Lehettek

Lehettek is a form of the Hungarian verb lehet, used to express possibility or permission in the second-person plural. It corresponds to the English phrases “you may be” or “you could be.” In standard Hungarian, lehet is the verb meaning “to be possible,” and lehettek is the second-person plural present tense form.

Grammar and forms

Lehettek is the ti-form in the present indicative of lehet. The full present tense paradigm for lehet includes: én lehetek, te lehetsz, ő lehet, mi lehetünk, ti lehettek, ők lehetnek. The past tense form for the second person plural is lehettetek, used to say “you could have been” or “you might have been.” In questions, the form can appear with or without the question suffix -e, as in Lehettek otthon? or Lehettek-e otthon?

Usage

Lehettek is used to state or inquire about possibilities for a group. It often appears with predicatives such as adjectives or nouns: Lehettek otthon, amikor hazaérünk. Lehetetek fáradtak a hosszú út után. The context determines whether the meaning leans toward possibility ("you could be") or permission ("you may be") in a given situation.

Notes

Lehetetek should be distinguished from lehettetek, the past tense form for the same second-person plural subject. The form is common in everyday Hungarian and appears in written and spoken language.

See also

Lehet, lehetek, lehetsz, lehetünk, lehetnek (other person forms of lehet).