tartoztak

Tartoztak is a Hungarian verb form. It is the past tense, third-person plural form of the verb tartozik, which has multiple related meanings in Hungarian, most commonly “to owe” or “to belong to/pertain to.”

Grammatically, tartoztak appears in the indicative mood and denotes a completed action in the past when the subject is plural. It is used in contexts where a plural subject owed something to someone or where items or people were considered to belong to a particular owner or category in the past. The form contrasts with present forms such as tartozik (singular) or tartoztak’s past-tense plural counterpart in different clauses.

In sense one, it expresses financial or contractual obligation. For example: A cégek tartoztak a banknak. (The companies owed the bank.) In sense two, it can express belonging or pertaining in the sense of ownership or association: A könyvtárban lévő könyvek a könyvtárhoz tartoztak. (The books in the library belonged to the library.)

Because tartozik also has a sense of obligation that can be extended figuratively, tartoztak may appear in historical or legal narratives to indicate duties that existed in the past, or collections and properties that were once owned by a person or institution. The negative form is nem tartoztak, meaning “they did not owe” or “they did not belong to,” depending on context.

See also: tartozik, tartozás, háztartás.