húztak

Húztak is a form of the Hungarian verb húz, which means to pull, draw, or drag. It is the third-person plural past tense form (indicative mood) of húz, used when the subject performing the action is a plural noun or pronoun. In contrast, the 2nd person plural past tense would be húztatok, and the 3rd person singular past tense would be húzta.

In use, húztak can describe a physical act of pulling as in transporting or moving something, as well as more figurative senses where the verb is extended to non-literal pulling. For example: A lovak húztak egy kocsit, meaning “The horses pulled a cart.” If the object is definite, the past tense form changes to húzták, as in A lovak húzták az iskolát? (they pulled the table or a specific object), illustrating the distinction between indefinite and definite objects in past tense forms.

The phrase húzni can also appear in common idioms such as húzni az időt, meaning “to stall” or “to drag out time.” In past tense, this becomes húzták az időt, conveying that the subject(s) were stalling.

Etymology and morphology: húz stems from the core Hungarian verb meaning to pull or draw. The past tense form húztak results from combining the stem húz with the past tense marker and the 3rd-person plural ending. This pattern appears across many Hungarian verbs, with vowel harmony influencing the exact spelling of the ending.

See also: húz, húzódik, húzónév (pull-related terms), időhúzás (time-wasting idiom).