-tól/-től

From

Level 1

The ablative case (-tól/-től) means 'from'. It is used for moving away from the outside/vicinity of a place, moving away from people, or marking a starting time.

How It Works

The ablative case is a fundamental part of the Hungarian direction system. It follows the rules of vowel harmony.

1. Spatial Usage (Vicinity)
It indicates movement away from the proximity of an object.
Example: a háztól (away from the house). If you were inside the house, you would use -ból/-ből instead.

2. People
In Hungarian, you never come 'out of' a person. Therefore, movement away from a person is expressed with -tól/-től.
Example: Pétertől jövök (I am coming from Peter/Peter's place).

3. Temporal Usage (Starting Point)
It marks when an activity begins.
Example: hétfőtől (from Monday). Note that for duration ('since'), you use the postposition óta instead.

4. Cause or Reason
It is used to express the cause of a physical state or emotion.
Example: reszket a hidegtől (shivering from the cold) or sír az örömtől (crying from joy).

5. Verbal Government
Some verbs require this case for their objects, most notably fél (to be afraid of).
Example: Félek a kutyától (I am afraid of the dog).

6. Spelling Rule:
If a word ends in a short -a or -e, it lengthens to -á or -é before the suffix is added (e.g., alma → almától). This is known as low-vowel lengthening.

Examples (5)

  1. Pétertől jövök.

    I am coming from Peter.

    Word by Word: Peter-from I-come.

    When moving away from a person, always use -tól/-től.

  2. Nyolc órától dolgozom.

    I work from eight o'clock.

    Word by Word: Eight hour-from I-work.

    Used here to show the starting point in time.

  3. A macska fél a kutyától.

    The cat is afraid of the dog.

    Word by Word: The cat fears the dog-from.

    The verb 'fél' (to fear) always takes the ablative case.

  4. Az ablak az utcától messze van.

    The window is far from the street.

    Word by Word: The window the street-from far is.

    Used to show distance or separation from a general area.

  5. Hétfőtől várlak.

    I will be waiting for you starting Monday.

    Word by Word: Monday-from I-wait-you.

    Indicates the point in time when the waiting begins.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -ból/-ből (out of) for people.

    Jövök a barátomból.
    Jövök a barátomtól.

    In Hungarian, you cannot come 'out of' a person. You must use the ablative -tól/-től when coming from someone.

  • Forgetting to lengthen the final -a or -e.

    palacsintatól
    palacsintától

    When a word ends in a short 'a' or 'e', it must lengthen to 'á' or 'é' before adding the suffix. This is a standard spelling rule in Hungarian.

  • Using -tól for 'from a city' that requires -ról.

    Different MeaningBudapesttől jövök.
    Budapestről jövök.

    'Budapesttől jövök' is grammatical, but it means you come from a place away from Budapest, not from the city itself. Most Hungarian cities and many countries use the 'surface' case -ról/-ről (delative) for 'from there'.

How It Connects

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

-tól/-tőlLevel 1From

Learn This First

To understand the ablative case (-tól/-től), learners must first grasp the basics of Hungarian vowel harmony and how two-way suffixes adapt to the stem of a noun.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-tól-től