Megbocsátani

Megbocsátani is a Hungarian verb meaning "to forgive" or "to pardon." It denotes releasing someone from blame or resentment and can also indicate granting forgiveness in a moral or legal sense. The verb is transitive and typically takes a recipient (valakinek) and, when specifying what is forgiven, the reason or object (valamiért). Common constructions include megbocsátani valakinek valamiért and, in everyday speech, megbocsátottam neki. The related noun is megbocsátás, and megbocsátó is an adjective meaning forgiving.

Etymology: The prefix meg- adds sense of completion or emphasis to bocsátani, an old root meaning to grant or to bestow; the noun bocsánat is the act of forgiveness or apology.

Usage and nuance: Forgiveness may facilitate reconciliation, but it does not require forgetting or excusing the wrongdoing. It can be offered unilaterally or requested by the harmed party; the act is voluntary and can be partial or conditional. In many contexts, people distinguish bocsánatkérés (apology) from megbocsátás (forgiveness), emphasizing the difference between asking for forgiveness and granting it.

Cultural and religious context: In Hungarian culture and Christian traditions, forgiveness is often discussed in moral and spiritual terms, including phrases like Isten megbocsát neked ("God forgives you"). Daily language uses megbocsátani in personal relationships to signal mercy and release from blame.

See also: bocsánat, bocsánatkérés, megbocsátás.