The causative: -at/-et and -tat/-tet
The causative suffix -at/-et or -tat/-tet turns a verb into "make or have someone do it": ír → írat ("have written"), javít → javíttat ("have repaired"). The person who actually does the work goes in the instrumental (a szerelővel) if the verb has an object, or in the accusative if it does not.
On this page
- What the causative does
- Forming it: -at/-et or -tat/-tet?
- Who does what: the causee in -val/-vel or -t
- Conjugation and the traps it creates
- Everyday services and official language
- Lexicalized causatives: etet, itat, altat
- Common learner errors
- Sources and further reading
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
Where English says "I'm having my hair cut" or "the boss made us work late", Hungarian adds a single suffix to the verb: Levágatom a hajam, A főnök sokáig dolgoztatott minket. The causative is common in everyday life (repairs, haircuts, deliveries) and in official language, and it follows clear rules for form and case marking.
What the causative does
A causative verb adds a new participant: the causer, who makes, has or gets someone else do the action. The person who actually performs the action is the causee.
- Megjavítom a biciklit. I'll fix the bike (myself).
- Megjavíttatom a biciklit. I'll have the bike fixed (by someone else).
- A gyerek dolgozik. The child is working.
- A tanár dolgoztatja a gyereket. The teacher makes the child work.
The causative covers the range of English "make", "have" and "get (something) done". It does not mean "let" or "allow": for that, Hungarian uses hagy or enged, as in Hadd segítsek! ("Let me help!") or Nem engedi, hogy elmenjek ("She won't let me go").
Forming it: -at/-et or -tat/-tet?
The choice depends on the shape of the stem. Vowel harmony then picks a or e (see vowel harmony); there is no rounded variant.
| Stem type | Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| one syllable, not ending in vowel + t | -at / -et | ír → írat, vár → várat, hoz → hozat, hív → hívat, mos → mosat, vág → vágat, varr → varrat, fest → festet, mond → mondat, ért → értet |
| one syllable, ending in vowel + t | -tat / -tet | lát → láttat, fut → futtat |
| two or more syllables (including -ít verbs and -ik verbs) | -tat / -tet | olvas → olvastat, csinál → csináltat, sétál → sétáltat, fizet → fizettet, keres → kerestet, javít → javíttat, épít → építtet, takarít → takaríttat, dolgozik → dolgoztat |
Tip: count syllables in the stem first. Long verbs almost always take -tat/-tet, which is why so many causatives end in a doubled tt after -ít: javíttat, építtet, készíttet.
The resulting verb is a normal non--ik verb and can take a prefix, -hat/-het and any tense: megcsináltathatod ("you can have it done"). A few irregular verbs have special causatives: visz → vitet ("have carried"), hisz → hitet (mostly in elhitet, "make believe"), and the lexicalized forms in the section below.
Who does what: the causee in -val/-vel or -t
This is the heart of the construction. Where the causee goes depends on whether the original verb already has a direct object.
The verb has an object: causee in the instrumental
If the base verb is transitive and its object is expressed, that object keeps the accusative, and the causee goes into the instrumental -val/-vel.
- Megcsináltatom a csapot a szerelővel. I'll have the plumber fix the tap.
- Aláíratta a szerződést az ügyféllel. She had the client sign the contract.
- A tanár felolvastatta a verset Annával. The teacher had Anna read the poem aloud.
- Elhitette velem, hogy igazat mond. He made me believe he was telling the truth.
The verb has no object: causee in the accusative
If the base verb is intransitive, the causee becomes the direct object of the causative verb, in the accusative.
- A főnök sokáig dolgoztatta a munkásokat. The boss made the workers work late.
- Egy óráig várattak minket. They kept us waiting for an hour.
- Esténként sétáltatom a kutyát. I walk the dog in the evenings.
- A bohóc megnevettette a gyerekeket. The clown made the children laugh.
With a transitive verb whose object is left unsaid, the causee can also appear in the accusative: A tanár sokat olvastatja a diákokat ("The teacher makes the students read a lot").
Leaving the causee out
Very often nobody cares who did the work, and the causee is not mentioned at all. This is the typical pattern for services.
- Tegnap levágattam a hajam. I had my hair cut yesterday.
- Kifestetjük a lakást. We're having the flat painted.
- Hozatunk egy pizzát? Shall we order in a pizza? (literally "have one brought")
Definiteness follows the object of the causative verb as usual (see definite and indefinite conjugation): Csináltatok egy asztalt ("I'm having a table made") is indefinite, Megcsináltatom az asztalt ("I'm having the table repaired") is definite. When the causee is the accusative object, it decides: dolgoztatja a gyereket (definite), dolgoztat valakit (indefinite).
Conjugation and the traps it creates
Causatives take regular endings, so írat conjugates like tanít or mutat:
| Person | Present indef. | Present def. | Past | Subjunctive def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | íratok | íratom | írattam | írassam |
| you (sg) | íratsz | íratod | írattál | írasd / írassad |
| he / she | írat | íratja | íratott | írassa |
| we | íratunk | íratjuk | írattunk | írassuk |
| you (pl) | írattok | íratjátok | írattatok | írassátok |
| they | íratnak | íratják | írattak | írassák |
Trap 1: -tj- becomes -ss- in commands
Because the suffix ends in short vowel + t, the imperative -j- turns t + j into ss, while the present definite keeps tj. The two forms differ by one sound:
- Aláíratja a szerződést. He has the contract signed. (present)
- Írassa alá a szerződést! Have the contract signed! (formal command)
- Csináltasd meg! Get it done! (informal command)
- Ne várass! Don't keep me waiting!
