-at/-et/-tat/-tet

Causative Verbs

Level 2

The causative suffix turns a verb into a 'make/have someone do' action. For example, 'ír' (write) becomes 'írat' (have someone write).

How It Works

The causative suffix changes the relationship between the subject and the action. Instead of doing the action themselves, the subject causes another person (the 'causee') to do it.

1. Choosing the Suffix:
The choice depends on the verb stem and vowel harmony (use -at / -tat for back-vowel words and -et / -tet for front-vowel words):

  • -at / -et (Short Form): Used with many monosyllabic stems ending in a single consonant (e.g., mos → mosat) and stems ending in two consonants (e.g., fest → festet, küld → küldet).
  • -tat / -tet (Long Form): Used with polysyllabic stems (e.g., olvas → olvastat), most -ik verbs (e.g., dolgozik → dolgoztat), and verbs ending in -ít (e.g., tanít → taníttat). Crucially, monosyllabic stems ending in -t take this form if the -t is preceded by a vowel (e.g., fut → futtat, süt → süttet, lát → láttat).
  • Irregular Stems: Some high-frequency verbs have special stems. This includes v-stems like tesz → tetet, vesz → vetet, visz → vitet, and hisz → hitet. Others include eszik → etet (feeds), iszik → itat (waters), fekszik → fektet (lays down), and alszik → altat (puts to sleep).

2. Sentence Structure and the 'Causee':
Adding a causative suffix always makes the verb transitive. This means the new verb must take either the indefinite conjugation or definite conjugation depending on the definiteness of the object. Crucially, the verb's conjugation agrees with the object of the caused action, not the causee. How you mark the person performing the action depends on the base verb:

  • Transitive Base: If the verb already takes an object (e.g., ír - to write), the causee is marked with the instrumental case (-val/-vel). Megíratom a levelet a titkárnővel. (I have the secretary write the letter.) Here, the verb is definite (megíratom) because the object being written (a levelet) is definite; the instrumental causee (a titkárnővel) has no effect on the conjugation.
  • Intransitive Base: If the verb does not take an object, the causee is marked with the accusative case (-t) for direct or physical causation (e.g., Elaltatom a gyereket. - I make the child sleep), or with the instrumental case (-val/-vel) for indirect causation or instruction (e.g., Sétáltat a gyerekkel. - He/she has the child walk).

3. Unspecified Causee and Nuance:
Unlike English 'make,' which can sound forceful, the Hungarian causative is neutral. It is the standard way to say you are having a service performed. In these everyday cases, the causee is usually dropped entirely (e.g., Hajat vágatok. - I am getting my hair cut; Megjavíttatom az autót. - I am having the car repaired).

Examples (4)

  1. A főnök megíratta a levelet a titkárnővel.

    The boss had the letter written by the secretary.

    Word by Word: The boss [perfective]-write-caused the letter-acc the secretary-with.

    Here, 'ír' (write) becomes 'írat' (have written). The secretary, who does the writing, takes the -val/-vel suffix.

  2. Levágatom a hajamat.

    I am having my hair cut.

    Word by Word: [down]-cut-cause-I the hair-my-acc.

    This is the standard way to describe getting a haircut at a professional salon.

  3. A tanár elolvastatja a diákokkal a könyvet.

    The teacher makes the students read the book.

    Word by Word: The teacher [away]-read-cause-def the students-with the book-acc.

    Because 'olvas' is polysyllabic, it takes the longer -tat suffix.

  4. Az anya elaltatja a kisbabát.

    The mother puts the baby to sleep.

    Word by Word: The mother [away]-sleep-cause-def the baby-acc.

    The intransitive verb 'alszik' (sleep) becomes the transitive causative 'altat' (put to sleep).

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing up the causative -at/-et with the potential -hat/-het.

    Different MeaningÍratok egy levelet.
    Írhatok egy levelet.

    Both forms are real. 'Íratok egy levelet' means 'I have a letter written (by someone)', while 'Írhatok egy levelet' means 'I may or can write a letter'. The missing 'h' changes the meaning.

  • Using the accusative case for the causee of a transitive verb.

    Megcsináltatom a szerelőt az autót.
    Megcsináltatom a szerelővel az autót.

    When the base verb is transitive (like 'csinál' - to do/make), the person you are having do the action (the causee) must take the instrumental case (-val/-vel). Using the accusative case (-t) for both the causee and the object is incorrect.

  • Using the accusative case for the causee when a transitive verb's object is implied but omitted.

    A főnök íratja a titkárnőt.
    A főnök írat a titkárnővel.

    Even if the direct object (like 'a letter') is dropped, a transitive base verb still requires the causee to be in the instrumental case (-val/-vel). 'Írat a titkárnővel' correctly means 'has the secretary write'.

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-at/-et/-tat/-tetLevel 2Causative Verbs

Learn This First

To understand the causative, you must first be comfortable with Hungarian vowel harmony to choose the correct suffix version. Since the causative suffix creates a new verb stem, you need to know how to conjugate verbs in the indefinite and definite forms. Additionally, understanding the accusative case is essential because the person or thing being 'made' or 'let' to do something is typically marked as the direct object.

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-at-et-tat-tet