Eltolni

Eltolni is a Hungarian verb with several related meanings centered on moving something away or delaying something. The basic sense combines the verb tolni (to push) with the prefix el-, which conveys separation or removal. In general use it covers both a physical action and a figurative postponement.

In the physical sense, eltolni means to push or shift an object away from its original position. It is transitive and can take an object in either order, for example: “A széket eltolta az asztaltól” or more simply “Az ajtót eltolta.” This use describes a concrete movement of matter in space.

In the temporal sense, eltolni also means to postpone, delay, or move to a later time. This is common in scheduling, deadlines, or plans. For example: “A megbeszélést egy héttel eltolták,” meaning the meeting was postponed by one week, or “Az időpontot eltolhatják,” meaning the date can be moved to a later time.

Grammatical notes: eltolni is a regular verb with the prefix el- and is typically conjugated as a regular -ni verb (tolni → tolom, tolod, tolja, toljuk, toljátok, toljak). The prefix can be separated in some constructions, as in “Az ajtót eltolom” or “El tolom az ajtót.”

Etymology: el- + tolni, where el- signals removal or deferral, evolving from the core sense of pushing away to include postponement.

See also: eltolás, elhúz, törlés.