Plural Possessors

In Hungarian, plural possessors (we, you all, they) are expressed through suffixes that follow vowel harmony rules.

1. Single Object Owned by a Group
Use these suffixes when a group owns one item:

• Our: -nk (after vowels) / -unk / -ünk (e.g., autónk, házunk)
• Your (pl): -tok / -tek / -tök (after vowels) or -atok / -otok (back vowels) / -etek (front unrounded vowels) / -ötök (front rounded vowels) (after consonants) (e.g., házatok, kertetek)
• Their: -juk / -jük (always after vowels), or -uk / -ük / -juk / -jük (after consonants, depending on the stem) (e.g., autójuk, házuk)

2. Multiple Objects Owned by a Group
When the group owns more than one item, the plural marker is -i- (not the usual -k). This is often preceded by a linking vowel and sometimes a -j-:

• Our: -ink (after vowels), -aink / -eink, or -jaink / -jeink (e.g., autóink, házaink, kertjeink)
• Your (pl): -itok / -itek (after vowels), -aitok / -eitek, or -jaitok / -jeitek (e.g., autóitok, házaitok, kertjeitek)
• Their: -ik (after most vowels), -aik / -eik, or -jaik / -jeik (words ending in -i take -jaik / -jeik, e.g., kocsijaik) (e.g., autóik, házaik, kertjeik)

Important Rules:

• The -j- marker: The -j- is never used if the word ends in a sibilant (s, sz, z, zs), an affricate (c, cs), or a palatal consonant (ny, ty, gy, j) (e.g., kulcsaitok, lányaik).
• Stem-final -a and -e lengthen to -á and -é (e.g., kutya → kutyánk).
• The Definite Article: Unlike English, which drops "the" when using possessives, Hungarian almost always keeps the definite article before the possessed noun (e.g., a házunk - our house).
• Plural Noun Possessors: If the possessor is a plural noun (e.g., 'the children'), the noun being possessed takes the 3rd person singular suffix (e.g., a gyerekek labdája - the children's ball). If they own multiple items, use the 3rd person singular plural-object suffix (e.g., a gyerekek labdái - the children's balls).
• Formal "You" Plural (Önök / Maguk): If you explicitly state the formal pronoun, it acts like a plural noun possessor and takes the 3rd person singular suffix (e.g., az Önök háza - your house). If the pronoun is dropped, it reverts to the 3rd person plural suffix (e.g., a házuk).
• Emphasizing "Their": If you want to emphasize the pronoun "their" (ők), it drops the plural -k and becomes ő before the possessed noun (e.g., az ő autójuk - their car).
• Pronouns like mi (we) or ti (you pl.) are usually dropped unless you want to emphasize who owns it.
• Adding Case Endings: Case endings, such as the accusative case, are added after the possessive suffix, often requiring a linking vowel (e.g., Látom az autónkat. - I see our car.).