Kézben

Közben is a Hungarian adverb meaning "in the meantime" or "meanwhile." It indicates that an action or event occurs during another, creating a sense of simultaneity or overlap between two moments in time. It can introduce a clause or follow a noun phrase such as "a film" or "főzés," as in "a film közben" (during the film) or "közben megérkezett" (in the meantime, it arrived).

Usage and examples:

Közben is used to describe actions that happen concurrently with another ongoing event. For example: "Közben a főnök telefonált, én jegyzeteltem." (Meanwhile the boss was calling, I was taking notes.) "Közben eszembe jutott egy ötletem." (In the meantime, an idea came to me.) "A film közben mindenki fáradt volt." (During the film, everyone was tired.) The word is relatively neutral and versatile, and it does not inflect; its position in a sentence can vary for emphasis or rhythm.

Synonyms and related terms:

Eközben and mialatt are closely related and convey a similar sense of simultaneity, with eközben often adding a slightly more formal or emphatic nuance. Mialatt typically introduces a subordinate clause in Hungarian.

Etymology:

Közben comes from köz meaning "middle" or "between" plus the locative suffix -ben, forming a temporal adverb that denotes being in the middle of one activity while another occurs. The construction is well established in Hungarian and commonly used in narrative and everyday speech.