Kezelhetik

Kezelhetik is a Hungarian verb form that expresses possibility or permission. It is the third-person plural finite form of the verb kezelni, which means to handle, manage, or process, in the potential mood. The literal sense of kezelihtik is “they may handle” or “they could handle.” The form is used to attribute potential ability to a group as a whole.

Formation and morphology: kezil-? The form is created by attaching the potential suffix -het to the verb stem kezel-, and then adding the third-person plural ending -ik. In this way, the verb signals that a group could perform the action under suitable conditions. Other person forms of the same mood can be formed by applying different personal endings combined with the -het suffix, yielding forms such as keztheti (he/she/it could handle) or kezlhették (they could handle, in a different variant). The exact endings depend on the person and number.

Usage and nuance: In Hungarian, the potential mood with -het is used to discuss ability or possibility in a somewhat formal or literary sense. In everyday speech, speakers often prefer constructions with lehet or a subordinate clause like “lehet, hogy …” to convey possibility, rather than using a full finite form with -ik. Kezelhetik, however, is clear and precise when the speaker wants to attribute a hypothetical capability to a specific plural subject.

Examples:

- A csapatok kezelhetik a feladatot. (The teams may handle the task.)

- Ezek a rendszerek kezelhetik az adatokat. (These systems could process the data.)