-kor

At a Time

Level 1

Use -kor to say 'at' a specific time. Unlike most Hungarian suffixes, it never changes its vowel to match the word it attaches to.

How It Works

In Hungarian, expressing 'when' something happens depends on the type of time unit. The suffix -kor is the standard way to indicate a specific point in time.

1. Clock Times
This is the most common use. It attaches to numbers or the word óra (hour/o'clock).

2. Meal Times
It is used to indicate when you eat specific meals.

  • reggelikor (at breakfast)
  • ebédkor (at lunch)
  • vacsorakor (at dinner)

3. Holidays and Festivals
Specific named holidays use this suffix to mean 'at' or 'during' that holiday period.

  • Karácsonykor (at Christmas)
  • Húsvétkor (at Easter)

4. Specific Moments
It can mark specific moments or events.

  • születéskor (at birth)
  • naplementekor (at sunset)
  • éjfélkor (at midnight)

5. Special Morphological Rules
The suffix -kor is unique because it ignores two common Hungarian rules:

  • No Vowel Harmony: It is always -kor, regardless of whether the stem has back or front vowels.
  • No Vowel Lengthening: Unlike most suffixes, it does not cause final -a or -e to lengthen. For example, óra stays órakor (not órákor) and vacsora stays vacsorakor.

Important Distinction:
Do not use -kor for life stages (e.g., gyerekkorban - in childhood) or for days of the week (use -n/-on/-en/-ön).

Examples (4)

  1. Öt órakor találkozunk.

    We are meeting at five o'clock.

    Word by Word: Five hour-at we-meet.

    Here, -kor is attached to 'óra' to specify the exact time of the meeting.

  2. Karácsonykor mindenki boldog.

    At Christmas, everyone is happy.

    Word by Word: Christmas-at everyone happy.

    Holidays like Karácsony (Christmas) use the -kor suffix to indicate the time period.

  3. Mikor jössz haza?

    When are you coming home?

    Word by Word: When you-come home?

    The question word 'mikor' (when) is actually built from the root 'mi' (what) and the suffix -kor.

  4. Éjfélkor nagyon hideg volt.

    It was very cold at midnight.

    Word by Word: Midnight-at very cold was.

    Éjfél (midnight) is a specific point in time, so it takes the -kor suffix.

Common Mistakes

  • Lengthening the final vowel of the stem.

    órákor
    órakor

    Unlike most Hungarian suffixes, -kor does not trigger low-vowel lengthening. Final -a and -e remain short (e.g., óra + kor = órakor, vacsora + kor = vacsorakor).

  • Applying vowel harmony to the suffix.

    öt órakör
    öt órakor

    The suffix -kor is invariant. It does not follow vowel harmony and never becomes -kör, even after front vowels (tízkor, nyolckor).

  • Using -kor for days of the week.

    hétfőkor
    hétfőn

    Days of the week use the superessive suffix (-n/-on/-en/-ön), not -kor. See On a Day / Date.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-korLevel 1At a Time

Learn This First

The -kor suffix is relatively unique in Hungarian because it is invariant, meaning it does not change based on vowel harmony. Learners should be familiar with the basic vowel system to understand this exception and the question word 'mikor' which introduces temporal expressions.

Words in This Pattern

-kor