Hibásnak

Hibásnak is a predicative form used in Hungarian grammar. It is the dative singular form of the adjective hibás, meaning faulty or incorrect, and it appears in constructions with verbs of appearance or evaluation, such as tűnik (to seem), látszik (to appear), or bizonyul (to prove to be). In these contexts hibásnak conveys the sense that something “seems to be faulty” or “turns out to be faulty.”

Morphology and use. The basic form hibásnak is derived from hibás by attaching the suffix -nak (the dative/elliptical predicative suffix in this construction). This form functions as a predicative complement to the subject of the sentence, rather than as a directly inflected attribute of the noun. It is commonly used with verbs of perception or judgment, for example: Ez hibásnak tűnik. (This seems faulty.) A készülékek hibásnak tűnnek. (The devices seem faulty.) A jelentés hibásnak bizonyult. (The report proved to be faulty.) The complement remains hibásnak regardless of the subject’s number; verb conjugation handles singular vs. plural.

Semantic nuance. Hibásnak expresses a evaluative or diagnostic judgment rather than a defining property. It often signals an assessment that could be provisional or contingent on further information, as in “appears to be faulty” or “turns out defective.”

See also. Predicative adjectives in Hungarian, the suffix -nak/-nek, and verbs of appearance and judgment such as tűnik, látszik, és bizonyul.