Idéz

idéz is a Hungarian verb meaning to quote or to cite. It is a transitive verb used when reproducing someone else’s exact words or a portion of a text. The infinitive is idézni, and the present tense third-person singular form is idéz (ő idéz).

In usage, idéz is common in literature, journalism, and academic writing to attribute direct quotes to a source. The verb is conjugated like a regular -zni verb; for example, én idézek (I quote), te idézel (you quote), ő idéz (he/she quotes). Direct quotation typically accompanies quotation marks and the source attribution.

Related terms include idézet, meaning quotation or quote, and idézőjel, meaning quotation mark. The prefix felidéz forms other verbs such as felidéz, meaning to recall or evoke, which are related in meaning but differ in usage from idéz.

Usage notes: Hungarian distinguishes direct quotation (idéz) from paraphrase, which relies on other syntactic constructions rather than the verb idéz. When quoting, writers attribute the source and enclose the quoted material in quotation marks; paraphrase expresses content in different words without a direct quotation.

See also: idézet, idézőjel, felidéz.