Illatát

Illatát is a Hungarian grammatical form derived from illat, meaning scent or fragrance. It is used to express “its fragrance” or “the fragrance of it” when the scent belongs to a third-person subject and functions as a definite direct object in a sentence.

Morphology and form

The base noun illat means fragrance. To form illatát, Hungarian attaches a third-person possessive suffix -a (illata) to indicate possession by a singular third person. The definite accusative ending -t is then added, producing illatát. Thus illatát literally corresponds to “its fragrance” in the accusative case, with the possessor understood from context (for example, the fragrance of the flower, the tree’s scent, etc.).

Usage and examples

Illatát appears in sentences where the scent, belonging to someone or something, is the direct object. Examples:

- A virág illatát érzem. (I sense the fragrance of the flower.)

- A rózsa illatát szeretem. (I love the rose’s fragrance.)

In these sentences illatát marks the definite direct object, while the possessor is understood from context.

Notes

Illatát is inflected for the third-person possessive and the definite accusative. Variants would occur with different possessors or with non-definite syntax, but illatát specifically signals “its fragrance” as a defined object in a clause.