Hosszabbakat

Hosszabbakat is a form in Hungarian grammar that functions as the definite plural accusative of the adjective hosszabb, meaning “the longer ones.” It is used when the longer items are the direct object of a sentence.

Formation and use: In Hungarian, adjectives agree with number and definiteness when they form a noun phrase that serves as the direct object. To indicate plural definite, the suffix -kat (or -ket, depending on vowel harmony) is attached to the stem. For hosszabb, the resulting form is hosszabbakat. The definite article a or az is placed before the noun phrase, for example: látom a hosszabbakat, the longer ones I see.

Examples: Látom a hosszabbakat. I see the longer ones. A hosszabbakat választottam ki a minták közül. I selected the longer ones from the samples. Húzd rá a hosszabbakat a listából. Put the longer ones from the list aside. These examples illustrate how the form marks definiteness and plurality for direct objects.

Relationship to related forms: The nominative plural szerepét tölti be, ahol a hosszabbak vagy „the longer ones” (as the subject). In contrast, hosszabbakat marks the direct object, and forms like hosszabbakkal would express accompaniment or instrumental meaning with the longer ones. The distinction between hosszabbak and hosszabbakat is primarily a matter of syntactic role rather than meaning, since both refer to lengthened items.

See also: Hungarian grammar, definiteness and agreement, comparative adjectives.