Szabadságának

Szabadságának is a form in Hungarian grammar. It is the possessive form derived from the noun szabadság (freedom) used to indicate possession by a third-person referent, and it carries a following case or possessive ending that marks its role in the sentence. In translation, szabadságának roughly corresponds to “of his/her/its freedom” or “his/her/its freedom’s,” depending on context.

Morphology and usage. The base word szabadság forms abstract nouns from the adjective szabadt, meaning free. To express possession by a third person, Hungarian attaches a possessive suffix; in combinations like szabadságának the suffix -ának (or -ének, depending on vowel harmony) is added to the stem. The result is a single word that functions within a noun phrase as the possessed noun with its possessor indicated. The exact interpretation—whether as “the freedom of …” or “the freedom’s …”—depends on surrounding words and prepositions in the sentence.

Function in sentences. Szabadságának appears most often in formal, historical, or political prose, where authors discuss rights, liberties, or constraints on freedom belonging to a particular person or entity. It can occur in phrases such as a szabadságának elvesztése (the loss of his/her freedom), a szabadságának ára (the price of his/her freedom), or az állam szabadságának korlátozása (the restriction of the state’s freedom).

Etymology. Szabadság is formed from szabadt- plus the abstract-noun suffix -ság, meaning a state or quality. The possessive form szabadságának reflects Hungarian possessive morphology, which marks third-person ownership and, in combination with other elements, indicates the precise syntactic role of the phrase.

See also: szabadság, Hungarian grammar, noun phrases, possessive forms.