Utalhatnak

Utalhatnak is a Hungarian verb form meaning “they may refer to” or “they could allude to.” It combines the verb utal (to refer to, to mention) with the suffix -hat/-het to express possibility or potentiality, and the plural subject ending -nak/-nek, yielding the 3rd person plural form utalhatnak. In practice, it is used when the speaker attributes a possible reference or implication to multiple subjects.

Morphology and usage context:

- utalhatnak shows potential reference by a plural subject. It often appears in statements about what certain sources, statements, or observations might indicate.

- It can be followed by a direct object or by the phrase arra to indicate what is being referred to, for example: utalhatnak arra, hogy … (they may refer to/point to that …).

- The form is common in formal, academic, journalistic, and legal language when describing plausible interpretations rather than definite references.

Examples:

- A tanúk utalhatnak a korábbi eseményekre. (The witnesses may refer to the earlier events.)

- Az adatok utalhatnak arra, hogy a folyamat lassabb a vártnál. (The data may indicate that the process is slower than expected.)

- A jelentés utalhat arra, hogy több vizsgálat szükséges. (The report may suggest that further investigation is necessary.)

Relation to other forms:

- Utalnak (present indicative) expresses a definite reference by a plural subject, while utalhatnak adds a nuance of possibility or hypothesis.

- Utalhatnak arrafelé is used when a specific topic or direction is being referred to in a cautious or speculative sense.

Utalhatnak thus serves as a careful, probabilistic way to attribute referential meaning to multiple agents or sources in Hungarian prose.