Váljanak

Váljanak is a Hungarian verb form used to express a wish or exhortation directed at a group. It is the third-person plural present subjunctive (optative) of the verb válni, which means to become. In contemporary usage it appears mainly in formal, ceremonial, or literary contexts, rather than in everyday speech, where more colloquial constructions are common.

Morphology and function: The base verb válni yields various mood forms through standard Hungarian suffixes. For the third-person plural present subjunctive, the form is váljanak, combining the stem vál- with the subjunctive ending -janak. This form is used to convey “let them become” or “may they become” in sentences that express a wish, hope, or exhortation. Other related forms exist for different subjects and tenses (for example, váljon for singular, vályankonyms for other moods), but váljanak specifically targets a group.

Usage and register: Váljanak commonly appears in prayers, formal decrees, slogans, or exhortative passages where a collective transformation is being invoked. It can introduce a clause that specifies what the subjects should become, often followed by a noun or adjective in the adverbial or predicative form (e.g., váljanak jobbá emberekké, váljanak felelős polgárokká).

Examples:

- Váljanak jó emberekké a fiatalok. (Let them become good people.)

- Váljanak elkötelezettebbé a közösségért. (Let them become more committed to the community.)

See also: válni (to become), magyar nyelvtan (Hungarian grammar).