Vitatkoztak

Vitatkoztak is the third-person plural past tense form of the Hungarian verb vitatkozik, meaning they argued or debated. The verb denotes engaging in discussion with someone, often involving disagreement or exchange of arguments. It is used for both formal debates and informal exchanges and is typically followed by the topic of discussion, usually introduced with about in Hungarian (valamiről).

In usage, vitatkozik conveys a sustained exchange rather than a brief disagreement. The form vitatkoztak specifically indicates that the action occurred in the past and involved multiple subjects. Common contexts include politics, law, education, and everyday conversations when a group or several people compared positions on a matter. Example sentences include: “A felek hosszasan vitatkoztak a költségvetésről.” and “A testület tagjai hosszasan vitatkoztak a javaslatról.” These illustrate the typical cadence of disputing over a defined issue.

Etymology and related forms: vitatkozik derives from the noun vita, meaning a dispute or debate, with the Hungarian verb-forming suffix -kozik. Related forms include vitatkozom (I argue/debate), vitatkozol (you argue), and vitatkoznak (they argue), with vitatkoztak as the past narrative form for multiple subjects.