-ul/-ül (igeképző)

Become a State

Level 3

The suffix -ul/-ül attaches to certain adjectives and nouns to create intransitive verbs describing a change of state or process (e.g., 'to improve', 'to tan', 'to form'). Its use is limited, so learn the established verb for each base.

How It Works

The -ul/-ül suffix forms intransitive verbs from adjectives and nouns, but its use is limited and often lexicalized. Learn established forms rather than attaching it freely to any word. Other inchoative patterns, including -odik/-edik/-ödik, are also common; the appropriate form depends on the base word. Additionally, verbs formed with -ul/-ül are regular verbs (they do not take the -ik ending in the third-person singular, e.g., ő szépül), whereas -odik/-edik/-ödik creates -ik verbs (e.g., ő sötétedik).

1. Vowel Harmony:

  • -ul (Back vowels): alak (noun: shape) → alakul (to form/take shape)
  • -ül (Front vowels): szép (adjective: beautiful) → szépül (to become beautiful)

2. Stem Changes and Derivations:
Some verbs involve specific stem modifications or are derived from comparative forms:

  • Final Vowel Dropping: In established formations such as the following, the final vowel of the base is dropped (e.g., barna (adjective: brown) → barnul (to get brown/tan), béke (noun: peace) → békül (to reconcile), puszta (bare/desolate) → pusztul (to perish/decay)).
  • Irregular: jó (good) becomes javul (to improve).
  • Vowel Shortening: Adjectives like nehéz (heavy/difficult) shorten the vowel to become nehezül.
  • Comparative Derivation: The verb megkönnyebbül (to be relieved emotionally) is derived from the comparative könnyebb (easier). This is distinct from könnyül, which is derived from the base adjective könnyű (light) and means 'to become lighter' in physical weight.

3. Intransitive vs. Transitive:
Inchoative verbs formed with -ul/-ül (meaning "to become [state]") are intransitive, meaning the subject undergoes the change (e.g., "the weather improves"). This contrasts directly with the transitive -ít suffix, which indicates causing a change in something else (e.g., javul "improves" vs. javít "fixes/improves something").

4. The Role of the Prefix:
In modern Hungarian, these verbs are frequently used with verbal prefixes to indicate a completed change of state. While the meg- prefix is very common (e.g., szépül "is becoming beautiful" → megszépül "becomes / will become beautiful"), many of these lexicalized verbs pair with specific directional prefixes or other prefixes to become perfective. The correct prefix depends on the verb: for example, elpusztul (to perish), kibékül (to reconcile), and lelassul (to slow down).

5. Disambiguation:
Note that this verb-forming suffix looks identical to the Essive-Modal case suffix used to form adverbs (e.g., magyarul "in Hungarian"). However, the inchoative -ul/-ül creates a verb that must be conjugated for person and tense, whereas the adverbial suffix is invariable.

Aspect Is Not Past Tense
Megszépül presents a change with an endpoint, but the form is present tense. For a completed change in the past, use megszépült (became / has become beautiful).

Examples (5)

  1. A beteg állapota gyorsan javul.

    The patient's condition is improving quickly.

    Word by Word: The patient's condition quickly improves.

    Here, the adjective 'jó' (good) changes to the verb 'javul' (to improve/become better).

  2. Sokat barnultál a nyaralás alatt.

    You tanned a lot during the vacation.

    Word by Word: Much you-browned the vacation under.

    The adjective 'barna' (brown) becomes 'barnul' (to turn brown/tan).

  3. A kert a tavaszi esőtől megszépül.

    The garden becomes beautiful from the spring rain.

    Word by Word: The garden the spring rain-from becomes-beautiful.

    The adjective 'szép' (beautiful) becomes 'szépül'. The prefix 'meg-' is often added to show the completion of the change.

  4. A keze megkékül a hidegtől.

    His hand is turning blue from the cold.

    Word by Word: The hand-his turns-blue the cold-from.

    Formed from 'kék' (blue). This suffix is frequently used with colors to show a change in appearance.

  5. A zene lassan halkul.

    The music is slowly getting quieter.

    Word by Word: The music slowly gets-quieter.

    The adjective 'halk' (quiet) becomes 'halkul' (to become quiet/quieter).

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the verbal suffix with the Essive-Modal case ending.

    Péter szépül beszél.
    Péter szépen beszél.

    To say “Peter speaks beautifully,” use the adverb szépen. Szépül is a verb meaning “becomes more beautiful,” so it cannot modify beszél that way. The identical-looking ending in magyarul (in Hungarian) is adverbial; it does not make -ul/-ül a universal way to form adverbs.

  • Forgetting the stem change for 'jó' (good).

    A helyzet joul.
    A helyzet javul.

    The adjective 'jó' is irregular; it changes to 'jav-' before adding the suffix -ul.

  • Using -ul/-ül for adjectives that require -odik/-edik.

    A város gazdagul.
    A város gazdagodik.

    While both suffixes mean 'to become', they are not interchangeable. Most polysyllabic adjectives like 'gazdag' (rich) use the inchoative -odik/-edik/-ödik suffix. The choice is often lexicalized (fixed by tradition).

How It Connects

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

-ul/-ül (igeképző)Level 3Become a State

Learn This First

To understand the inchoative -ul/-ül pattern, you need to be familiar with how Hungarian suffixes adapt to the vowels in a word stem (vowel harmony). Since this suffix turns adjectives into verbs, you should be able to identify basic adjectives and know how to conjugate verbs in the indefinite form, as these new verbs are intransitive.

Words in This Pattern

-ul-ül
Sources
  1. Andrea Márkus: Hungarian inchoative morphology and productivity