Sokkal

Sokkal is a Hungarian adverb used to express a high degree or intensity. It functions as an intensifier meaning “much,” “far,” or “by a large margin,” and is typically placed before the word it modifies. In practice, sokkal appears most often with adjectives and other adverbs to convey a stronger comparison or absolute emphasis, as in sokkal jobb (much better), sokkal gyorsabban (much faster), or sokkal több (many more).

Etymology and formation: sokkal is formed from the determiner sok (many, much) plus the instrumental suffix -kal/-val. In this construction, the suffix does not convey literal “with” in the sense of instrument; instead it creates an adverbial form that modifies the following modifier. The result is a versatile intensifier used across registers, from casual speech to formal writing.

Usage notes: Sokkal generally accompanies adjectives or adverbs in comparative contexts and often appears in sentences that compare two or more possibilities or outcomes. It is not used to modify nouns directly. Typical sentence patterns include sokkal + adjective or sokkal + adverb, and it can combine with explicit comparisons using mint or with implicit contrasts, as in Ez a megoldás sokkal hatékonyabb, mint a korábbi.

Related forms and alternatives: Other degree modifiers in Hungarian include annyira, olyan, and minél, but sokkal remains a common and widely accepted option for expressing strong emphasis. Phrases such as sokkal több vagy sokkal kevesebb are frequent constructions to denote larger or smaller extents.

See also: Hungarian language, degree adverbs, sok, mint-clauses, comparative constructions.