Hungarian possessive suffixes
Hungarian marks "my, your, his" with suffixes on the noun: ház → házam, házad, háza, házunk, házatok, házuk. After vowels the 3rd person is -ja/-je (autója); after consonants it is -a/-e or -ja/-je depending on the word. Plural possessions add -i- (házaim), and case suffixes come last (házamban).
On this page
- The basic paradigm
- Linking vowels: házam, kalapom, kertem, gyümölcsöm
- The third person: -a/-e or -ja/-je?
- Plural possessions: házaim, házaid, házai
- Stem changes and irregular nouns
- Possessive plus case: házamban, kertjéből
- Pronouns and articles with possessives
- Typical learner errors
- Sources and further reading
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
Hungarian has no separate words for "my", "your" or "their". Instead, the owner is marked by a suffix on the thing owned: ház (house), házam (my house), házunk (our house). This page gives the full paradigm, the rules for linking vowels and the notorious j, the plural marker -i-, stem changes, and how case endings attach after the possessive.
The basic paradigm
There are six persons. The shape of each suffix depends on whether the noun ends in a vowel or a consonant and on vowel harmony.
| Owner | After a vowel | After a consonant |
|---|---|---|
| my | -m | -om / -am / -em / -öm |
| your (sg.) | -d | -od / -ad / -ed / -öd |
| his, her, its | -ja / -je | -a / -e or -ja / -je |
| our | -nk | -unk / -ünk |
| your (pl.) | -tok / -tek / -tök | -otok / -atok / -etek / -ötök |
| their | -juk / -jük | -uk / -ük or -juk / -jük |
Here it is on real nouns. Final a/e lengthen as before any suffix (alma → almám).
| Owner | autó (car) | alma (apple) | cipő (shoe) | ház (house) | kalap (hat) | kert (garden) | szék (chair) | gyümölcs (fruit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| my | autóm | almám | cipőm | házam | kalapom | kertem | székem | gyümölcsöm |
| your | autód | almád | cipőd | házad | kalapod | kerted | széked | gyümölcsöd |
| his/her | autója | almája | cipője | háza | kalapja | kertje | széke | gyümölcse |
| our | autónk | almánk | cipőnk | házunk | kalapunk | kertünk | székünk | gyümölcsünk |
| your (pl.) | autótok | almátok | cipőtök | házatok | kalapotok | kertetek | széketek | gyümölcsötök |
| their | autójuk | almájuk | cipőjük | házuk | kalapjuk | kertjük | székük | gyümölcsük |
Linking vowels: házam, kalapom, kertem, gyümölcsöm
After a consonant, "my", "your (sg.)" and "your (pl.)" need a linking vowel. It is chosen exactly as for the accusative: if you know the accusative, you know the linking vowel.
| Accusative | my | your (sg.) | your (pl.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| kalapot | kalapom | kalapod | kalapotok |
| házat (lowering) | házam | házad | házatok |
| kertet | kertem | kerted | kertetek |
| gyümölcsöt | gyümölcsöm | gyümölcsöd | gyümölcsötök |
| földet (lowering) | földem | földed | földetek |
The only difference is that words which take -t directly in the accusative still need a vowel here: bort but borom, lányt but lányom. "Our" and "their" always use u/ü: házunk, kertünk, házuk, kertjük.
The third person: -a/-e or -ja/-je?
"His/her/its" and "their" are where learners struggle, because after a consonant some nouns take a j and some do not. The choice is partly predictable:
| Noun ends in | Third person | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel | almost always -ja/-je (exception: fiú → fia) | autója, cipője, kávéja, kocsija, almája |
| s, sz, z, zs, c, cs | almost always -a/-e | kése, része, pénze, háza, garázsa, kulcsa, gyümölcse |
| j, ly, gy, ny, ty | almost always -a/-e | baja, helye, hegye, lánya, ágya |
| any other consonant | either; learn with the word | kertje, kalapja, barátja, filmje, parkja, sofőrje but széke, asztala, ablaka, tanára, könyve, szeme, keze |
For the last group, two tendencies help. Old, basic, everyday words (body parts, household items, lowering stems) tend to have no j: feje, szeme, keze, fala, asztala, ablaka, könyve. Newer words, loanwords and words ending in a consonant cluster tend to take -ja/-je: filmje, parkja, klubja, koncertje, kertje. A dictionary lists the third person form, and it is worth learning it along with the plural.
"Their" normally follows "his/her": háza → házuk, kertje → kertjük, széke → székük, autója → autójuk.
Tip: Say the form aloud. The j is avoided after hissing and palatal sounds because *kulcsja or *lányja would be awkward to pronounce. That single phonetic fact accounts for the two reliable rows of the table.
Plural possessions: házaim, házaid, házai
When the thing owned is plural, Hungarian does not use the plural -k. Instead it inserts -i- before the personal ending, and "my" and "your" lose their linking vowel.
| Owner | autó | ház | kert | szék |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| my | autóim | házaim | kertjeim | székeim |
| your | autóid | házaid | kertjeid | székeid |
| his/her | autói | házai | kertjei | székei |
| our | autóink | házaink | kertjeink | székeink |
| your (pl.) | autóitok | házaitok | kertjeitek | székeitek |
| their | autóik | házaik | kertjeik | székeik |
The rule of thumb: take the "his/her" form and add -i (háza → házai, kertje → kertjei, autója → autói, dropping the -ja after a vowel). Then add -m, -d, -nk, -tok/-tek, -k. A few nouns do not keep the j: barátja (his friend) but barátai (his friends).
