elöljáró

An elöljáró, also known as a preposition in English, is a grammatical word or phrase that typically precedes a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to indicate their relationship to other elements in a sentence. In Hungarian, prepositions serve a crucial role in expressing spatial, temporal, directional, or logical relationships between words. They often govern the case of the noun or pronoun that follows them, influencing the grammatical form of the word.

Prepositions in Hungarian are typically short, invariant words that do not change based on gender, number, or case. However, they frequently determine the case of the subsequent noun or pronoun. For example, the preposition *be-* (meaning "into" or "in") often requires the accusative case, while *nél-* (meaning "at" or "with") typically governs the adessive case. The choice of case depends on the meaning and context of the sentence.

Common categories of prepositions include spatial (e.g., *alatt* "under," *felül* "above"), temporal (e.g., *után* "after," *előtt* "before"), directional (e.g., *felé* "toward," *elől* "in front of"), and logical or relational prepositions (e.g., *mellett* "beside," *helyett* "instead of"). Some prepositions can function as adverbs or particles, depending on usage.

In Hungarian syntax, prepositions often appear at the beginning of phrases, modifying verbs, adjectives, or nouns. They can also combine with verbs to form compound verbs, such as *bejön* ("to come in") from *be-* + *jön* ("to come"). Mastery of prepositions is essential for constructing grammatically correct and contextually appropriate sentences in Hungarian.

Prepositions are not always standalone words; some are derived from nouns or verbs, such as *közt* ("among") from *köz* ("space") or *ellen* ("against") from *ellen* ("opposite"). Their usage reflects the language’s agglutinative nature, where meaning is conveyed through word order and case marking rather than inflectional endings alone.