Láttam

Láttam is a Hungarian word that functions as the first person singular simple past tense of the verb látni, meaning to see. It translates to "I saw" or, in some contexts, "I have seen." The form is used to refer to a completed act of seeing that occurred in the past and is commonly found in narrative or descriptive contexts.

Morphology and forms: The base verb is látni, with the past tense formed as látt- plus the personal ending -am for the first person singular. The standard past tense paradigm for látni includes láttam, láttál, látott, láttuk, láttátok, láttak. The word is written with a double t, reflecting the stem consonant change that accompanies the past-tense suffix.

Usage: Láttam appears in simple past statements, such as Tegnap láttam egy filmet ("I saw a movie yesterday"). It can also be used to convey experiential or reportable past events, as in Látomást kellett elmesélnem, hogy mit láttam. In combination with adverbs like már (already) or még (yet), it can express nuances related to timing or relevance to the present, for example Már láttam ezt a könyvet.

Related forms and notes: The infinitive form is látni, and related forms include látott (the past participle, meaning "seen") and látó (an adjective related to seeing). Pronunciation is typically [ˈlaːttɒm], with a geminated t. Láttam is a common, high-frequency verb form in Hungarian and appears across everyday speech and literature.