Megbocsáthatnak

Megbocsáthatnak is a finite Hungarian verb form derived from the verb megbocsát (to forgive). It expresses the possibility or potential that a group or set of subjects can be forgiven. The form combines the potential suffix -hat/-het with the third-person plural present ending -nak/-nek, yielding megbocsáthatnak.

Morphology and meaning: megbocsáthatnak consists of the verb stem megbocsá- + -that (potential) + -nak (3rd person plural present). In interpretation, the form indicates that the subject could receive forgiveness or that forgiveness is possible for them. Hungarian does not require an explicit agent for forgiveness in this construction; the agent or recipient is usually deduced from context or marked with a prepositional phrase (for example, nekik = to them) if specified.

Usage: This form is employed in contexts where forgiveness is discussed as a possibility rather than a certainty. It can appear in moral, legal, or literary discourse when evaluating whether certain acts or actors may be forgivable. It is distinct from megbocsátható (forgivable, an adjective/participial form) and from active forms such as megbocsátják (they forgive), which convey the action of forgiving rather than the possibility of forgiveness.

Notes: Correct usage relies on context to clarify who could be forgiven and by whom. The form is relatively specialized and may be less common in everyday speech than its related adjectives or active verbs.

See also: megbocsát, megbocsátható, megbocsátás.