Tömegban

Tömegban is a Hungarian locative form derived from the noun tömeg (crowd, mass) with the suffix -ban, used to indicate a position inside a crowd or a large group. It translates roughly to “in the crowd” or “among the masses.” As a grammatical form, tömegban is not a separate word with its own meaning beyond the locative case of tömeg.

In Hungarian, the locative case marks location within something and is formed by adding -ban or -ben to the noun. With tömeg, the choice between -ban and -ben follows standard vowel harmony rules, producing tömegben. The expression can function adverbially or as part of a larger sentence, describing where an action takes place or how a person feels within a crowd.

Usage and nuance: tömegban often conveys a sense of anonymity or being surrounded by many people, sometimes implying difficulty moving or identifying individuals within a crowd. It can be contrasted with tömegbe, meaning “into the crowd,” indicating movement toward the interior of the crowd, or with tömegből, meaning “from the crowd,” indicating departure from it. The phrase is common in everyday language, journalism, and literary description when discussing events with large crowds.

Examples:

- A koncerten a tömegben alig lehetett mozogni. (At the concert, it was hard to move in the crowd.)

- A vásáron a tömegben elveszettnek érezte magát. (He felt lost in the crowd.)

See also tömeg, helyhatározó toldalékok.