Foglálom

Foglálom is a conjugated form of the Hungarian verb foglal, which means to occupy, seize, or reserve. In standard modern Hungarian, the present first-person singular form is foglalom. The spelling foglálom is not typical in contemporary usage and is generally considered nonstandard, a misspelling, or a reflection of older orthography or dialectal variation. Most grammars and dictionaries list foglalom as the correct present tense form.

Usage and meaning

Foglálom expresses that the subject is performing the action of occupying or taking possession in the present. It can be used with direct objects such as helyet (the seat), szobát (the room), or időt (time). Example: Én foglalom a helyet. This translates to “I occupy the seat” or, in contexts of seating, “I take the seat.” The verb can also convey the sense of reserving something, but for that sense Hungarian more commonly uses prefixed forms like lefoglalom, which emphasizes securing or booking rather than merely occupying.

Related forms and nouns

The related noun foglalás means reservation or booking. The prefixed verb lefoglalni, meaning to reserve or to book, is commonly used when the emphasis is on securing a reservation rather than occupying a space. The base verb foglalni appears in numerous compound forms to express related ideas such as occupying, taking up time, or making a reservation.

Notes

Foglálom is best understood as the first-person present form of foglal; in modern standard Hungarian, foglalom is the normative spelling. When encountered as foglálom, it is usually worth checking for a typographical error or a historical/dialectal variant.

See also: foglalni, foglalás, lefoglalni.