aki

Who / That for People

Level 3

The relative pronoun aki (who/that) is used to describe people. It must match the number (singular/plural) of the person it refers to and take the case suffix required by its role in the description.

How It Works

The relative pronoun aki functions as a bridge between a person mentioned in the main sentence and a subordinate clause that provides more information about them. While aki is used for people, its counterparts for objects and concepts are amely and ami. In formal or written Hungarian, amely is used to refer back to a specific noun, while ami refers to a whole clause, an unnamed concept, or a pronoun like azt. However, in everyday colloquial speech, ami is overwhelmingly used for specific inanimate nouns as well (e.g., a könyv, amit olvasok).

1. Pointer Words
Hungarian relative clauses are often introduced by a demonstrative 'pointer' word (like az or azt) in the main clause. This pointer anticipates the relative clause and takes the case required by the main clause's verb. Example: Azt a lányt keresem, aki... (I am looking for that girl who...). If the head noun is explicitly stated in the sentence, this pointer word is optional regardless of the case (e.g., Beszéltem a lánnyal, aki... is perfectly grammatical without azzal). In headless relative clauses where the noun is omitted, the pointer is usually required if there is a case mismatch, but it can be omitted if the case roles match (e.g., Aki mer, nyer. - He who dares, wins).

2. Declension and Case Mismatch
Unlike English 'who', aki must take the specific case suffix required by the verb in its own clause. This often results in a case mismatch with the 'pointer' word in the main clause. For example: Azt a lányt (Accusative) keresem, akivel (Instrumental) beszéltél. (I am looking for that girl with whom you spoke). Note that the dative form akinek is used as the equivalent of the English 'whose' (e.g., a lány, akinek a kutyája... - the girl whose dog...). Additionally, aki can be followed by postpositions to match the verb's requirement (e.g., a fiú, aki mögött állsz - the boy behind whom you are standing).

3. Headless Relative Clauses
Aki can be used without a preceding noun to mean 'whoever' or 'he who'. In these free relative clauses, the pronoun can take any case depending on its grammatical role in the relative clause. Example: Aki keres, az talál. (He who seeks, finds).

4. Plurality
If the antecedent is plural, you must use the plural form akik. Hungarian is very strict about this agreement.

5. Verb Conjugation
A key rule is that when the relative pronoun is the direct object (akit), it triggers the indefinite conjugation in the relative clause. Example: a lány, akit szeretek (the girl whom I love). However, if aki is the subject, the verb's conjugation depends on the definiteness of its own object.

6. Aki vs. Amelyik
While aki is the general word for 'who', use amelyik if you are selecting a specific person out of a known group. Crucially, while akit triggers the indefinite conjugation, amelyiket triggers the definite conjugation.

7. Mandatory Pronoun
Unlike in English, where the relative pronoun can often be omitted when it acts as an object (e.g., 'the girl I am looking for'), in Hungarian, the relative pronoun is strictly mandatory and can never be dropped. You must always include it: a lány, akit keresek.

Examples (4)

  1. Ismered azt a fiút, aki ott áll?

    Do you know that boy who is standing there?

    Word by Word: Know-you that-ACC the boy-ACC, who there stands?

    Notice the demonstrative pointer word 'azt' in the main clause. Here 'aki' is the subject of the relative clause, so it stays in the nominative case.

  2. A nő, akit tegnap láttunk, a tanárom.

    The woman whom we saw yesterday is my teacher.

    Word by Word: The woman, who-ACC yesterday saw-we, the teacher-my.

    Because the woman is the object of the verb 'saw', we use the accusative form 'akit'. As a direct object, 'akit' triggers the indefinite conjugation ('láttunk').

  3. Azok a gyerekek, akik a kertben játszanak, nagyon hangosak.

    Those children who are playing in the garden are very loud.

    Word by Word: Those the children, who-PLURAL the garden-in play-they, very loud-PLURAL.

    Since 'gyerekek' (children) is plural, the relative pronoun must also be plural: 'akik'.

  4. Ő az a barátom, akivel moziba megyek.

    He is the friend with whom I am going to the cinema.

    Word by Word: He that the friend-my, who-WITH cinema-into go-I.

    The instrumental suffix -vel is added to 'aki' to mean 'with whom'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ami' instead of 'aki' for people.

    A lány, ami ott ül, a barátnőm.
    A lány, aki ott ül, a barátnőm.

    'Ami' is for objects and animals. For humans, you must use 'aki'.

  • Matching the case of 'aki' to the main clause instead of its own clause.

    Azt a lányt keresem, akit beszéltél.
    Azt a lányt keresem, akivel beszéltél.

    The case of 'aki' is determined by the verb in the relative clause, not the main clause. Even if the person is an object in the main clause (azt a lányt), if you spoke 'with' them in the relative clause, you must use the instrumental case (akivel).

  • Omitting the relative pronoun when it acts as an object.

    A lány, keresek, a barátnőm.
    A lány, akit keresek, a barátnőm.

    In English, you can often drop the relative pronoun (e.g., 'The girl I am looking for'). In Hungarian, the relative pronoun is strictly mandatory and can never be omitted.

How It Connects

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akiLevel 3Who / That for People

Learn This First

To understand the relative pronoun 'aki', you need to be familiar with the question word 'ki' (who), as 'aki' is its relative counterpart. You also need to know how the definite article 'a/az' functions, as it serves as the prefix that transforms an interrogative pronoun into a relative one. Finally, a grasp of basic sentence structure is essential for placing relative clauses correctly.

Words in This Pattern

aki