The -hat/-het suffix: can and may
Adding -hat (back vowels) or -het (front vowels) to a verb stem means "may" or "can" in the sense of permission or possibility: láthat ("may see"), Bejöhetek? ("May I come in?"). The result is conjugated like a regular verb. Ability to do something is usually expressed with tud instead: Tudok úszni.
On this page
English uses separate words for "can" and "may"; Hungarian often uses a suffix. Add -hat or -het to a verb stem and you get a new verb meaning "may do" or "can do": Leülhetek? ("May I sit down?"). This page covers the forms, the difference from tud, the irregular verbs, and the useful adjectives built from the same suffix.
Forming -hat/-het
Take the verb stem (the dictionary form minus any -ik) and add -hat after back-vowel stems or -het after front-vowel stems, following vowel harmony. There is no rounded variant: főz → főzhet, ül → ülhet.
| Verb | Potential (3sg) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| olvas | olvashat | may read, can read |
| ír | írhat | may write |
| kér | kérhet | may ask for |
| ül | ülhet | may sit |
| dolgozik | dolgozhat | may work |
| segít | segíthet | may help |
The new verb is conjugated as a regular verb that ends in -hat/-het. It has no -ik in the third person, whatever the original verb was: dolgozik → dolgozhat.
Present tense
| Person | lát, indefinite | lát, definite | kér, indefinite | kér, definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | láthatok | láthatom | kérhetek | kérhetem |
| you (sg) | láthatsz | láthatod | kérhetsz | kérheted |
| he / she | láthat | láthatja | kérhet | kérheti |
| we | láthatunk | láthatjuk | kérhetünk | kérhetjük |
| you (pl) | láthattok | láthatjátok | kérhettek | kérhetitek |
| they | láthatnak | láthatják | kérhetnek | kérhetik |
With "I" acting on informal "you", the -lak/-lek ending attaches after the suffix: Láthatlak holnap? ("Can I see you tomorrow?").
Past, conditional and subjunctive
| Form | Back (lát) | Front (kér) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | láthattam, láthattál, láthatott, láthattunk, láthattatok, láthattak | kérhettem, kérhettél, kérhetett, kérhettünk, kérhettetek, kérhettek | was allowed to, could |
| Conditional | láthatnék, láthatnál, láthatna... | kérhetnék, kérhetnél, kérhetne... | could, might |
| Past conditional | láthattam volna | kérhettem volna | could have |
| Subjunctive | láthassak, láthass, láthasson... | kérhessek, kérhess, kérhessen... | (so that I) can |
There is no future form: the present already covers it (Holnap jöhetsz, "You can come tomorrow"). Note that kérhettek is both "you (pl) may ask" and "they were allowed to ask": the present ending -tek and the past -t- + -ek produce the same string after -het. Back-vowel verbs keep them apart (láthattok versus láthattak).
- Gyerekkoromban nem nézhettem tévét este. As a child I wasn't allowed to watch TV in the evening.
- Segíthetnél egy kicsit. You could help a bit.
- Szólhattál volna! You could have told me!
- Korán indulunk, hogy időben odaérhessünk. We're leaving early so that we can get there on time.
What -hat/-het means: permission and possibility
Permission
The most frequent everyday use is asking for and giving permission. In questions it is also the standard polite request.
- Bejöhetek? May I come in?
- Kérhetek egy pohár vizet? Could I have a glass of water?
- Segíthetek? Can I help you?
- Kipróbálhatom? May I try it (out)?
- Mehetsz. You may go.
- Kezdhetjük? Shall we start? / Can we start?
Possibility
It can also say that something is possible or likely, in the present or the past.
- Délután eshet. It may rain in the afternoon.
- Hol vehetek jegyet? Where can I buy a ticket?
- Ezt bárki megcsinálhatja. Anyone can do this.
- Elfelejthette. He may have forgotten.
Lehet: "may be", "must be", "it is possible"
Lehet, the potential of van, deserves special attention. It expresses a guess (Ki lehet az? "Who can that be?"; Tíz óra lehet "It must be about ten"), impersonal permission with an infinitive (Itt lehet dohányozni? "Is smoking allowed here?"), and "maybe" as a sentence adverb: Lehet, hogy késni fogok ("I might be late").
Tip: the idiom -hatnék + possessive ending + van expresses a sudden urge: Nevethetnékem van ("I feel like laughing"), Mehetnékem van ("I'm itching to leave").
-hat/-het or tud? Choosing the right "can"
English "can" covers both ability and permission. Hungarian usually splits them:
| Meaning | Hungarian | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ability, skill, being able to | tud + infinitive | Tudok úszni. I can (know how to) swim. |
| permission | -hat/-het | Úszhatok? May I swim? |
| possibility | -hat/-het | Itt úszhatsz, nem mély. You can swim here, it isn't deep. |
| impersonal permission or possibility | lehet + infinitive | Itt lehet úszni. Swimming is allowed here. |
The contrast is sharpest in the negative:
- Ma nem tudok jönni. I can't come today (I'm unable, I have no time).
- Ma nem jöhetek. I can't come today (I'm not allowed, or it isn't possible for me).
- Nem tudom kinyitni. I can't open it (it's stuck).
- Nem nyithatod ki. You can't (mustn't) open it.
With perception verbs, "can" is often not translated at all: "I can see the sea" is simply Látom a tengert, and "I can't hear you" is Nem hallak. Using láthatom here would suggest permission, not perception.
