Unmarked Possessor

This construction is the default method for expressing ownership or relationships in Hungarian when the possessor is a third-person noun. It is called 'unmarked' because the possessor noun does not receive a specific case suffix like the dative -nak/-nek.

Key Rules:

• Third-Person Restriction: This specific noun-noun construction is used for 3rd person possessors. For 1st and 2nd person, you typically use possessive suffixes alone or with personal pronouns. If the 3rd-person possessor is a pronoun, it is usually dropped entirely unless emphasized (e.g., a könyve = his/her book; a könyvük = their book). Note that the plural pronoun ők drops its -k marker and becomes ő in this construction (e.g., az ő könyvük, never *az ők könyvük).
• Suffix Forms: The 3rd person suffix changes based on vowel harmony. For a singular possessor ('his/her/its'), a single item takes -a/-e or -ja/-je, and multiple items take -i, -ai/-ei, or -jai/-jei. For a plural pronoun possessor ('their'), a single item takes -uk/-ük or -juk/-jük, and multiple items take -ik/-aik/-eik/-jaik/-jeik. While many vowel-ending words take -ja/-je (or -jai/-jei), there are exceptions. For instance, nouns ending in ó, ő, ú, ű often use a v-inserting stem and take -a/-e (e.g., ló → lova; kő → köve), and some are irregular (e.g., fiú → fia). The choice for consonant-ending words is unpredictable and must often be memorized. Additionally, if the possessed noun ends in a short a or e, it must lengthen to á or é before adding the suffix (e.g., alma → almája; kefe → keféje).
• Word Order: The possessor comes before the possessed noun. While you cannot separate them with verbs, adjectives that modify the possessed noun are placed between the two nouns (e.g., a fiú piros könyve). Adjectives modifying the possessor go before the possessor (e.g., a magas fiú könyve = the tall boy's book).
• The Article Rule: You typically use a definite article at the very beginning (unless the possessor is a proper noun, which usually takes no article), but never between the possessor and the possessed noun. Correct: a fiú könyve or Péter könyve. You can also use an indefinite article at the beginning (e.g., egy fiú könyve = a boy's book).
• Suffix Agreement: The possessed noun takes a 3rd person suffix. Crucially, for lexical noun possessors, even if the possessor is plural, the possessed noun takes a singular 3rd person suffix (e.g., a fiúk könyve - the boys' book). This anti-agreement rule does not apply to pronoun possessors, which take the plural suffix (e.g., az ő könyvük - their book).
• Multiple Items: If the possessor owns multiple items, you use the plural possessed marker -i. For a singular possessor, this looks like a fiú könyvei (the boy's books). For plural lexical possessors, the person marker remains singular (e.g., a fiúk könyvei - the boys' books).
• Pronoun Exceptions: Demonstrative pronouns (ez/az) and the question words ki and mi cannot be unmarked possessors; they must use the dative-marked construction (e.g., kinek a könyve?, minek a színe?).
• Possession Chain Rule: In a chain of possession (e.g., 'the cover of the boy's book'), the middle possessor must take the dative -nak/-nek suffix (e.g., a fiú könyvének a borítója).