Trap 2: causative or past tense?
The 1sg present of a -tat causative can be identical to the 2pl past of the base verb:
| Form | Reading 1 | Reading 2 |
|---|---|---|
| olvastatok | you (pl) read (past of olvas) | I make (someone) read (olvastat) |
| csináltatok | you (pl) made (past of csinál) | I have (something) made (csináltat) |
Context almost always resolves it: Mit csináltatok tegnap? is "What did you (pl) do yesterday?", while Csináltatok egy új kulcsot is "I'm having a new key made". The past tense page explains the -tatok ending.
Everyday services and official language
Services
Whenever a professional does something for you, the causative is the natural choice:
- Kitisztíttattam a kabátomat. I had my coat dry-cleaned.
- Ki kell cseréltetnem az olajat. I need to get the oil changed.
- Házat építtetnek a falu szélén. They're having a house built at the edge of the village.
- Megvarrattam a nadrágomat. I had my trousers mended.
Using the plain verb instead implies you did it yourself: Levágtam a hajam means "I cut my own hair".
Official and bureaucratic usage
Forms, contracts and office procedures are full of causatives, usually in the formal imperative or with kell:
- A nyomtatványt írassa alá a munkáltatójával. Have the form signed by your employer.
- A fordítást hitelesíttetni kell. The translation has to be certified.
- Új útlevelet állíttattam ki. I had a new passport issued.
- A rendőrök igazoltattak. The police asked for my ID (literally "had me identify myself").
Official Hungarian also preserves an old passive in -tatik/-tetik, which looks like a causative plus -ik. It survives mostly in fixed notices such as Kéretik a szemetet a szemetesbe dobni ("Please put litter in the bin", literally "It is requested..."). You need to recognize it, not produce it.
Lexicalized causatives: etet, itat, altat
Some old causatives have become separate everyday verbs with their own meanings. Most of them come from the irregular verbs, and they are worth learning as vocabulary.
| Base verb | Causative | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eszik | etet | feed | Megetettem a macskát. |
| iszik | itat | give a drink, water (animals) | Itatja a lovakat. |
| alszik | altat | put to sleep; anaesthetize | Altatja a babát. |
| fekszik | fektet | lay down; (befektet) invest | Lefektette a gyereket. |
| ül | ültet | seat; plant | Fát ültettünk a kertben. |
| tud | tudat | inform | Tudatta velem a döntését. |
| hisz | elhitet | make someone believe | Ezt nem tudod elhitetni velem. |
Related nouns keep the causative meaning: altató ("sleeping pill"), altatódal ("lullaby"), befektetés ("investment"), etető ("feeder"). The irregular verbs page shows the base forms.
Common learner errors
- Using the plain verb for a service: Megjavítottam a kocsit says you repaired it yourself. Say Megjavíttattam.
- Putting the causee in the wrong case: *Megcsináltatom a csapot a szerelőt → a szerelővel, because a csapot already fills the object slot.
- Choosing the wrong suffix: *javítat → javíttat; *írtat → írat.
- Using the causative for "let": "He let me go" is Elengedett or Hagyta, hogy elmenjek. A causative would suggest he made you do something.
- Writing tj in the command: *Írattja alá! → Írassa alá!
Sources and further reading
- Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), on causative verbs
- István Kenesei, Robert M. Vago and Anna Fenyvesi, Hungarian (Descriptive Grammars series, Routledge, 1998), on causatives and case marking
- Ferenc Kiefer (ed.), Strukturális magyar nyelvtan (Akadémiai Kiadó, 1992 onward), volume on morphology
Key takeaways
- The causative means "make / have / get someone do": írat, javíttat, dolgoztat.
- One-syllable stems take -at/-et (írat, festet) unless they end in vowel + t (láttat); longer stems take -tat/-tet.
- Causee with -val/-vel when the verb has an object; in the accusative when it does not.
- Commands turn -tj- into -ss-: íratja versus írassa.
- Etet, itat, altat, fektet, ültet are lexicalized causatives.
- For "let", use hagy, enged or hadd, not the causative.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "I had my hair cut" in Hungarian?
Levágattam a hajam. The causative vágat ("have cut") shows someone else did it; Levágtam a hajam would mean you cut it yourself.
When do you use -tat/-tet instead of -at/-et?
Use -tat/-tet with stems of two or more syllables (csináltat, javíttat) and with one-syllable stems ending in a vowel plus t (láttat). Other one-syllable stems take -at/-et: írat, hozat, festet.
What case is the person who does the action in?
If the verb has its own object, the doer goes in the instrumental: Megjavíttatom a kocsit a szerelővel. If not, the doer is in the accusative: Megnevettette a közönséget.
What is the difference between etet and eszik?
Eszik means "eat", and etet is its causative, "feed" (make someone eat). Likewise iszik "drink" gives itat "give a drink to".
Does the causative mean "let" in Hungarian?
No. The causative expresses making or having someone do something. Permission is expressed with hagy ("let"), enged ("allow") or hadd + subjunctive: Hadd nézzem! ("Let me see!").