Megbántani

Megrábtani? No. Megbántani is a Hungarian verb meaning to hurt or offend someone, typically in an emotional or psychological sense. It is used for actions or words that cause another person pain, embarrassment, or distress. The word emphasizes harm to a person’s feelings rather than physical injury.

Grammatical notes: Megbántani is a transitive, perfective verb formed from bántani (to mistreat, to harm) with the prefix meg-, which marks completion or a single, realized action. The imperfective counterpart is bántani; common usage contrasts include megbántani (to cause someone to feel hurt) and megbánni (to regret something oneself). Conjugation follows standard Hungarian patterns for perfective verbs.

Usage and nuance: Megbántani often describes someone’s words or behavior that wounds another’s pride, feelings, or dignity. It can refer to a specific incident (past tense) or a general tendency. The phrase is frequently used with direct objects referring to people (e.g., “őt” or a proper name) and appears in both spoken and written Hungarian.

Examples:

- Megbántottam a barátomat a szavaimmal. (I hurt my friend with my words.)

- Ne bántsd meg őt. (Don’t hurt her/him.)

- A beszéd megح bánta a közönséget. (The remarks offended the audience.) [Correction: correct Hungarian would be “megbántották a közönséget.”]

Etymology: The verb derives from bántani (to harm) with the prefix meg- signaling a completed action, giving the meaning “to hurt/offend (someone) emotionally.”

See also: megbánni (to regret), bántani (to mistreat/hurt).