Lehetett

Lehetett is a Hungarian verb form, the past tense of lehet, which means “to be possible” or “to be allowed.” In English it is commonly rendered as “could have been” or “was possible.” The form expresses past probability or a supposition about a past event and is used in both written and spoken language.

Morphology and related forms: Lehetett is formed from lehet with the past tense suffix -ett, producing a finite verb that denotes a past possibility. The negative form is nem lehetett (“it was not possible”). Related forms include lehet (present: “it is possible”), lehetne (conditional present: “could be”), and lehettek (past tense form used with plural subjects). The past conditional lehetett volna (often translated as “could have been”) expresses counterfactual scenarios.

Usage and nuance: Lehetett is typically used to indicate that something was possible or plausible in the past, not necessarily realized. It can appear in narratives, reports, or speculative statements about past events. The sentence context determines subject, tense, and modality, while lehetett itself signals the past possibility. For speaker intent, the more speculative past form lehetett volna is used when presenting a hypothetical alternative.

Examples:

- Lehetett, hogy eltévedtünk. (It could have been that we got lost / We might have gotten lost.)

- Nem lehetett. (It was not possible / It could not be.)

- Lehetett volna késni. (He could have been late / It could have been late.)

See also: lehet, lehetne, lehetetlen, lehetőség.