-vá/-vé

Become / Turn into

Level 2

Use -vá/-vé when something becomes something else or is made into a new state. It follows vowel harmony and features a unique consonant assimilation rule.

How It Works

The suffix has two main forms based on two-way harmony: -vá (back vowels) and -vé (front vowels).

1. Spelling Rules:

  • Vowel-ending stems: The suffix is added directly. If the stem ends in a short a or e, it undergoes low-vowel lengthening (e.g., macska → macskává).
  • Consonant-ending stems: The 'v' of the suffix disappears and the final consonant of the word is doubled (e.g., víz + vé = vízzé). This is called full assimilation.
  • Digraphs: For double-letter consonants like ny or sz, only the first letter is doubled (e.g., szegény → szegénnyé).
  • Triple Consonant Simplification: If a stem already ends in a double consonant, the resulting triple consonant is simplified back to a double consonant in writing (e.g., jobb + vá = jobbá, not jobbbá).

2. Translative vs. Factive:
This case covers two related concepts:

  • Translative (Becoming): Describes a subject changing into a new state (e.g., A jég vízzé válik - The ice becomes water).
  • Factive (Making): Describes an object being rendered or made into a state by an external action (e.g., Pirossá festem a falat - I am painting the wall red).

3. Common Verbs:
This case is almost always paired with verbs of change or transformation:

  • válik (to become)
  • változik (to change/transform)
  • tesz (to make/render)
  • választ (to elect/choose as)

4. Formal vs. Casual:
While válik normally requires this case, the verb lesz (will be/become) usually takes the nominative, in speech and in writing. Using -vá/-vé with lesz sounds very formal or poetic (e.g., 'The water became wine').

Examples (5)

  1. A hernyó pillangóvá változott.

    The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.

    Word by Word: The caterpillar butterfly-into changed.

    Here, 'pillangó' ends in a vowel, so the suffix -vá is added directly.

  2. A víz jéggé fagyott.

    The water froze into ice.

    Word by Word: The water ice-into froze.

    The final 'g' of 'jég' assimilates the 'v' of the suffix, resulting in 'ggé'.

  3. Elnökké választották a férfit.

    They elected the man president.

    Word by Word: President-into they-elected the man.

    This shows the 'factive' use, where an action makes someone into a new role.

  4. A falat pirossá festettem.

    I painted the wall red.

    Word by Word: The wall-acc red-into I-painted.

    The suffix can also be used with adjectives to show a change in quality.

  5. A kislány felnőtté vált.

    The little girl became an adult.

    Word by Word: The little-girl adult-into became.

    The verb 'válik' (to become) almost always triggers the translative case.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to double the consonant (assimilation).

    A víz jégvé fagyott.
    A víz jéggé fagyott.

    After a consonant, the 'v' in -vá/-vé becomes that consonant: jég + vé = jéggé.

  • Using the illative (-ba/-be) when you mean a change of state.

    Different MeaningJégbe fagyott a víz.
    Jéggé fagyott a víz.

    'Jégbe fagyott a víz' is correct, but it means the water froze into (a block of) ice. Use -vá/-vé for a transformation of the thing itself: 'Jéggé fagyott a víz.'

  • Forgetting vowel lengthening on stems ending in 'a' or 'e'.

    macskavá
    macskává

    Final short 'a' and 'e' always lengthen to 'á' and 'é' before this suffix.

How It Connects

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

-vá/-véLevel 2Become / Turn into

Learn This First

To become confident with the translative-factive suffix -vá/-vé, you must understand vowel harmony to choose the correct form. Most importantly, you need to be familiar with the 'v' assimilation rule, which is identical to the one used in the instrumental-comitative case (-val/-vel), where the 'v' of the suffix changes to match the final consonant of the noun.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-vá-vé