Vowel-Dropping Stems
In certain Hungarian nouns (like bokor, eper, or tükör), the last vowel 'drops' out before certain suffixes with a linking vowel, such as plural -k or possessive -m. For example: bokor → bokrok (bushes).
How It Works
Vowel-dropping (syncopating) stems occur among nouns, adjectives and verbs. This entry first teaches the noun/adjective pattern; verbs have their own suffix-conditioned alternations, such as forog → forgok.
1. The Trigger: The vowel drops before suffixes that require a linking vowel (typically a, e, o, ö). This includes the plural -k, the accusative -t, the superessive -on/-en/-ön, and the adjective-forming -s. Crucially, it does not drop before suffixes starting with a high vowel like the terminative -ig, nor before consonant-initial cases like the inessive -ban/-ben (e.g., bokorban) or allative -hoz/-hez/-höz.
2. The Vowels Involved: The drop only affects the final syllable of the stem. The dropped vowel is typically a short vowel: o, e, ö, or a.
- bokor (bush) → bokrok
- eper (strawberry) → eprek
- tükör (mirror) → tükrök
- ajak (lip) → ajkak
3. Lexical Nature: While the resulting cluster often involves a liquid (r, l), nasal (n, m), or stop (k, g, as in dolog → dolgok), you cannot predict the drop by sound alone. You must become confident with which specific words belong to this class.
4. Suffix Compatibility & Lowering: This pattern applies to:
- Plural -k (tükrök)
- Accusative -t (tükröt). Unlike regular consonant-ending nouns that can sometimes take just -t, when the vowel drops, these stems must use a linking vowel in the accusative to avoid unpronounceable consonant clusters (e.g., epret, never *epr-t).
- Superessive -on/-en/-ön (tükrön)
- Possessive suffixes (tükröm). For the third person, these stems exclusively take the non-j variants (-a/-e or -uk/-ük), never the j-initial ones (e.g., bokra, not *bokorja). The vowel also drops before the plural possessed items marker -i (e.g., bokraim, tükrei).
- Adjective-forming -s (bokros - bushy)
Note that some vowel-dropping stems also behave as lowering stems, meaning they take the low linking vowel a or e instead of the standard o or ö (e.g., ajak → ajkak, not *ajkok). Additionally, some stems have accepted alternative forms where the vowel does not drop (e.g., sátor can become sátrat OR sátort).
Note: A similar vowel-dropping pattern also exists for certain verbs (e.g., forog → forgok, ugrik → ugrom), which you will encounter as you continue to learn Hungarian.
Examples (5)
- A kertben sok szép bokrot láttam.
I saw many beautiful bushes in the garden.
Word by Word: The garden-in many beautiful bush-ACCUSATIVE I-saw.
The stem is 'bokor'. When the accusative '-t' is added, the 'o' drops, resulting in 'bokrot'.
- A lelkem mélyén tudtam az igazságot.
In the depths of my soul, I knew the truth.
Word by Word: The soul-my depth-its-on I-knew the truth-ACCUSATIVE.
Lélek uses the alternating stem lelk-: the first vowel shortens and the final-syllable e disappears before -em, giving lelkem.
- Vegyél két kiló epret a piacon!
Buy two kilos of strawberries at the market!
Word by Word: Buy-you two kilo strawberry-ACCUSATIVE the market-on!
The stem is 'eper'. The 'e' drops before the accusative suffix, resulting in 'epret'.
- A tükrök a falon vannak.
The mirrors are on the wall.
Word by Word: The mirror-PLURAL the wall-on they-are.
The stem is 'tükör'. The 'ö' drops when the plural '-k' is added, resulting in 'tükrök'.
- Fáj a gyomrom a sok édességtől.
My stomach hurts from all the sweets.
Word by Word: Hurts the stomach-my the many sweet-from.
The stem is 'gyomor'. The 'o' drops when the possessive '-m' is added, resulting in 'gyomrom'.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the vowel when it should be dropped (over-regularization).
A kertben szép bokorok vannak.A kertben szép bokrok vannak.Learners often treat these words as regular nouns. However, 'bokor' is a vowel-dropping stem, so 'bokorok' is incorrect; it must be 'bokrok'.
Applying the drop to words that look similar but are regular.
Ezek gyors motrok.Ezek gyors motorok.Not every word ending in a similar syllable is a dropping stem. For example, 'motor' is regular, so its plural is 'motorok', not 'motrok'. You must become confident with the specific vocabulary in this class.
Using the wrong linking vowel after the drop.
Szépek az ajkok.Szépek az ajkak.Some vowel-dropping stems are also 'lowering stems'. 'Ajak' (lip) drops the 'a' to become 'ajk-', but it requires the low linking vowel '-ak' instead of the expected '-ok'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand vowel-dropping stems, you first need to be familiar with how Hungarian nouns typically take suffixes like the accusative and plural, including the use of linking vowels. Vowel-dropping is an irregular stem behavior that occurs specifically when these suffixes are attached.
- Linking Vowels
Vowel-dropping stems are a specific class of irregular nouns that interact with the standard rules of linking vowels when suffixes are added.
Level 4 - -tAccusative Case
The accusative case is one of the primary environments where the medial vowel of these stems drops (e.g., bokor to bokrot).
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Vowel-Shortening Stems
Another type of stem alternation where a long vowel becomes short instead of disappearing entirely.
Level 4 - -kPlural Nouns
The plural suffix is one of the primary triggers for the vowel-dropping effect.
Level 1 - -m/-d/-a/-eSingular Possessors
Possessive suffixes starting with vowels (or requiring linking vowels) trigger the stem change.
Level 1 - Vowel Harmony
The dropped vowel and the suffix vowel must still obey the rules of Hungarian vowel harmony.
Level 1
Practice Vowel-Dropping Stems in Bubblegum
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