Meglátott

Meglátott is a Hungarian past participle derived from meglátni, the verb meaning to catch sight of or to see. The prefix meg- signals completion or achievement of the action, while látni means to see. As a non-finite form, meglátott translates roughly as seen or having seen, and it functions as an adjective or in participial phrases.

Morphology and syntax: Meglátott ends with the standard past participle suffix -ott (with the usual vowel harmony) and is used as an adjective, agreeing with the noun it modifies in number and definiteness, as Hungarian participles do. It can appear in attributive position (meglátott tárgy, the thing that has been seen) and in participial clauses (az a személy, akit meglátott, the person whom he saw). In many contexts, the simple finite forms of meglátni and látni are more common in everyday speech, while meglátott is preferred when the emphasis is on the result or on a description of a seen item.

Usage notes: Meglátott denotes a completed act of seeing in relation to the noun it modifies. It is commonly found in written or formal Hungarian, especially in descriptive, journalistic, or literary text. The form is closely related to meglátni (to see) and to látás (sight), and it shares the same semantic field of perception and observation.

See also: meglátni, látás, percepção (in a multilingual context).