Infinitive Subject Control

Level 4

In Hungarian, when you use impersonal verbs like kell (must) or szabad (may), the infinitive verb changes its ending to show who is doing the action. Instead of just saying 'to go' (menni), you say 'my going' (mennem), 'your going' (menned), etc.

How It Works

In English, we say 'It is necessary for me to go.' In Hungarian, this is expressed by attaching a personal suffix to the infinitive stem for impersonal expressions.

1. Formation
To form the inflected infinitive, take the infinitive (ending in -ni), remove the -ni ending, and add the personal suffixes (-nom/-nem/-nöm, -nod/-ned/-nöd, -nia/-nie, -nunk/-nünk, -notok/-netek/-nötök, -niuk/-niük). Alternatively, for the 3rd person, you can think of it as adding -a/-e or -uk/-ük directly to the full -ni form. These suffixes are almost identical to singular possessive suffixes and plural possessive suffixes.

  • 1st Sg (-nom/-nem/-nöm): mennem (for me to go)
  • 2nd Sg (-nod/-ned/-nöd): menned (for you to go)
  • 3rd Sg (-nia/-nie): mennie (for him/her/it to go)
  • 1st Pl (-nunk/-nünk): mennünk (for us to go)
  • 2nd Pl (-notok/-netek/-nötök): mennetek (for you all to go)
  • 3rd Pl (-niuk/-niük): menniük (for them to go)

2. General vs. Specific Usage
The plain infinitive -ni is used for general statements where no specific person is mentioned (e.g., Sokat kell aludni - One must sleep a lot). The inflected infinitive is the standard form when the action is tied to a specific agent (e.g., Sokat kell aludnom - I must sleep a lot).

3. Usage with Impersonal Expressions
This pattern is most common with:

  • kell (must/need)
  • lehet (possible/may)
  • szabad (allowed)
  • tilos (forbidden)
  • illik (it is proper)
  • Impersonal adjectives like fontos (important) or felesleges (unnecessary).

4. The Non-Trigger Rule
Verbs that have a clear grammatical subject (such as akar 'want', tud 'can/know how', or próbál 'try') cannot use inflected infinitives. They always take the plain infinitive (e.g., El akarok menni - I want to go).

5. The Dative Subject and Emphasis
If you want to use a specific noun (like 'for the doctor to go'), the person is marked with the dative case: Az orvosnak el kell mennie. When using pronouns, the dative form (nekem, neked, etc.) is usually omitted unless you want to emphasize the person: Mennem kell (I must go) vs. Nekem kell mennem (I am the one who must go).

6. Verbal Prefixes and Word Order
When using an inflected infinitive that has a verbal prefix (like el-, meg-, or ki-) with an auxiliary verb such as kell, lehet, or szabad, the prefix splits from the infinitive and moves directly in front of the auxiliary in a neutral sentence. For example, with elmenni (to go away): El kell mennem (I must go).

Examples (5)

  1. Mennem kell a boltba.

    I must go to the shop.

    Word by Word: To-go-my must the shop-into.

    The suffix '-nem' on 'menni' indicates that 'I' am the one who must go.

  2. Nem szabad elfelejtenetek a kulcsot.

    You (plural) must not forget the key.

    Word by Word: Not free to-forget-your(pl) the key-acc.

    The suffix '-netek' shows that the prohibition applies specifically to 'you all'.

  3. Sikerülnie kell a vizsgának.

    The exam must succeed.

    Word by Word: To-succeed-its must the exam-dative.

    In the 3rd person, the '-i-' is retained before the suffix '-e'. The subject 'vizsga' takes the dative '-nak'.

  4. Felesleges várnotok rám.

    It is unnecessary for you (plural) to wait for me.

    Word by Word: Unnecessary to-wait-your(pl) me-on.

    The inflected infinitive 'várnotok' specifies who is doing the waiting.

  5. Itt nem lehet dohányozni.

    One cannot smoke here / Smoking is not allowed here.

    Word by Word: Here not possible to-smoke.

    When the statement is general (no specific person), the plain infinitive '-ni' is used instead of the inflected form.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the 'i' in the 3rd person forms.

    Menne kell.
    Mennie kell.

    Unlike the 1st and 2nd person, the 3rd person singular (-nia/-nie) and plural (-niuk/-niük) must keep the 'i' from the original '-ni' ending.

  • Trying to conjugate the modal verb 'kell' to match the person.

    Kellek menni.
    Mennem kell.

    In Hungarian, 'kell' remains in the 3rd person singular. The person is marked on the infinitive, not the modal verb.

  • Forgetting the linking vowel for complex verb stems.

    Mondnom kell.
    Mondanom kell.

    Verbs ending in two consonants or '-ít' require a linking vowel (a/e) before the personal suffix.

How It Connects

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

Infinitive Subject ControlLevel 4

Learn This First

To understand subject control with infinitives, learners must first be comfortable with the basic infinitive form (-ni) and how it can be inflected with personal endings to indicate the actor. Additionally, familiarity with common modal-like verbs that take infinitives (like 'akar') provides the necessary context for how a main verb determines the subject of the accompanying action.