önmagát

Önmagát is a Hungarian reflexive pronoun form used with the polite second-person pronoun ön. It functions as the object of a verb and translates roughly to “yourself” in English. It is part of a broader system of reflexive pronouns in Hungarian, which includes forms such as magam, magad, maga, magunk, magatok, and maguk.

Formation and usage

Önmagát is formed from önmaga (the reflexive base for the polite you) combined with the accusative suffix -t, marking a definite direct object. It occurs when the subject and the object of a verb refer to the same entity and the referent is the polite you. The corresponding subject form for the polite you is often expressed with önmagam, önmaga, or simply using the implicit subject pronoun, depending on the sentence structure. In the plural, a comparable form is önmagukat, used when addressing or referring to you (plural, polite) yourselves.

Examples

- Önmagát hibáztatja. (You blame yourself.)

- Az ügyfél meg tudta védeni önmagát. (The client could defend himself/herself, with the reflexive referring to the polite you in a formal context.)

Notes

In everyday speech, speakers may use magát or maga without ön to express reflexive meaning in informal contexts, or to refer to third-person reflexivity. Önnagát tends to appear in formal, written, or carefully constructed sentences where the speaker wishes to emphasize the reflexive action by the polite you. The pronoun system in Hungarian is rich and involves agreements between person, number, and formality, with reflexive forms serving to clarify the relation between subject and object.