing: Beteszem a könyvet a táskába (into), even though English says "put it in the bag".

Practise the contrasts with the case quiz, and see the surface row in -on, -ra, -ról.

Sources and further reading

• Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on the inessive, illative and elative
• István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998)
• Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont (HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics), language advice service (e-nyelv.hu / nyelvtudomanyi.hu), on the -ba/-ban usage question

Frequently asked questions