Keep these three apart: házuk (their house), házai (his/her houses) and házaik (their houses).
After numbers and quantity words, Hungarian uses the singular (see the plural), and that includes possessed nouns: két testvérem ("my two siblings"), not *két testvéreim.
Stem changes and irregular nouns
Because most possessive endings start with a vowel, the stem changes you know from the accusative and plural appear here too.
| Type | Examples (my / his) |
|---|---|
| Long vowel shortens | kéz → kezem / keze; név → nevem / neve; levél → levelem / levele; út → utam / útja; víz → vizem / vize |
| Vowel drops | tükör → tükröm / tükre; álom → álmom / álma; bokor → bokrom / bokra |
| Hidden v | ló → lovam / lova; szó → szavam / szava; kő → kövem / köve |
| -ő/-ó words with -eje/-aja | idő → időm / ideje; tető → tetőm / teteje; erő → erőm / ereje |
Note út: "my way" is utam with a short u, but "his way" is útja. And idő: Nincs időm ("I have no time") but Itt az ideje ("It's high time").
Family words
Kinship terms include some of the most irregular possessives, and they are among the most frequent:
| Noun | my | his/her | their |
|---|---|---|---|
| anya (mother) | anyám | anyja | anyjuk |
| apa (father) | apám | apja | apjuk |
| fiú (son; boy) | fiam | fia | fiuk |
| öcs (younger brother) | öcsém | öccse | öccsük |
| báty (older brother) | bátyám | bátyja | bátyjuk |
| húg (younger sister) | húgom | húga | húguk |
Fiú has a regular possessive too, with a different meaning: a fia is "her son", while a fiúja is "her boyfriend".
Possessive plus case: házamban, kertjéből
A possessed noun can take any case suffix, and the case always comes last: noun + (possessive) + case. The third person -a/-e lengthens to -á/-é before it.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| házamban | in my house |
| házadba | into your house |
| házából | out of his/her house |
| kertjében | in his/her garden |
| autónkkal | with our car |
| barátotoknak | to your (pl.) friend |
| szüleiktől | from their parents |
| házaimat | my houses (as object) |
Accusative forms are given in full in the accusative. To build these combinations for any noun, try the suffix builder.
Pronouns and articles with possessives
The possessive suffix is enough on its own, so the pronoun is normally left out: a házam ("my house"). You add it for contrast, and then the article comes first:
| Emphatic form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| az én házam | my house (not yours) |
| a te házad | your house |
| az ő háza | his/her house |
| a mi házunk | our house |
| a ti házatok | your (pl.) house |
| az ő házuk | their house (not *az ők házuk) |
| az Ön háza, az Önök háza | your house (formal), with 3rd person endings |
Possessed nouns normally take the definite article: A kutyám beteg ("My dog is ill"). In "have" sentences they appear without it: Van egy kutyám (see possession with -nak and -é and articles). A possessed object makes the verb definite: Keresem a kulcsomat (see definite conjugation).
Typical learner errors
- *az ők házuk: the pronoun is singular ő even with a plural owner, because the suffix already marks the plural.
- *két házaim: after numbers use the singular, két házam.
- *kulcsja, *lányja: no j after sibilants and palatals, kulcsa, lánya.
- *kézem: use the short stem, kezem.
- *házakam for "my houses": plural possessions use -i-, házaim.
Sources and further reading
- Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), chapter on possessive suffixes
- Péter Siptár and Miklós Törkenczy, The Phonology of Hungarian (Oxford University Press, 2000), on stem alternations
- István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998), on possessive morphology
Key takeaways
- Six endings: -m, -d, -a/-ja, -nk, -tok, -uk/-juk, with linking vowels after consonants.
- The linking vowel matches the accusative: házat → házam, kalapot → kalapom.
- Third person: -ja/-je after vowels, -a/-e after sibilants and palatals, lexical elsewhere.
- Plural possessions use -i-: házaim, házai, házaik.
- Stem changes apply: kezem, tükröm, lovam, ideje.
- Case suffixes come last: házamban, kertjéből.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "my" in Hungarian?
Add -m after a vowel (autóm) or -om/-am/-em/-öm after a consonant (kalapom, házam, kertem, gyümölcsöm). For emphasis, add az én in front: az én házam.
When do I use -ja and when -a?
Almost always -ja/-je after a vowel. After s, sz, z, zs, c, cs, j, ly, gy, ny, ty, almost always -a/-e. After other consonants it depends on the word (kertje but széke), so check a dictionary.
What is the difference between házuk and házaik?
Házuk is "their house" (one house); házaik is "their houses". Házai is "his/her houses".
Why is it "az ő házuk" and not "az ők házuk"?
In possessive phrases the pronoun before the noun stays singular, ő, and the suffix -uk shows that the owners are plural.
How do possessive suffixes combine with case endings?
The possessive comes first and the case last: ház + am + ban = házamban ("in my house"). A third person -a/-e lengthens: háza + ból = házából.