rángatni

rángatni is a Hungarian verb meaning to yank, jerk, or pull roughly. It is a transitive verb used to describe a forceful or abrupt motion directed at an object, such as clothing, a rope, or a limb. The term often conveys repeated or sudden pulling rather than a gentle tug, and it can be used in both literal and figurative contexts, though the physical sense is the most common.

In use, rángatni typically requires a direct object. It can describe actions ranging from tugging at a sleeve or coat to pulling a rope or cord with effort. In figurative senses, it may express urging or pressuring someone, but such uses depend on context and are less common than the literal sense. Examples in Hungarian include “Rángattam a kabátját, hogy észrevegye,” meaning I tugged at his jacket to get his attention, and “A gyerek megrángatta a haját,” meaning the child yanked his/her hair. The verb rángatni has the related noun rángatás, which denotes the act or motion of tugging or jerking.

Morphologically, rángatni is part of the standard set of Hungarian -ni verbs and forms its conjugations following regular patterns for present, past, and other tenses, with definite and indefinite conjugation variations depending on the presence and definiteness of the object. The word megrángatni serves as a more emphatic or forceful variant, often implying a stronger or more abrupt action.

Etymology and related forms: rángatni derives from the base rángat- with the prefix rá-, a common pattern in Hungarian. Related terms include rángatás (the act of tugging) and megrángatni (to yank something or someone more abruptly).

See also: megrángatni, rángatás.