0tól

0tól is a Hungarian postpositional construction meaning “from zero.” It combines the numeral 0 with the postposition tól, used to indicate the starting point of a range, measurement, time interval, or scope. Because it is a postpositional phrase, it functions like other from-phrases in Hungarian and does not form a separate word with a fixed meaning beyond “from.”

Usage and meaning

- Range and extent: 0tól 100-ig means from zero to one hundred (inclusive, depending on context).

- Time and duration: 0tól 24-ig can denote a period from the start of the day to the end of the day, though time expressions may also appear as 0:00-tól 24:00-ig in more formal formats.

- Measurements and quantities: 0tól 5 méterig indicates a span from zero up to five meters.

Orthography and variants

- The suffix tól has variants in Hungarian spelling due to vowel harmony, appearing as -tól or -től in different words. After the numeral 0, the form 0tól is commonly seen in continuous prose, while some style guides prefer the hyphenated 0-tól in more formal or tabular contexts.

- With numbers, the hyphenation choice (0tól versus 0-tól) is largely a matter of typographic convention and editorial style rather than a difference in meaning.

Context and usage notes

- 0tól is most common in technical writing, data presentation, logistics, and everyday speech when specifying lower bounds.

- The phrase is versatile but non-lexical; its interpretation depends on the accompanying upper bound or the context of the range.

See also: Hungarian grammar, postpositions, tól/től.