kell + Personal Infinitive

Must with an Explicit Subject

Level 2

While kell + plain infinitive expresses general necessity ('one must'), using an inflected infinitive specifies who has the obligation ('I must', 'you must').

How It Works

In Hungarian, to say 'I must go,' you don't conjugate the verb 'must' for person. Instead, you use the 3rd person singular form kell and conjugate the infinitive itself. While kell doesn't change for person, it does change for tense (kellett - had to) and mood (kellene - should).

1. The Structure:
The person who 'must' act is put into the dative case (-nak/-nek). If you use a pronoun (like nekem), it is usually dropped unless you want to emphasize the person.

2. Forming the Personal Infinitive:
To form the personal infinitive, you add specific endings to the verb stem. For most persons, these endings start with -n-. However, for the 3rd person (singular and plural), the ending is added to the full infinitive (-ni).

  • 1st Sg (-nom/-nem/-nöm): mennem (I must go)
  • 2nd Sg (-nod/-ned/-nöd): menned (You must go)
  • 3rd Sg (-nia/-nie): mennie (He/she must go - retains the 'i')
  • 1st Pl (-nunk/-nünk): mennünk (We must go)
  • 2nd Pl (-notok/-netek/-nötök): mennetek (You all must go)
  • 3rd Pl (-niuk/-niük): menniük (They must go - retains the 'i')

Note that stems ending in two consonants or -ít require a linking vowel before the -n- (e.g., tanítanom).

3. Word Order and Prefixes:
In neutral sentences, the inflected infinitive typically follows kell (e.g., Kell mennem). Placing the infinitive first (Mennem kell) often adds focus or emphasis to the action. If there is a verbal prefix, it 'climbs' before kell in neutral sentences (e.g., Be kell mennem). In negated sentences, the prefix stays attached to the infinitive (e.g., Nem kell bemennem). See prefix climbing with kell for more.

Examples (5)

  1. Mennem kell.

    I must go.

    Word by Word: To-go-my is-necessary.

    The 1st person singular suffix -nem is added to the infinitive stem 'men-'.

  2. Neked többet kell aludnod.

    You must sleep more.

    Word by Word: To-you more is-necessary to-sleep-your.

    Here, the dative 'neked' is used for clarity/emphasis, and the infinitive 'aludni' takes the 2nd person suffix -nod.

  3. Péternek haza kell mennie.

    Peter must go home.

    Word by Word: To-Peter home is-necessary to-go-his.

    When a specific noun (Peter) is the subject, it must take the dative suffix -nek.

  4. Nem kell várnotok rám.

    You (plural) don't have to wait for me.

    Word by Word: Not is-necessary to-wait-your for-me.

    The negative 'nem' makes the obligation 'not necessary'.

  5. Ki kell nyitnunk az ablakot.

    We must open the window.

    Word by Word: Out is-necessary to-open-our the window-ACC.

    The verbal prefix 'ki-' moves before 'kell' in this neutral statement.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case for the person instead of the dative.

    Én kell menni.
    Mennem kell. / Nekem kell mennem.

    In Hungarian, 'kell' is impersonal. The person is either implied by the infinitive ending or marked with the dative case (-nak/-nek).

  • Conjugating 'kell' to match the person.

    Kellek menni.
    Mennem kell.

    'Kell' always stays in the 3rd person singular form. However, it must still change for past tense (kellett) or conditional mood (kellene).

  • Forgetting the 'n' from the infinitive suffix.

    Menem kell.
    Mennem kell.

    The personal infinitive endings are added to the infinitive stem, which includes the 'n' from the original -ni suffix.

How It Connects

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

kell + Personal InfinitiveLevel 2Must with an Explicit Subject

Learn This First

To use 'kell' with an explicit subject, you must combine the basic impersonal 'must' construction with inflected infinitives and the dative case to indicate who is required to perform the action.

Words in This Pattern

kell