See also: jei, je'i, jéí, and jéì

Hungarian

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Etymology

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-je (possessive suffix) +‎ -i (possessive plural)

Pronunciation

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Suffix

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-jei

  1. possessive suffix for multiple possessions:
    1. (with no noun for possessor) his, her, its ……-s (third-person singular; the pronoun ő (s/he) being optional for emphasis)
      kert (garden)a kertjei (his/her/its gardens), az ő kertjei (his/her gardens)
      a kertjei (his/her/its gardens), az ő kertjei (his/her gardens)
    2. (with no noun for possessor, formal) your ……-s (second-person singular, grammatically resembling the third person sg.)
      a kertjei (your [formal] gardens), az ön kertjei, a maga kertjei (your [formal] gardens)
    3. construed with a noun or certain pronouns as the possessor: ……’s ……-s, ……-s of …… (third-person sg. or pl., depending on the noun or pronoun)
      az ember(nek a) kertjeithe person’s gardens
      a gyerek(nek a) kertjeithe child’s gardens
      az emberek(nek a) kertjeithe people’s gardens
      a gyerekek(nek a) kertjeithe children’s gardens
      az önök kertjei, a maguk kertjeiyour (plural, formal) gardens
      azok(nak a) kertjeithe gardens of those
      ki(k)nek a kertjei?whose gardens?

Usage notes

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  • (possessive suffix) Variants:
    -i is added to words ending in a vowel except -i. Final -a changes to -á-; final -e changes to -é-. The latter feature distinguishes it from the -i (adjective-forming suffix), which does not lengthen the preceding -a/-e.
    -ai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
    -ei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant
    -jai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
    -jei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
    • If the possessed noun is in the plural and the possessor is expressed in English with a possessive pronoun only (rather than a noun), e.g. “their toys” (as opposed to “the children’s toys”), the -ik/-aik/-eik/-jaik/-jeik suffixes are required in Hungarian.

See also

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