Infinitívussal

Infinitívussal (Hungarian: "with the infinitive") is a descriptive expression used in Hungarian grammar and linguistics to refer to constructions that employ the infinitive form of a verb. It highlights syntactic or semantic functions in which the infinitive plays a central role, for example as a complement to modal verbs, to express purpose, as a non-finite clause, or in nominalized uses.

In Hungarian the basic infinitive form typically ends in -ni (e.g., enni "to eat", olvasni "to read"). Constructions described as infinitívussal include sequences like szeret enni ("likes to eat") where the infinitive complements a modal or control verb, célkifejezés infinitívussal ("to express purpose with the infinitive") as in eljött, hogy segítsen → eljött segíteni ("he came to help"), and nominalized infinitives used as verbal nouns.

In comparative linguistics, "infinitívussal" corresponds to talk about infinitival clauses in other languages, such as the English to-infinitive or bare infinitive. Analyses may distinguish control vs. raising, argument structure, and negation patterns (Hungarian uses nem + infinitive to negate: nem enni "not to eat").

The term is mainly used in pedagogical and descriptive contexts to categorize constructions by their use of the infinitive rather than to denote a single grammatical category. Practical descriptions often pair examples with information about case marking, agreement, and semantic role assignment.