Olyan

olyan is a native Hungarian determiner that functions as an intensifier, typically translated into English as such or so. It is used to emphasize the quality or kind of a following noun or adjective, rather than standing alone. The word is common in both everyday speech and written Hungarian.

Grammatical usage commonly places such a modifier before adjectives or nouns. Before adjectives, it expresses degree or extent: such a good day becomes olyan jó nap; such a beautiful scene becomes olyan gyönyörű jelenet. Before nouns, it marks a particular kind or example: olyan ember means such a person, or such a kind of person. In many contexts, használatával a kifejezést egyértelműen jelöli a jelenséget vagy tulajdonságot, amelyről beszélünk. The construction does not require a copula; it can stand with or without a linking verb depending on the sentence structure.

In comparisons, the phrase often appears with mint meaning as or than: olyan gyors, mint a szél (as fast as the wind). Similar intensifiers in Hungarian include akár, ilyen, and annyira, but olyan remains the most versatile for general emphasis on adjectives and nouns.

Etymology is within the Hungarian lexicon and is closely related to other demonstratives in the language. Its exact historical development is part of broader studies of Hungarian determiners, but today it is recognized as a fundamental element of sentence construction for expressing emphasis and qualification.

See also: Hungarian language, Hungarian grammar, demonstratives, adjectives.