Fogalmában

Fogalmában is a Hungarian locative form built from the noun fogalom (concept, notion) with the possessive suffix and the locative ending. The base is fogalom, which can take possessive endings to indicate ownership (fogalmam, fogalma, fogalmaink, etc.), and when the locative suffix -ban/-ben is added to the possessed form, it yields forms such as fogalmamban, fogalmadban, fogalmában, fogalmainkban, fogalmaitokban, fogalmájukban. The literal meaning is “in one’s concept/notion,” and it is used to refer to something that exists or is conceived within a person’s mental framework rather than in external reality.

Meaning and usage. Fogalmában signals that a statement, idea, or possibility exists only in someone’s mind or in their conceptual framework. The construction is common in more formal or written Hungarian and tends to appear in discussions of theory, interpretation, or opinion. It can be contrasted with more everyday expressions like fejében (in one’s mind) or másképp gondolja, which are often preferred in casual speech. A typical expressing alike is: Ez a lehetőség még a fogalmában sem fordul meg, meaning that the possibility has not even occurred to the person in question.

Variants and related forms. The form changes with the possessor: fogalmamban (in my concept), fogalmadban (in your concept), fogalmában (in his/her/its concept), fogalmainkban (in our concept), fogalmaikban (in your [plural] concept), fogalmájukban (in their concept). The phrase is related to fogalom (concept), fogalomkészlet, and to common words for thinking and understanding, such as gondolat or fej.