alapjaiban

Alapjaiban is a Hungarian adverbial expression meaning “in its fundamentals,” “in essence,” or “basically.” It is used to refer to the essential nature or underlying principles of something, often when moving from details to a general assessment.

Morphology and usage: The term is formed from alap (base, foundation) with the possessive suffix -ja (its) plus the locative plural -iban (in), yielding alapjaiban (“in its bases”). It functions as an adverb and can appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. It is common in formal and written Hungarian and can also appear in literary contexts. Examples include: “Alapjaiban véve ez a megközelítés helyes.” “A rendszer alapjaiban működik, de a felhasználói felület javításra szorul.”

Nuance and alternatives: It signals a focus on core aspects rather than surface details. It can be close in meaning to alapvetően or lényegében, but carries a sense of examining the fundamental structure or principles rather than merely generalities.

Etymology and related terms: The expression derives from alap, with the possessive suffix -ja, and the locative -iban to convey “in its bases.” Related terms include alapvető (fundamental) and lényegében (essentially); contrasts are often drawn with discussions of részletek (details).

See also: alapvető, lényegében, részletek.