Valakivel

Valakivel is a Hungarian grammatical form used to express accompaniment, functioning as the instrumental case of the pronoun valaki, meaning “someone.” It translates to “with someone” in English and is used when describing doing something together with an unspecified person.

Etymology and form: The word valakivel is formed from valaki (someone) plus the instrumental suffix -vel (with). In Hungarian, the instrumental suffix takes -val or -vel depending on vowel harmony; with the stem valaki, the front vowel triggers -vel, yielding valakivel. The suffix is attached directly to the stem, producing a single word that denotes the accompanying agent.

Usage: Valakivel is typically used with verbs that involve interaction or contact, such as beszélni (to speak), találkozni (to meet), vagy menni (to go). Examples include: Valakivel beszéltem tegnap. (I spoke with someone yesterday.) Valakivel találkoztam a parkban. (I met with someone in the park.) It refers to an unspecified person and is contrasted with forms like valakinek (to someone) or valamivel (with something) for non-persons.

Notes: Valakivel is primarily used for people; when the accompanying entity is a thing or an abstract concept, the non-personal instrumental form valamivel is used. The indefinite nature of valaki is preserved in combination with the instrumental suffix, which allows speakers to indicate companionship without naming the person.

See also: valaki, valamivel, valamilyen.