anélkül, hogy

In Hungarian, you cannot simply attach a verb to a postposition like 'nélkül'. Instead, you must use a clausal structure or a noun-based construction.

1. The Structure:
The main clause contains anélkül, which acts as a placeholder. The subordinate clause starts with hogy and contains the verb describing the action that did not occur. Depending on emphasis, anélkül and hogy can sit right next to each other or be separated by other words in the main clause. Note that Hungarian punctuation rules strictly require a comma before the subordinate clause starting with hogy. When they sit right next to each other, the comma goes exactly between anélkül and hogy (anélkül, hogy).

2. Mood Selection:

• Conditional Mood: This is the overwhelming default choice for 'without' clauses. Use the present conditional for current/future situations or when the main clause is an imperative (e.g., Menj el anélkül, hogy észrevennének! - Leave without them noticing!). Use the past conditional (with volna, which remains a separate word and typically immediately follows the conjugated verb) for past events (e.g., Elment anélkül, hogy köszönt volna - He left without saying goodbye).
• Subjunctive Mood: While the conditional is standard, the subjunctive is occasionally used in specific contexts, such as when the 'without' clause expresses a specific purpose or a result that was intended to be avoided, though this is much less common.

3. Same vs. Different Subjects:
If the subjects of the two actions are different, the anélkül, hogy clausal structure is mandatory when expressing an action (verb). However, if a suitable noun exists, a lexical noun + possessive suffix + nélkül can be used (e.g., a tudtom nélkül - without my knowledge). When the subject of both actions is the same, while 'anélkül, hogy' is grammatically correct, it is often more natural to use a verbal noun + nélkül (e.g., Alvás nélkül dolgozik - He works without sleeping). Another common same-subject alternative is using the negative adverbial participle with the suffix -atlanul/-etlenül (e.g., Búcsúzatlanul ment el - He left without saying goodbye).

4. Negation and Verbal Prefixes:
If you add ne inside the 'hogy' clause (e.g., anélkül, hogy ne...), the meaning changes to 'without failing to' or 'not without', implying the action actually did happen. This double-negative pattern is almost exclusively used when the main clause is also negative (e.g., Nem telik el nap anélkül, hogy ne gondolnék rá - Not a day goes by without me thinking of it) or contains a word with negative polarity. Regarding verbal prefixes, they remain attached to the verb in standard clauses (e.g., anélkül, hogy elment volna). However, in the double-negative pattern, the negative word ne causes the prefix to move after the verb (e.g., anélkül, hogy ne csinálta volna meg).