Ways to say it
| Hungarian | IPA |
|---|---|
| -m | |
| -om | [om] (narrow) |
| -am | [ɒm] (narrow) |
| -em | [ɛm] (narrow) |
| -öm | [øm] (narrow) |
Hungarian shows possession with a suffix on the noun itself, so "my" is built into the word for the thing you own. The bare -m goes on nouns that end in a vowel. Nouns that end in a consonant take a linking vowel before it, giving -om, -am, -em or -öm.
What does it mean word for word?
Each variant is the same marker m. The vowel in front of it, when there is one, is only there to join the suffix to a noun that ends in a consonant.
Which one should you use?
The choice between -om, -am, -em and -öm follows vowel harmony. Nouns with back vowels take -om or -am, nouns with front vowels take -em and nouns whose last vowel is a rounded front vowel usually take -öm.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the suffix depends on the vowels of the noun, you pick the variant that matches the word you are attaching it to. When a noun ends in a short a or e, that vowel becomes long before the suffix is added.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to put a separate word for "my" in front of the noun. In Hungarian the possessive information is part of the noun, so attach the suffix to the end of the word instead.
Did you know?
- The marker -m is a linguistic cousin to the possessive suffix used in Northern Mansi, a minority language spoken in Siberia.
- Hungarian treats possession as a quality of the object rather than a relationship with a separate owner.
Examples in context
- A legnagyobb örömöm a kertészkedés.My greatest joy is gardening.Here örömöm is the noun for joy with the possessive ending added, giving "my joy".
- Az én könyvemMy book
- Az én autómMy car
- Az én családomMy family
- Az autó enyémThe car is mine
- A könyv enyémThe book is mine
- A házamMy house
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my” translations and entries -m, -om, -am, -em, -öm, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries -m, -om, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
