kötnévmások

Kötőnévmások, also known as relative pronouns in English, are words that introduce relative clauses. These clauses provide additional information about a noun or pronoun that precedes them. In Hungarian, the most common kötőnévmások are "aki" (who, for animate beings), "ami" (which, for inanimate things and abstract concepts), and "amely" (which, often used in more formal contexts or when referring to specific antecedents).

The choice between "aki" and "ami" depends on whether the antecedent is a person or a thing. For example, "A fiú, aki itt áll, a testvérem" (The boy who is standing here is my brother) uses "aki" because the antecedent "fiú" (boy) is animate. Conversely, "A könyv, ami az asztalon van, érdekes" (The book which is on the table is interesting) uses "ami" as "könyv" (book) is inanimate. "Amely" can often be used interchangeably with "ami," but it is sometimes preferred to avoid ambiguity or for stylistic reasons, particularly in written or formal Hungarian.

These relative pronouns function similarly to conjunctions by connecting two parts of a sentence, but they also serve as pronouns within the relative clause, referring back to the noun or pronoun in the main clause. Understanding and correctly using kötőnévmások is crucial for constructing grammatically sound and informative Hungarian sentences.