Hallgatóval

Hallgatóval is the instrumental form of the Hungarian noun hallgató. The word hallgató has two primary meanings: a) a student, particularly a university student; b) a listener, someone who listens to a broadcast, lecture, or conversation. The instrumental form hallgatóval is used to indicate accompaniment or collaboration, answering the question “with whom?”

The instrumental suffix -val/-vel follows Hungarian vowel harmony. Since hallgató ends with a back vowel (ó), the form is hallgatóval. This form is commonly used to show that an action is performed together with the person referred to by hallgató, or to describe something done in the presence or participation of that person. For example: “A tanár a hallgatóval beszélget” (The teacher talks with the student). “A kutató a hallgatóval együtt dolgozott a kísérleten” (The researcher worked on the experiment together with the student).

In addition to the student meaning, hallgató can also denote a listener in contexts such as radio, lectures, or seminars. In such cases hallgatóval can refer to involvement or interaction with the listener, depending on context. The exact sense—whether accompaniment, collaboration, or interaction with the listener—is determined by the accompanying verb and surrounding information.

Notes on usage: hallgatóval tends to appear in sentences describing joint activity, consultation, discussion, or communication involving the person identified as a hallgató. As with other instrumental forms, it is important to consider the broader sentence to interpret whether the sense is companionship or participation.