elalszom

Elalszom is a Hungarian verb in the present tense, first-person singular form, meaning “I fall asleep.” It is formed from the verb stem aludni (to sleep) with the prefix el- and the personal ending -om, yielding elal-szom. The prefix el- signals a change of state or the onset of an action, here indicating the transition into sleep.

The base verb for comparison is alszom (“I sleep”). The prefix el- distinguishes elalszom as specifically describing the act of beginning to sleep or falling asleep, rather than simply being asleep. Like other Hungarian verbs, elalszom is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

Common usage focuses on the moment of transition from wakefulness to sleep. It contrasts with aludni (to sleep) and with elaludni (to fall asleep, often used in past tense). The normal present tense forms of related verbs include ellustul and elalszik in different persons, illustrating how el- interacts with the root alud-.

Examples:

- Minden este tízkor elalszom. (Every evening at ten I fall asleep.)

- Tegnap este elaludtam. (Last evening I fell asleep.)

- Zajos a környék, ezért nehéz elaludni. (The surroundings are noisy, making it hard to fall asleep.)

See also: aludni, alvás, elaludni.