Térhetnek

Térhetnek is a Hungarian verbal form used to express possibility. It is the third-person plural form of a verb in the potential mood, created from a verb stem with the suffix -het (the potential marker) and the plural ending -nek/-ek. The construction follows the same pattern as other verbs that take -het/-hat to indicate possibility, such as mehetnek (they may go). In this form, the exact meaning depends on the underlying verb stem.

Semantically, térhetnek means that the action is possible or permissible for the subjects, rather than signaling a definite event. It functions as a mood marker rather than a tense marker, and its interpretation relies on context. It can appear in everyday speech, formal writing, and theoretical discussions when describing hypothetical outcomes, plans, or policy scenarios.

Usage-wise, térhetnek is used with plural subjects. The root verb determines the core meaning (for example, turning, moving, or another action), while -het conveys possibility and -nek marks the third-person plural subject. The form is productive in standard Hungarian and can appear across various registers, from descriptive prose to academic prose.

Example sentences:

- A résztvevők térhetnek el a kiírt útvonaltól.

- A tervek térhetnek el a végleges verziótól.

See also: Hungarian mood and tense systems, potential mood in Hungarian, verb conjugation.