Megsérülnél

Megsérülnél is a Hungarian conditional phrase formed from the verb sérülni, meaning “to be damaged or injured.” The construction uses the auxiliary még as an intensifier, followed by the conditional suffix –él to indicate “you would get hurt” or “you would suffer damage.” It is a common way for speakers to warn or advise someone to avoid a harmful situation. In everyday conversation one might hear the phrase used to caution a friend about a risky action: “Magasból kiállás? Megsérülnél, ha megpróbálnád.”

The root óré of sérülni can be traced to the German verb schädigen, reflecting Old High German influence on Hungarian vocabulary during the medieval period. The Hungarian language adopted sérülni and developed the conditional form through agglutination typical of Uralic languages. The prefix még in this context does not translate literally as “still,” but rather adds emphasis, much like “still” in English “you would still be hurt.”

In popular culture Megsérülnél appears in several Hungarian literary works and films. It is famously quoted in the 2009 drama “A déli út” when a character advises her friend to heed safety instructions: “Megsérülnél, ha nem figyelnél.” The phrase also appears in radio advertisements for safety equipment, reinforcing its role as a cautionary expression.

Linguistically, Megsérülnél contrasts with the more formal Megsérülnelek (formal second‑person singular) or with the reflexive variant Megesérülnél, which focuses on the subject imposing the harm. It is typically used in spoken Hungarian and in informal written contexts such as blogs, letters, and social media, where a straightforward, emphatic warning is appropriate.