-hat/-het with irregular verbs
Irregular verbs attach the suffix to a short stem. Most of these come from the families on the irregular verbs page.
| Verb | Potential | Example |
|---|---|---|
| eszik | ehet | Ehetek még egy szeletet? May I have another slice? |
| iszik | ihat | Ihatok egy kis vizet? Can I drink some water? |
| tesz | tehet | Nem tehetek róla. I can't help it. (It's not my fault.) |
| vesz | vehet | Vehetek egyet? May I take one? |
| visz | vihet | Ezt elvihetem? Can I take this (away)? |
| hisz | hihet | Nyugodtan hihetsz neki. You can safely believe him. |
| van / lesz | lehet | Hétkor ott lehetek. I can be there at seven. |
| megy | mehet | Mehetünk? Shall we go? / Can we go? |
| jön | jöhet | Jöhet a következő! Next, please! |
| alszik | alhat (also aludhat) | Itt alhatsz a kanapén. You can sleep here on the sofa. |
| fekszik | feküdhet | Lefeküdhetek egy kicsit? May I lie down for a bit? |
Notice that iszik is a back-vowel verb, so it takes -hat (ihat, ihatok), while eszik, tesz, vesz, visz, hisz take -het.
Word order and negation
A potential verb behaves like any other verb with respect to verbal prefixes: the prefix stays attached in statements and yes/no questions, and moves after the verb after nem, a question word or a focused word.
- Bejöhetek? May I come in?
- Nem jöhetsz be. You can't come in.
- Mikor jöhetek be? When can I come in?
- Csak holnap nézheted meg. You can only see it tomorrow.
"Nem + -hat/-het" is a prohibition or an impossibility, and it is stronger than it looks. Ezt nem teheted! means "You can't do this!" in the indignant sense. Compare the three kinds of negative obligation:
| Hungarian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nem kell elmenned. | You don't have to leave. |
| Nem mehetsz el. | You can't leave (not allowed or not possible). |
| Nem szabad elmenned. | You mustn't leave. |
For more on the three negators, see nem, ne and sem.
Adjectives: -ható/-hető and -hatatlan/-hetetlen
The suffix also builds a rich family of adjectives, roughly like English "-able" and "un-...-able".
| Verb | -ható / -hető ("-able") | -hatatlan / -hetetlen ("un-...-able") |
|---|---|---|
| eszik | ehető edible | ehetetlen inedible |
| iszik | iható drinkable | ihatatlan undrinkable |
| lát | látható visible | láthatatlan invisible |
| olvas | olvasható legible, readable | olvashatatlan illegible |
| hisz | hihető believable | hihetetlen unbelievable |
| megbízik | megbízható reliable | megbízhatatlan unreliable |
| felejt | (rare) | felejthetetlen unforgettable |
| elkerül | elkerülhető avoidable | elkerülhetetlen inevitable |
| van | lehető (in a lehető legjobb, "the best possible") | lehetetlen impossible |
Two everyday words from this family: kapható ("available, on sale": Kenyér már nem kapható, "There's no more bread") and elérhető ("available, reachable": Telefonon elérhető vagyok, "I'm reachable by phone"). The noun lehetőség means "possibility, opportunity".
Minimal pair: olvasatlan means "unread" (nobody has read it yet), while olvashatatlan means "unreadable, illegible". The first is a negative participle (see participles), the second is built on -hat.
Common learner errors
- Using -hat for skills: Beszélhetek magyarul means "I'm allowed to speak Hungarian". For "I can speak Hungarian" say Tudok magyarul or Beszélek magyarul.
- Keeping -ik: *dolgozikhat → dolgozhat.
- Building the stem from the present of irregulars: *eszhet, *iszhat, *vanhat → ehet, ihat, lehet.
- Wrong harmony: *főzhöt → főzhet; there is no rounded form.
- Confusing nem kell and nem -hat: Nem kell fizetned is "You don't have to pay"; Nem fizethetsz is "You can't pay".
Sources and further reading
- Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on the potential suffix
- Miklós Törkenczy, Hungarian Verbs and Essentials of Grammar (2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2008)
- István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998), on derivational morphology
Key takeaways
- -hat/-het + regular endings = "may/can": láthatok, kérhetek.
- It expresses permission (Bejöhetek?) and possibility (Eshet); ability is usually tud.
- Irregulars use short stems: ehet, ihat, tehet, vehet, vihet, hihet, lehet, mehet, jöhet.
- Past láthattam, conditional láthatnék, "could have" láthattam volna.
- Nem ...hat means "can't / not allowed"; nem kell means "don't have to".
- -ható/-hető = "-able", -hatatlan/-hetetlen = "un-...-able".
Frequently asked questions
What does -hat/-het mean in Hungarian?
It is a suffix meaning "may" or "can" in the sense of permission or possibility. Olvas is "reads", olvashat is "may read, is allowed to read".
How do you say "May I come in?" in Hungarian?
Bejöhetek? The prefix be- means "in", jön is "come" and -het adds "may". The same form works in formal and informal situations, because the verb describes what you yourself would do.
What is the difference between "tudok" and "-hatok"?
Tud + infinitive is about ability: Tudok vezetni, "I can drive". -hat/-het is about permission or possibility: Vezethetek?, "May I drive?"
Is it "ehetek" or "ehetem"?
Both exist, but they differ in definiteness. Ehetek is indefinite (Ehetek egy almát?), and ehetem is definite (Megehetem az almát?, "May I eat the apple?").
What does "lehet" mean?
Lehet is the potential form of van. It means "it is possible, one may" (Itt lehet parkolni), "may be" (Otthon lehet, "He may be at home"), and on its own or in Lehet, hogy... it means "maybe".
What does -hatatlan mean?
It forms adjectives meaning "impossible to do", like English "un-...-able": hihetetlen "unbelievable", elkerülhetetlen "inevitable", lehetetlen "impossible".