autónak

Autónak is the dative singular form of the Hungarian noun autó, meaning car. In Hungarian grammar, autónak marks the indirect object, or the recipient of an action, in clauses that require a dative object. It is formed by attaching the dative suffix -nak to the noun stem autó, in accordance with Hungarian vowel harmony, resulting in autónak. The form has no independent lexical meaning beyond its grammatical function, and it cannot stand alone without a verb.

Usage notes: In sentences, the autónak noun phrase is often accompanied by an article or determiner and may appear with flexible word order. Example: 'A kulcsot az autónak adtam' translates as 'I gave the key to the car.' While the car can be a recipient in metaphorical or practical talk, in normal Hungarian most recipients are people or institutions; autónak merely marks the role of that noun in the sentence.

See also: Hungarian grammar, Dative case.