hagyni

Hagyni is a Hungarian verb with several related senses centered on the act of leaving or allowing. The primary meaning is to leave something or someone in a place or to abandon them. It can also mean to let something happen or to permit it, and in some constructions it carries the nuance of entrusting or placing someone or something under another’s care.

Common uses include leaving an object somewhere, leaving someone somewhere, or leaving a situation to unfold without interference. For example, one might say: A kulcsot az asztalra hagyta (He left the key on the table). Hagyni nyitva az ajtót translates roughly as “to leave the door open.” In a more figurative sense, hagyni can express letting or allowing something to occur: Hagyd, hogy elmenjen (Let him go). It can also convey entrusting a matter to someone’s responsibility, as in leaving a task or decision to another party, though more specific verbs like bízhat or enged often appear in those contexts.

Grammar and usage notes: hagyni is a transitive verb that forms standard Hungarian conjugations. It takes direct objects in the sense of what is left behind (hagyni valamit) and can be used with prepositional phrases to indicate the place or person involved (hagyni valakit valamire, hagyni nyitva). The verb has a range of idiomatic expressions, including both physical leaving and more abstract senses of allowing or tolerating.

Etymology and related forms: hagyni is a native Hungarian verb linked to the root hagy, which underpins related words such as hagyomány (tradition, literally “handed down,” from the same root). The verb appears in various compounds with prefixes to stress nuance, such as elhagyni (to abandon) or meghagyni (to leave behind, to reserve).