fölébe

Fülébe is a Hungarian locative phrase meaning "into one’s ear." It is used to denote the recipient of whispered speech or secret information, typically with verbs of speaking such as suttogni (to whisper) or súgni (to whisper or hint). The expression is common in both everyday language and literary usage to convey secrecy, confidentiality, or private persuasion.

Grammatically, fülébe is formed from fül, meaning "ear," combined with the third-person possessive suffix -e to yield fülé, "his/her ear," and then the allative suffix -be, which marks direction toward the ear. Thus fülébe literally translates to "into his/her ear." The phrase usually accompanies a verb of speaking and a clause or noun representing the information being conveyed.

Usage examples illustrate both literal and figurative senses. For literal use: A tanácsadó a miniszter fülébe suttogta a döntést. (The advisor whispered the decision into the minister’s ear.) For a more literary or metaphorical sense: A cégvezető a dolgozók fülébe súgott egy terveztet titokzatos döntést, hogy megőrizze a bizalmat. (The executive whispered a secret decision into the employees’ ears to preserve trust.) In general, fülébe emphasizes discreet communication intended for a specific recipient rather than public disclosure.

Etymology and related forms: from fül (ear) + possessive suffix -e + allative -be. The related expression fülébe suttogni or fülébe súgni is widely used to describe the act of privately conveying information.