Fülben

Fülben is a Hungarian locative form meaning “in the ear.” It is the inessive case of the noun fül (ear) and is formed by adding the suffix -ben to the stem (fül + ben → fülben). It is used to indicate that something is located inside the ear, rather than moving into it.

In medical, anatomical, and everyday language, fülben appears in phrases describing objects, substances, or sensations that occupy space within the ear. Examples include idegen test a fülben (a foreign object in the ear), gyulladás a fülben (inflammation in the ear), and víz a fülben (water in the ear). The corresponding motion-oriented form is fülbe, the illative meaning “into the ear,” as in víz jut a fülbe (water enters the ear).

Grammatical notes: fülben is the standard locative form used after nouns when specifying location. It can be combined with adjectives and other modifiers, for example a fülben lévő idegen test (the foreign object in the ear). The illative fülbe is used when describing movement toward the ear.

Relation to other forms: the locative system in Hungarian includes similar forms for other body parts and places (for instance térben “in the space,” szívben “in the heart”). fülben should not be confused with fülbe, which expresses motion into the ear.

See also: fül, fülgyulladás, fülzsír, fülcsatorna.