állatban

állatban is the inessive (locative) form of the Hungarian noun állat, meaning "in the animal" or "inside an animal." It is formed by adding the locative suffix -ban to the stem, with vowel harmony determining the version of the suffix (back-vowel stems take -ban, front-vowel stems would take -ben). In the word állatban, the suffix -ban follows a back vowel pattern, giving the form állatban.

Morphology and usage

The inessive case expresses location inside something. With állatban, it indicates being within the interior or inside the body of an animal, rather than merely nearby. The plural form is állatokban ("in the animals"). The form often appears with verbs of existence or location, and can be accompanied by adjectives or relative clauses, as in állatban lévő elváltozások ("lesions present inside the animal") or az állatban élő paraziták ("parasitic organisms living in the animal").

Examples

- Az állatban élő paraziták gyakran okoznak betegségeket.

- A belső szervek az állatban helyezkednek el.

- Egy állatban talált fertőzés különféle tüneteket válthat ki.

Notes and variants

In everyday Hungarian, a more precise alternative to állatban is állat belsejében, which emphasizes the interior rather than a general location. The choice between -ban and -ben follows the standard vowel harmony rule: back-vowel stems take -ban, front-vowel stems would take -ben. Understanding the inessive form helps in clear expression of location within animals in zoological, veterinary, and biological contexts.

See also

Hungarian grammar, inessive case, location expressions.