amely

Which with an Explicit Noun

Level 3

Amely is the formal equivalent of 'which' or 'that'. It is used in writing and formal speech to describe a specific object, animal, or concept mentioned earlier in the sentence.

How It Works

The relative pronoun amely is a staple of formal Hungarian. While native speakers often use ami in casual conversation, amely is preferred in literature, news, and legal contexts.

1. Specific Antecedent:
It must follow a noun. For example, in the phrase 'the book, which...', amely refers specifically to 'the book'. It cannot be used to refer to a whole sentence or an abstract idea without a noun head.

2. Morphology and Harmony:

  • Number: It must agree with the noun it refers to. Use amely for singular and amelyek for plural nouns.
  • Case: It takes all case suffixes (e.g., amelyet for accusative, amelyben for inessive).
  • Vowel Harmony: The stem amely- is a mixed-vowel word (containing back 'a' and front 'e'). In Hungarian, mixed-vowel words ending in 'e' or 'é' usually take front-vowel suffixes (e.g., -nek, -ben, -ről).

3. Verb Conjugation Rule:
A crucial rule to become proficient in is that when amelyet (the accusative form) is the object of a relative clause, the verb must use the indefinite conjugation. This differs from amelyik, which requires the definite conjugation.

4. Register:
Using amely in a text message to a friend might sound stiff. However, in an essay or a formal speech, it provides clarity and elegance. It helps distinguish between referring to a specific object versus referring to a whole situation.

Examples (4)

  1. Ez az a könyv, amelyet tegnap vettem.

    This is the book which I bought yesterday.

    Word by Word: This that the book, which-ACC yesterday bought-I.

    Here, 'amelyet' takes the accusative suffix -et because it is the object of the verb 'bought'.

  2. A város, amelyben élek, nagyon szép.

    The city in which I live is very beautiful.

    Word by Word: The city, which-in live-I, very beautiful.

    The inessive suffix -ben is added to 'amely' to indicate location ('in which').

  3. Azok a feladatok, amelyekre nem volt időnk, nehezek.

    Those tasks, for which we had no time, are difficult.

    Word by Word: Those the tasks, which-onto not was time-our, difficult-PL.

    Since 'feladatok' (tasks) is plural, we use the plural form 'amelyek' plus the sublative suffix -re.

  4. A cég, amelynek dolgozom, budapesti.

    The company for which I work is in Budapest.

    Word by Word: The company, which-to work-I, Budapest-from-is.

    The dative suffix -nek is used here to show the relationship with the verb 'work'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'amely' to refer to a person.

    A tanár, amely a teremben van.
    A tanár, aki a teremben van.

    For people, you must use the relative pronoun aki. 'Amely' is strictly for non-human nouns.

  • Using the definite conjugation after 'amelyet'.

    A könyv, amelyet olvasom.
    A könyv, amelyet olvasok.

    Unlike the pronoun amelyik, the relative pronoun 'amelyet' triggers the indefinite conjugation of the verb, even if the noun it refers to is specific.

  • Using back-vowel suffixes on 'amely'.

    A ház, amelyban lakom.
    A ház, amelyben lakom.

    Even if the antecedent (ház) is a back-vowel word, 'amely' itself is a mixed-vowel word that takes front-vowel suffixes. It must follow vowel harmony rules based on its own stem.

How It Connects

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amelyLevel 3Which with an Explicit Noun

Learn This First

To understand 'amely', learners must first be familiar with the basic relative pronoun 'ami' used for things. Since 'amely' functions as a link between clauses and often takes case suffixes, knowledge of how demonstratives agree with cases and how definite nouns are structured is essential for correct usage in formal contexts.

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amely