hagyhatnak

Hagyhatnak is a Hungarian verb form that expresses permission or possibility for a plural subject. Grammatically, it is the third-person plural present form of the modal verb hagyhat, which is derived from hagyni (to leave, to allow). In Hungarian, the stem hagy- combines with the modal suffix -hat/-het to indicate possibility, and then takes the personal ending -nak/-nek for the third person plural. Therefore hagyhatnak translates roughly as “they may leave” or “they may permit (someone to) leave.”

Usage and nuance: Hagyhatnak is used when describing what a group is allowed to do or what could potentially be allowed. It signals permission or potentiality rather than obligation or permission granted by a specific agent. The form is common in written and spoken Hungarian when the subject is plural and the speaker wants to express that a group has the option to act in a certain way.

Morphology and related forms: The pattern hagy- + hat + nak/nek extends to other persons as well, yielding forms such as hagyhatsz (you may leave), hagyhat (he/she/it may leave), hagyhatunk (we may leave), hagyhatok (you plural may leave). These forms illustrate how modal -hat/-het verbs are conjugated across person and number while retaining the core meaning of permission or possibility.

Translation: The closest English equivalents are “they may leave” or “they may permit (someone to) leave,” depending on context.