önmagáról

önmagáról is a Hungarian phrase meaning "about oneself." It is formed from the formal second-person pronoun ön (you, in a polite address) and the reflexive element magáról, which literally means "about oneself." The construction is used when the topic of discussion concerns the speaker’s own experiences, background, or actions, rather than those of others.

Morphology and usage

The word magáról comes from maga (self) with the suffix -ról, which marks the topic of discussion as being about something. When combined with ön, the phrase signals that the subject in question is speaking about themselves in a formal or respectful register. Önsmagáról is commonly found in sentences that involve self-disclosure, autobiographical statements, interviews, or personal essays, as well as in biographical or journalistic contexts where the speaker is describing their own life or perspective.

Contexts and nuance

önmagáról can convey introspection, self-attribution, or a deliberate focus on the speaker’s own point of view. In formal discourse, it helps frame statements as personal reflections rather than general commentary. In everyday speech, magáról (without ön) is more typical, but önmagáról retains a polite nuance when addressing or describing oneself in relation to others’ expectations or norms.

See also

magáról, reflexive pronouns in Hungarian, ön (polite you) pronoun, Hungarian possessive and reflexive constructions.