tóban

Tóban is the inessive form of the Hungarian noun tó, meaning “in the lake.” In Hungarian, the suffix -ban (or -ben after front vowels) marks the inessive case, used to indicate location inside a place or object. Thus tóban literally translates to “in the lake.”

Grammar and usage

The inessive suffix attaches directly to the noun stem and follows vowel harmony rules. For tó, which contains a back vowel (ó), the form is tóban. The corresponding form with front vowels would be ben, but tó itself always yields tóban as the natural standard in most contexts. The inessive answers the question “where?” in sentences describing static location or position within a place.

Examples

A halak a tóban élnek. (The fish live in the lake.)

A búvár a tóban kutatott a ritka élőlények után. (The diver searched in the lake for rare organisms.)

A csónak a tóban van. (The boat is in the lake.)

A tóban lévő növények általában fényre és oxigénre is szükségük van.

Distinctions and related terms

Tóban contrasts with vízben (“in the water”), which emphasizes the interior of the water rather than the interior of the lake as a bounded place. Other related case forms in Hungarian include a-tól és -tól for from, from the lake, and torkolattól indicating origin relative to a landmark. Tóban appears primarily in descriptive, geographic, or situational contexts.

See also

Hungarian grammar, inessive case, tó (lake).