Alapmondatban

Alapmondatban is a Hungarian linguistic term meaning “in the main clause.” It is used to describe the position or scope of linguistic material that belongs to the main clause of a sentence rather than to a subordinate clause. The alapmondat is the clause that can stand as a sentence on its own and carries the principal assertion of the sentence. Elements within that clause—such as the subject, finite verb, and any modifiers integrated into the clause—are said to occur in the alapmondatban.

In descriptive grammar, a distinction is made between the alapmondat and mellékmondatok (subordinate clauses). The terminology helps analysts indicate that a given element is located inside the main clause rather than inside a subordinate unit. The phrase alapmondatban is most often used in analytical statements or teaching materials to describe word order and clausal structure.

Examples include: A fiú a kertben fut. In this sentence, a kertben appears inside the main clause, so it is in the alapmondatban. A lány, aki az apját várta, hazajött. Here the main clause is A lány hazajött, and the relative clause is integrated into the subject within the main clause, thus still in the alapmondatban. A könyvet, amit olvasol, szívesen adom kölcsön. The object relative clause is part of the main clause and also resides in the alapmondatban.

Alapmondatban is used mainly in grammar descriptions and language pedagogy to clarify where elements belong within a sentence’s structure. See also: főmondat, mellékmondat, összetett mondat.