Embernél

Embernél is a term used in discussions of Hungarian grammar to describe a specific postpositional construction formed by adding the suffix -nél to the noun ember (meaning “person”). The resulting form, embernél, functions as a reference point in comparisons and is often glossed in English as “than a person.” The construction highlights a human standard in evaluating or contrasting qualities such as speed, strength, or endurance.

In morphology, embernél results from combining ember with the comparative postposition -nél, a feature of Hungarian that marks reference points in comparative phrases. The form is typically used within larger comparative clauses or phrases, and its exact position can vary with the syntactic frame. While not extremely common in everyday speech, embernél appears in descriptive grammars and some literary or formal contexts that emphasize human benchmarks.

Semantically, embernél serves to anchor a comparison to human capabilities. It can pair with adjectives or other descriptive elements to express that something exceeds or falls short of a human standard. For example, a sentence like “Ezt a robotot embernél gyorsabbnak tekintik” would translate roughly as “This robot is considered faster than a person.” The register tends to be neutral and explanatory rather than idiomatic, and speakers may prefer alternative phrasings in informal speech.

See also: Hungarian grammar, comparison constructions, -nál/-nél suffix, ember.