Hungarian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From ez (“this”) + előtt (“before”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Adverb
[edit]ezelőtt
Usage notes
[edit]Similar compounds are written as one word (in solid) when they function as adverbs or parts of a conjunction. However, if they emphatically point at something particular (“without/around/behind/etc. that person/object”), they are written with a space inside. More information: Section 121 in A magyar helyesírás szabályai, 12. kiadás (’The Rules of Hungarian Orthography, 12th edition’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2015. →ISBN
- Ez előtt a festmény előtt sokáig üldögéltem a múzeumban. ― I sat in front of this painting for a long time in the museum.
Derived terms
[edit]Postposition
[edit]ezelőtt
- ago (the amount of time that has passed since is expressed with -val/-vel)
- Coordinate term: azelőtt
- Három évvel ezelőtt történt. ― It happened three years ago.
See also
[edit]1 This group of adverbs is often understood for humans when in an emphatic position.
In an unstressed position, they may also imply objects, always depending on context.
2 Adverbs ending in -á/-é may coincide with postpositions. [edit this template]
Further reading
[edit]- ezelőtt in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
- ezelőtt in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).