Megtehet

Megtehet is a Hungarian verb form traditionally used to express the possibility or permission to perform a specific action. In contemporary standard Hungarian, this exact form is seldom used in everyday speech; the language more commonly conveys modality of ability with the combination meg-tud (to be able) plus an infinitive, as in meg tudom tenni (I can do it). Because of this, megtehet is often described as archaic, literary, or primarily found in older texts or formal registers.

Formation and relation to other forms

Megtehet is built from the prefix meg- attached to a verb stem related to tenni/tesz (to do). The basic stem that underpins the construction can take personal endings to yield forms such as megtehetem (I can do), megteheted (you can do), megteheti (he/she can do), and so on. In modern usage, however, speakers typically rely on meg tudom tenni or tudom megtenni to express the same idea, reserving megtehet for historical, literary, or stylistically marked contexts.

Usage and examples

- Archaic or formal sense: Megtehet ezt a feladatot. (He can do this task.) In many contexts this would more naturally be rendered as Meg tudja tenni ezt.

- Contemporary alternatives: Meg tudom tenni ezt. (I can do this.) Ő meg tudja tenni a feladatot. (He can do the task.)

See also

Hungarian language; prefix meg-; verb tenni; modal expressions in Hungarian.