Menekültnek

Menekültnek is a predicative form in Hungarian, created from the noun menekült (refugee) with the suffix -nak/-nek. It is used to express the role or status of a person as “a refugee” in predicative constructions such as after verbs like lenni (to be), válni (to become), vagy tekinteni (to regard as). In other words, menekültnek means “as a refugee” or “to be a refugee.”

In practice, the form appears in sentences like: ő menekültnek vallotta magát (he claimed to be a refugee), ő menekültnek tekinti magát (he regards himself as a refugee), or a dokumentum szerint a személy menekültnek nyilvánították (the person was declared a refugee according to the document). The usage reflects Hungarian grammar where the predicative complement after verbs of being or becoming takes the -nak/-nek form rather than the nominative.

Semantically, a refugee is someone who has fled or is compelled to flee their country due to well-founded fears of persecution for reasons such as race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. This concept is defined in international law (notably the 1951 UN Refugee Convention) and is implemented within national asylum systems. In Hungarian discourse, distinctions are often made between a person who has been recognized as a refugee (menekült) and someone who is seeking asylum (menekültkérelem, or kérelmező a menedékért). The form menekültnek is therefore primarily a grammatical vehicle to express “as a refugee” in context, while the broader topic encompasses legal status, protection rights, and asylum procedures.

See also: menekült, menekültstátusz, asylum policy.