szabadságát

Szabadságát is a Hungarian noun phrase formed from szabadság, which means freedom or liberty and, in everyday language, vacation or leave. The ending -át signals that the noun is the definite direct object and that the possessor is in the third person singular. In other words, szabadságát means “his/her/its freedom” as the object of a verb.

The primary sense of szabadság is political and civil liberty—the state or condition of not being under coercion, as well as the rights and freedoms of individuals. A subtler or secondary sense exists in everyday language, where szabadság can mean time off work, i.e., vacation or leave. In this usage, the word is often used in phrases like “szabadságot vesz ki” (takes vacation), though that form uses a different ending because the possessor is not singled out in the same way.

Usage notes:

- Szabadságát appears when the speaker refers to someone’s freedom as a definite object in the clause. For example: “Ő megőrizte szabadságát” (He/She preserved his/her freedom). “A hatalom meg akarja vonni szabadságát” (The regime wants to take away his/her freedom).

- When speaking of multiple people’s freedoms, different possessive endings are used (e.g., szabadságukat for plural possessors).

Etymology:

Szabadság derives from szabad (free) plus the abstract-noun suffix -ság, forming the concept of the state or condition of being free. The form szabadságát is a specific inflection used in contexts where the noun is the definite direct object and the possessor is singular third person.