leülni
The English phrase 'sit down' is translated into Hungarian as leülni.
leülni is used to describe the specific action of moving from a standing position to a sitting position. It is distinct from the verb ülni, which describes the state of being seated.
Meaning: to assume a sitting position from a standing position (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb is composed of the prefix le-, meaning 'down' and ülni, meaning 'to sit'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To give an informal command, use the form ülj le! For a polite command, use üljön le! The past tense of the verb is leült.
Did you know?
- Because Hungarian is an agglutinative language, a single word based on leülni can express 'I will not be able to sit down' by adding several suffixes to the root.
- The root ül is shared with other Finno-Ugric languages, meaning that the basic way to say 'sit' in Hungarian is distantly related to words in Estonian and Finnish.
- While ülj le! is the literal translation for 'sit down!', in a formal host-guest setting, a Hungarian might instead say Kérjük, foglaljon helyet, which means 'Please, occupy a place'.
Examples in context
- Keressünk neked egy helyet leülni.Let's find you a place to sit down.This sentence shows how to use leülni when finding a place to sit.Tatoeba #13642880 by maaster, translation #11925131 by CK
- Leülni!Sit down!This sentence uses leülni as a direct command.Tatoeba #9814433 by maaster, translation #1349166 by sacredceltic
- Megyek leülni.I'm going to go sit down.This sentence uses leülni to express an intention to sit down.Tatoeba #11484349 by kiseva33, translation #2545401 by CK
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tamás and Éva meet in a cafe.
- TamásSzia Éva! Kérlek, gyere be és ülj le.Hi Éva! Please come in and sit down.
- ÉvaKöszönöm, hová szoktunk leülni?Thank you, where do we usually sit down?
- TamásA sarokban van egy szabad asztal.There is a free table in the corner.
- ÉvaRendben, megyek oda leülni.Alright, I'm going to sit down there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
