múltban

Múltban is a Hungarian adverb meaning “in the past” or “during former times.” It indicates that an action, event, or state occurred before the present moment and is used to place information in a past time frame.

Formation and meaning: The word is built from the noun múlt, meaning “past,” with the locative suffix -ban, producing a temporal adverb that functions to locate events in time as being earlier than now. It is not a tense form by itself but a time-reference expression.

Usage: Múltban is common in both written and spoken Hungarian, often used for concise time reference. It can appear with verbs related to occurrence or description. Examples: “A történet a múltban játszódik.” (The story takes place in the past.) “Az események a múltban történtek.” (The events happened in the past.) “A múltban sok változás történt.” (In the past, many changes occurred.) In many contexts, more explicit phrases like a múltban or az elmúlt időben are used for clarity.

Notes: While a natural and correct expression, múltban is sometimes perceived as formal or literary; everyday speech often favors “a múltban” or “az elmúlt időben.” It can be contrasted with korábban or az elmúlt időszak kifejezéseivel, which emphasize proximity or duration of recent past. It is primarily a time-adverbial usage rather than a grammatical tense indicator.