The -lak/-lek ending (szeretlek, látlak)

If you know one Hungarian sentence, it is probably Szeretlek, "I love you". Its ending, -lek, is not an ordinary definite or indefinite ending: it is a portmanteau suffix that says "I" and "you" in one go. This page shows exactly when to use it, how to build it in every tense, and the traps around formal address and verbs that do not take a direct object.

When to use -lak/-lek

Use -lak/-lek when both conditions hold:

1. the subject is first person singular ("I"), and
2. the direct object is informal second person: téged ("you", singular) or titeket / benneteket ("you", plural).

• Szeretlek. I love you.
• Látlak. I can see you.
• Várlak titeket a bejáratnál. I'll wait for you (all) at the entrance.
• Nem zavarlak? Am I not disturbing you?

The pronoun is usually left out, since the ending already says "you". Add téged for emphasis (Téged szeretlek, "It's you I love") or titeket to make clear that you mean several people.

Where it fits in the whole system

The grid below shows what happens when you combine each subject with each object. Only one cell uses -lak/-lek; every other first- or second-person object takes the indefinite conjugation (see definite and indefinite conjugation).

Forming the present tense

Add -lak to back-vowel stems and -lek to front-vowel stems, following vowel harmony. There is no rounded -lök form: stems with ö, ő, ü, ű take -lek.

Linking vowel: -alak / -elek

Stems ending in -ít and most stems ending in two consonants insert a linking vowel, the same verbs that say -asz/-esz in the "you" form:

• Megtanítalak úszni. I'll teach you to swim. (tanít → tanítasz → tanítalak)
• Nem értelek. I don't understand you. (ért → értesz → értelek)
• Erősen tartalak. I'm holding you tight. (tart → tartasz → tartalak)

Stems ending in -l

When the stem ends in l, the two l's simply join as ll, and a stem ending in ll does not triple it:

• Megölellek. I'll hug you. (ölel)
• Utállak! I hate you! (utál)
• Nem hallak. I can't hear you. (hall)

-lak/-lek in every tense and mood

The ending sits on top of whatever tense or mood marker the verb already has. Once you see the pattern it is fully regular.

The subjunctive follows the usual -j- assimilations of the imperative: szeret + j → szeress-, lát + j → láss-, tanít + j → taníts-. The past tense uses the normal past stem of the verb (hallottalak, tanítottalak, ütöttelek, vittelek), with -alak/-elek after the t. See the past tense and the conditional for the underlying stems.

• Egész nap kerestelek! I was looking for you all day!
• Szívesen elvinnélek, de nincs autóm. I'd gladly give you a lift, but I don't have a car.
• Hol várjalak? Where shall I wait for you?
• Hazakísérjelek? Shall I walk you home?
• Meghívhatlak egy kávéra? Can I buy you a coffee?
• Ha tudtam volna, felhívtalak volna. If I had known, I would have called you.

Foglak, akarlak, tudlak: auxiliaries carry the ending

When "I" + "you" appears in a sentence with an auxiliary verb and an infinitive, the -lak/-lek ending goes on the conjugated auxiliary, not on the infinitive. This is the point where learners most often go wrong.

Verbal prefixes behave as usual (see verbal prefixes): in a neutral sentence the prefix climbs in front of the auxiliary (Fel foglak hívni, "I'll call you"), after negation it stays on the infinitive (Nem foglak felhívni).

The kell exception

Kell has no personal forms, so it cannot take -lak/-lek. The subject goes on the personal infinitive and the object is spelled out:

• Meg kell kérnem téged valamire. I have to ask you to do something.

Formal you: Önt and Önöket are definite

Formal Ön and maga are grammatically third person (see formal and informal you). As objects they behave like "him" or "her", so "I" + formal "you" takes the ordinary definite conjugation, never -lak/-lek.

The last row is worth memorizing: "please" in Hungarian is literally "I ask you", so it comes in two forms. Say kérlek to a friend and kérem to a stranger, customer or official. The same logic gives Szeretettel várjuk Önöket ("We warmly welcome you"), a standard line on invitations and shop signs.

Common mistakes and false friends

1. Using the definite ending: *Szeretem téged → Szeretlek (téged).
2. Using the indefinite ending: *Szeretek téged → Szeretlek. Szeretek with a "you" object is wrong, although Péter szeret téged (third person subject) is right.
3. Putting -lak on the infinitive: *Akarok látnilak → Látni akarlak.
4. Extending it to other persons: -lak/-lek is only for "I". "We love you" is Szeretünk (téged), indefinite.
5. Using it with formal you: *Kérlek, Tanár úr mixes registers; say Kérem, Tanár úr.
6. Forcing it onto verbs without a direct object. The ending needs an accusative "you". Verbs that take another case, or where "you" is the subject in Hungarian, never use it:
   • Hiányzol. "I miss you" (literally "you are missing [to me]").
   • Tetszel nekem. "I like you" (romantically; literally "you please me").
   • Segítek neked. "I'll help you" (segít takes the dative).
   • Hiszek neked. "I believe you" (also dative).
   • Gratulálok! "Congratulations (to you)!"

Phrases to learn as units

• Szeretlek. I love you.
• Imádlak. I adore you.
• Majd hívlak. I'll call you.
• Bemutatlak a szüleimnek. I'll introduce you to my parents.
• Megeszlek! I could eat you up! (said affectionately to a child)
• Már vártalak. I've been expecting you.

Sources and further reading

• Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on definite conjugation and the -lak/-lek form
• 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)

Frequently asked questions