Causee Marking

Level 4

When using causative verbs with a direct object, the person performing the action (the causee) takes the instrumental case (-val/-vel).

How It Works

The Hungarian causative construction changes how sentences are structured depending on whether a direct object is present.

Key Rules:

  • With a Direct Object: The causee (the person performing the task) is marked with the instrumental-comitative case (-val/-vel) to avoid a double accusative (e.g., 'I had the mechanic repair the car' – A szerelővel javíttattam meg az autót.).
  • Without a Direct Object: If there is no direct object, the case of the causee depends on the type of causation. For direct or physical causation, the causee takes the accusative case (e.g., 'I walked the dog' – Sétáltattam a kutyát.). For indirect or instructional causation, the causee takes the instrumental case (e.g., 'I had the child cough' – Köhögtettem a gyerekkel.).
  • Permissive Causation: The causative can also express letting or allowing an action to happen, not just forcing or instructing (e.g., 'I let the dough rest' – Pihentetem a tésztát.).
  • Definite Agreement: If a direct object is present, its definiteness determines the verb's conjugation. When there is no other direct object and the causee is in the accusative, the causee acts as the direct object, determining whether the verb follows definite conjugation or indefinite conjugation (e.g., Futtatom a fiút vs. Futtatok egy fiút).
  • Omissibility: You can often leave the causee out if it is obvious or unimportant.

Morphology & Structure:
The morpheme order is: Stem + Causative + Tense + Person (e.g., olvas-tat-t-am). Selecting the correct suffix depends on the verb stem's syllable count, ending, and vowel harmony (using -at/-tat for back-vowel words and -et/-tet for front-vowel words):

  • -at/-et: Used for most monosyllabic stems (except those ending in a single -t) (e.g., ír → írat, főz → főzet, kér → kéret), and for stems ending in two consonants (e.g., fest → festet, mond → mondat).
  • -tat/-tet: Used for polysyllabic stems (e.g., olvas → olvastat) and stems ending in a single -t, including the common -ít suffix (e.g., fut → futtat, süt → süttet, nyit → nyittat, tanít → taníttat).
  • -ztat/-ztet: Frequently used with -ik verbs ending in a sibilant (e.g., dolgozik → dolgoztat, emlékezik → emlékeztet).
  • Exceptions: Many highly frequent verbs drop their -sz- stem (e.g., alszik → altat, iszik → itat, eszik → etet). Additionally, v-stem verbs (e.g., lő → lövet) and the tesz/vesz/visz/hisz group have unique forms (tetet, vetet, vitet, hitet).

Remember that -val/-vel undergoes full consonant assimilation (e.g., asztal + val = asztallal).

Examples (4)

  1. A tanár megíratta a diákokkal a dolgozatot.

    The teacher had the students write the test.

    Word by Word: The teacher [perfective]-write-[causative]-[past] the students-with the test-[acc].

    The students (diákok) are the causees, so they take the -val/-vel suffix (diákokkal).

  2. Kimosatom az anyukámmal az ingemet.

    I will have my mother wash my shirt.

    Word by Word: [out]-wash-[causative]-[1sg] the mother-my-with the shirt-my-[acc].

    The verb 'kimosat' is causative. The mother is the one doing the washing, so she is marked with -val.

  3. Levágatom a hajamat a fodrásszal.

    I'm having the barber cut my hair.

    Word by Word: [down]-cut-[causative]-[1sg] the hair-my-[acc] the barber-with.

    Even though the barber is a person, they are the 'instrument' through which the hair is cut in this causative structure.

  4. Javíttasd meg az autódat egy szerelővel!

    Have your car repaired by a mechanic!

    Word by Word: Repair-[causative]-[imperative] [perfective] the car-your-[acc] a mechanic-with!

    In the imperative mood, the causee (szerelő) still takes the instrumental case.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative case for both the person and the object.

    Megíratom a fiút a levelet.
    Megíratom a fiúval a levelet.

    Hungarian does not allow two accusative objects in this structure. When there is a direct object (like 'a levelet'), the person being instructed to do the action must be in the instrumental case (-val/-vel).

  • Assuming intransitive verbs always take an accusative causee, ignoring the type of causation.

    Az orvos köhögtette a beteget.
    Az orvos köhögtetett a beteggel.

    For intransitive verbs, using the accusative case for the causee implies direct or physical causation (e.g., physically making someone cough). When the causation is indirect, such as a doctor instructing a patient to cough, the instrumental case (-val/-vel) must be used.

How It Connects

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Causee MarkingLevel 4

Learn This First

To understand how to mark a causee with the instrumental case, you first need to know how to form causative verbs using the -at/-et/-tat/-tet suffixes. You must also be familiar with the instrumental-comitative case (-val/-vel) and the accusative case (-t), as this specific construction arises to avoid having two accusative objects in the same clause.

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Words in This Pattern

-val-vel