levesekben

Levesekben is the locative plural form of the Hungarian noun leves, meaning "in the soups." It is used to indicate location inside or among multiple soups. In Hungarian, the noun leves forms a standard plural as levesek, and the locative plural suffix -ben/-ban is added to that form. Because the stem contains front vowels, the suffix takes the form -ben, resulting in levesekben. This form is part of the system of locative cases that express location relative to objects or sets of objects.

Morphology and grammar: The base is leves (soup). The plural nominative is levesek (the soups). To express "in the soups," the locative plural suffix -ben is attached, yielding levesekben. The choice between -ban and -ben is determined by vowel harmony and the final vowels of the stem; for levesek, the front-vowel environment yields -ben. Levesekben thus functions as a single morphologically integrated unit meaning "in the soups" and is used where the location is within multiple soups rather than a single soup.

Usage and examples: Levesekben is used in sentences describing spatial relation or presence inside several soups. For example, "A levesekben sok zöldség van." (There are many vegetables in the soups.) and "A szakács a levesekben figyeli a fűszerek arányát." (The chef monitors the balance of spices in the soups.) It contrasts with levesben, the singular locative form meaning "in the soup."

See also: Hungarian grammar, locative case, plural formation.