Közelre

Közelre is a Hungarian adverb formed from közel (“near”) with the directional suffix -re. It is used to indicate motion or orientation toward a nearby location or object, roughly conveying the sense “toward the near” in English. The construction reflects a broader Hungarian pattern in which the suffix -re expresses direction toward something.

In contemporary standard Hungarian, közelre is relatively uncommon and tends to appear mainly in older texts, poetry, or regional speech. It is encountered in linguistic or literary contexts rather than as a routine element of everyday prose. When modern speakers want to express proximity in a directional sense, they typically use phrases such as közel felé or a közeli irányba.

Differences from related forms: közelebb is the comparative adverb meaning “closer.” Közelre, by contrast, encodes direction toward proximity rather than a change in distance, and its usage is more restricted.

Etymology and status: közelre combines közel with the directional suffix -re, a productive element in Hungarian that marks direction. Its use is marginal compared with more common expressions of proximity, and it is often found in literary or dialectal registers rather than in everyday speech. See also Hungarian grammar and adverbs of direction.