kockára

Kockára is a Hungarian adverbial form derived from the noun kocka, meaning cube or dice. In standard usage the -ra/-re suffix creates a manner or result sense, indicating that something is done in cube-shaped pieces or into cubes. The form functions as a postpositional particle that accompanies verbs to specify how an action is performed.

The most common use of kockára is in cooking and food preparation. It appears in expressions such as kockára vágni (to dice or cube), kockára vágott hagyma (onion diced into cubes), and kockára vágott zöldség (vegetables cut into cubes). In recipes, instructions frequently employ this construction to convey uniform size and shape, for example: A hagymát kockára vágom, majd párolom. The term thus serves as a practical descriptor for shaping food rather than a separate noun.

Grammatically, kockára functions as a particle that accompanies a verb of cutting, chopping, or shaping, and can be inflected according to Hungarian grammar. It often appears in compound phrases and can combine with past participles to describe the resulting state of the ingredients.

Beyond cooking contexts, kocka as a cube or dice also appears in other descriptive uses, though the adverbial kockára is predominantly tied to culinary instructions. It is not typically used as a standalone noun but rather as a modifier within verb phrases.

See also: kocka, vágni, aprítani.

Note: In Hungarian, meanings may vary slightly by region or cookbook tradition; the primary and most common interpretation of kockára is “into cubes” in the context of food preparation.