Autót

Autót is the accusative singular form of the Hungarian noun autó, meaning car. In Hungarian, the direct object of a transitive verb is marked with the suffix -t, and autó becomes autót when it functions as the object, regardless of whether the object is definite or indefinite. Examples: Látom az autót (I see the car). Megvettem egy autót (I bought a car). Possessives can still appear with the accusative form, for example az autóját (his/her car as the object).

Origin and usage in language: autó is a loanword adopted into Hungarian in the early 20th century to name the automobile. It derives from international terms for automobile, which themselves trace to the root auto- (self) combined with a vehicle-related term, reflecting the concept of self-propelled transport. In modern Hungarian, autó is the common everyday word for passenger cars, while állapot- or gépjármű are more formal or technical terms that can appear in legal, regulatory, or industry contexts.

Grammar notes: The accusative form autót is used even when the object is introduced with a demonstrative or determiner, as in az autót, ezt az autót, vagy egy autót. When referring to a owned vehicle, possessives attach similarly: az autóját (his/her car as the object). The base noun autó also combines with compound words, such as autóipar (the automotive industry) or autóház (car garage, depending on usage).

See also: autó, autóipar, gépjármű.