Elfelejtettem

Elfelejtettem is a Hungarian verb form that translates to "I forgot." It is the first-person singular past tense of the verb elfelejteni, which means to forget. The construction combines the prefix el- with the verb fejteni? (felejteni), creating a perfective sense that indicates a completed act of forgetting. Hungarian marks tense and aspect through a combination of verb stems and personal endings, so elfelejtettem expresses a completed memory lapse in the speaker’s past.

Etymology and grammar: The base verb is felejteni (to forget). The prefix el- adds a sense of completion or total realization. The past tense is formed with the suffix -tem for the first person singular in the indefinite past, yielding elfelejtettem. This form can take a direct object in the accusative to specify what was forgotten, for example a possession, a piece of information, or a promise. The phrase commonly appears in everyday speech and writing to report a lapse of memory.

Usage: Elfelejtettem is used when the speaker wants to acknowledge that they forgot something. It can stand alone as a brief apology or be part of a longer sentence. Examples include: Elfelejtettem a kulcsomat. (I forgot my keys.) Elfelejtettem megmutatni neki az utat. (I forgot to show him the way.) Elfelejtettem, mit mondott. (I forgot what he said.)

Related forms include the infinitive elfelejteni (to forget) and other past forms such as elfelejtetted (you forgot) or elfelejtette (he/she forgot). The term remains primarily a grammatical expression for memory lapse in Hungarian.