Tehát

Tehát is a common Hungarian conjunction and adverb that is usually translated into English as "therefore," "so," or "thus." It functions primarily to indicate a logical consequence or conclusion that follows from a preceding statement. The word is frequently found in both spoken and written Hungarian and can be used in a variety of contexts, from informal conversation to formal academic writing.

In usage, tehát typically appears at the beginning of a clause, often following a comma, to signal that what follows is the result or summation of the prior information. For example, „Munkan túlterhelt vagyok, tehát nem menjek túl sokat elég.” translates to “I am overworked, therefore I should not take too many days off.” In more formal contexts, it may be placed mid-sentence, e.g., „Az eredmények határozottan mellette forogtak, tehát a felmérés megbízható.” meaning “The results consistently varied, thus the survey was reliable.”

The etymology of tehát can be traced to older Hungarian and is connected with other Slavic linguistic influences; it has evolved into a stable conjunction in contemporary Hungarian. Usage conventions recommend avoiding redundancy, such as appending another conjunction like „és” (and) immediately before tehát in a single sentence. Despite its high frequency, tehát remains a fundamental tool for structuring reasoning and argument in Hungarian remarks, speeches, and written texts.