Ételekre

Ételekre is a Hungarian postpositional form derived from the noun étel (food, dish). It represents the plural stem ételek combined with the suffix -re, which marks direction toward or onto a surface. In this form, ételekre typically means onto the foods or toward the foods, depending on the verb used and the context. It is part of Hungarian case-like constructions that follow verbs of movement, placement, or distribution.

Morphology and function: The base étel becomes the plural ételek, and adding -re yields ételekre. This postpositional element indicates a surface-related location or target, commonly used with verbs of putting, sprinkling, serving, or arranging. The meaning can shift between “onto the foods” and, in broader contexts, “to the foods” depending on the action described.

Usage notes: Ételekre is frequent in culinary, catering, and recipe contexts where multiple dishes are involved. It can appear in menus, cooking instructions, and descriptions of presentation or serving. For a singular dish, the analogous form ételre would be used, though ételekre is more common when referring to several dishes.

Examples: A séf az ételekre szórta a friss fűszereket. (The chef sprinkled fresh herbs onto the foods.) In other contexts, ételre would appear with a single dish or a different verb requiring singular marking.

See also: étel, ételek, Hungarian postpositional suffixes, case nomenclature.