Úrtak

Írtak is the past tense form of the Hungarian verb írni, meaning "they wrote." It is used when the subject performing the action is plural, and the action is completed in the past. In Hungarian, past tense forms vary with person and object definiteness, so írtak specifically marks third-person plural and indefinite object.

Morphology and variants: The past tense is built from the verb stem ír-, with a past tense marker and a personal ending. For the third-person plural, the typical ending is -ak or -ek depending on vowel harmony, producing írtak. When the direct object is definite, Hungarian has a definite conjugation in the past, which results in the form írták (they wrote it/the letters, etc.). Thus írtak and írták are related forms used in different object contexts.

Usage notes: írtak is common in narrative and descriptive contexts where the agent of writing is unknown or not specified. If the subject is singular, other forms are used (for example, írtam for "I wrote" or írtál for "you wrote"). The distinction between írtak and írták reflects a broader Hungarian pattern in which the past tense conjugation shifts depending on whether the object is definite.

Examples:

- Tegnap írtak egy levelet. (They wrote a letter yesterday.)

- A levelet írták tegnap. (They wrote the letter yesterday.)

- Ők írtak cikkeket a folyóirat számára. (They wrote articles for the journal.)

See also: írni, magyar igealapok, magyar igeidők.