-tán

-tán

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tan"

Hungarian

Etymology

Lexicalization of -ta (noun-forming suffix combined with the possessive) +‎ -n (superessive suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [taːn]
• Rhymes: -aːn

Suffix

-tán

1. (adverb-forming suffix) Added to certain verbs to form an adverb, usually in the sense “on doing something” (for transitive verbs) or “after/once something happens” (for intransitive verbs).

   ‎ad (“to give”) + ‎-tán → ‎adtán, now only construed with alkalom (“occasion”) → alkalomadtán (“should the occasion arise”, literally “once [an] occasion is given, i.e. supplied”)

   ‎fogy (“to diminish, run out”) + ‎-tán → ‎fogytán (“in short supply, [in the state of] running out”)

   ‎foly(ik) (“to flow”) + ‎-tán → ‎folytán (“owing to, by virtue of, as a result of”, literally “once something has flown, i.e., happened”)

   ‎lát (“to see”) + ‎-tán → ‎láttán (“on seeing”)

   ‎múl(ik) (“to pass”) + ‎-tán → ‎múltán (“after … passed”)

   ‎olvas (“to read”) + ‎-tán → ‎olvastán (“on reading”)

Usage notes

• Variants:

  -tán is added to most back-vowel verbs (though currently few verbs altogether):

  ‎fogy (“to diminish, run out”) + ‎-tán → ‎fogytán (“in short supply, [in the state of] running out”)

  -atán is added to the following back-vowel verb whose stem ends in two consonants:

  hall (“to hear”) + -atán → hallatán (“on hearing”)

• In certain phrases, the superessive suffix is replaced by -kor, -ban​/​-ben or -val​/​-vel, with a similar meaning: ott jártakor; jártában-keltében, álltában, egyfolytában, (kutya)futtában, következtében, ijedtében, reptében​/​röptében, siettében; postafordultával, múltával, előrehaladtával, végeztével.
• Other verbs might occasionally take this suffix, however, those cases are not included above where the suffix -ta​/​-te creates a noun used with no suffix or other suffixes. For example, ‎tud (“to know”) + ‎-tán → ‎tudtán, construed with kívül (“outside”) → tudtán kívül (“without someone’s knowledge, unbeknownst to someone”), as tudta (“one’s knowledge [of]”) can be used as a noun. Also, érkeztén (“on its arrival”) doesn’t need the derivation érkez(ik) (“to arrive”) + -tén as érkezte (“its arrival”) exists as a noun. Some of the examples above allow for both derivations, especially if archaic forms are included.

See also

• -va/-ve, -ván/-vén
• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes