móddal

Móddal is the instrumental form of the Hungarian noun mód, meaning method, way, or manner. It marks the means or instrument by which an action is performed, specifying how something is done rather than who does it. The form is built by adding the instrumental suffix -dal/-del to the stem mód; because the stem ends with a consonant, assimilation yields móddal. It is commonly used in formal or written language to express “by method” or “with a method.”

In usage, móddal foregrounds the approach or technique used to achieve a result. It often appears in technical, academic, or analytical prose and can combine with adjectives to specify the kind of method, as in új móddal or hatékony móddal, or with other nouns in phrases like különféle módszerekkel (with various methods). It answers questions of how something was done: by which method or by means of which approach.

Examples include: “Új móddal közelítették meg a problémát.” “A feladatot egy hatékony móddal oldották meg.” “A kérdést móddal közelítette meg.” These illustrate móddal used to indicate method, sometimes paired with an adjective to specify the quality of the method.

Related forms include a plural instrumental form módokkal (with methods) and other inflected constructions such as módszerekkel. The noun mód also appears in other cases with different meanings, for example módban (in a mode/manner) or módja (the way). Móddal is more common in formal contexts and technical writing.