Kollégámnak

Kollégámnak is a Hungarian grammatical form that functions as the dative case of the noun phrase meaning “to my colleague” or “for my colleague.” It is built from the base noun kolléga (colleague). By adding the first-person possessive suffix -m, the form kollégám means “my colleague.” The dative ending -nak (or -nek after front vowels) is then attached to that form, yielding kollégámnak. The choice of -nak reflects Hungarian vowel harmony, and in this case the stem ends with a back vowel, so -nak is used.

The construction is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence—the recipient or beneficiary of an action. It is common with verbs that take a recipient, such as give, send, ask, or mention. Examples include: “A kollégámnak adtam a levelet” (I gave the letter to my colleague), “Megkérdeztem a kollégámnak a tanácsát” (I asked my colleague for his/her advice), and “Elküldtem a dokumentumot a kollégámnak” (I sent the document to my colleague). In informal use, the definite article a can appear before the phrase: “A kollégámnak küldtem egy üzenetet.”

Plural form for more than one colleague is kollégáimnak, meaning “to my colleagues.” The related forms include kollégám (my colleague as a direct possessive), kollégáim (my colleagues as a direct form), and other possessive constructions used in Hungarian to indicate possession and indirect objects.