érhessék

érhessék is a Hungarian verb form used to express possibility or wish in subordinate clauses. It is the present subjunctive (optative) form of the verb érni, a root associated with reaching or attaining something. The form is built from the stem ér-, the subjunctive suffix -hess-, and the personal ending -ék, which marks the third-person plural subject. In other words, érhessék corresponds to “that they may reach/attain.”

The usage of érhessék is primarily in formal or literary Hungarian. It is relatively rare in everyday speech, where speakers often employ other constructions to express possibility or wish. The form appears in contexts such as wishes, hopes, or hypothetical statements introduced by conjunctions like hogy or ha. For example, a sentence such as “Remélem, érhessék céljaikat” can be translated as “I hope that they may reach their goals.”

Related forms exist for other persons and numbers, illustrating its role within the mood system of Hungarian verbs. For instance, érhessünk means “we may reach,” érhessetek means “you (plural) may reach,” and érhessék means “they may reach.” These forms share the same stem and mood, differing only in the person/number ending.

Etymology and analysis place érhessék within the broader family of subjunctive/mood forms formed with the -hess- conjunctive suffix, a productive pattern across various Hungarian verbs to express modality without asserting a definite outcome. See also sections on Hungarian subjunctive (optative) mood and the verb érni.