Kitértem

Kitértem is the first-person singular past tense (preterite) form of the Hungarian verb kitérni, which means to deviate, to digress, or to take a detour. The sense can be physical, referring to a detour from a route, or figurative, meaning to shift away from a planned line of thought or topic. Etymology: the prefix ki- indicates outward movement or turning away, combined with tér (space, area) or the idea of turning, yielding a meaning of turning away from a path or from a point of focus.

Usage and meaning: In narrative or everyday speech, kitértem signals that the speaker temporarily left the planned topic or route. It is commonly used with adverbial phrases specifying what was left or avoided, such as a topic or detail. For example: "A beszéd közben kitértem a fő témáról." (During the talk I digressed from the main topic.) In a travel context, it can describe taking an unintended detour. The verb can be contrasted with related terms such as elkalandozás (wandering off) and digresszió (digression, naj borrowed noun). A related noun form is kitérő, meaning a detour or digression in general.

Conjugation note: kitértem is the 1st person singular past tense form of kitérni. The infinitive is kitérni, and other past forms follow the same ki- prefix pattern with person-specific endings.

See also: kitérő, digresszió, elkalandozás.