-sz

-sz

1. Alternative form of -s (“patronymic suffix”)

• IPA^(key): [s]

-sz

2. (personal suffix) Forms the second-person singular present tense of verbs (indicative mood, indefinite conjugation).

   ‎tud (“can”) + ‎-sz → ‎tudsz (“you can”)

   Tudsz segíteni? ― Can you help?

3. (obsolete frequentative verb-forming suffix) It was later reinterpreted as a present-tense marker, and eventually as a part of the stem.^[1] Sometimes it is one of several suffixes, such as in -szik and in -szkodik​/​-aszkodik​/​-eszkedik (qq.v.).^[1] Its frequentative sense is still perceptible in verbs suffixed with -ászik​/​-észik.^[1]

   Individual verbs: metsz (“to cut, incise”), uszít (“to instigate”), vonszol (“to drag/lug”), edz (et + sz) (“to train/harden”) etc.

   sz-inserting v-stem verbs: tesz (“to do; to put”), lesz (“to become; will be”), vesz (“to take/get”), visz (“to take/carry”), hisz (“to believe”), eszik (“to eat”), iszik (“to drink”), alszik (“to sleep”), fekszik (“to lie/recline”), nyugszik (“to rest/repose”)

4. (nominal-forming suffix) See -asz/-esz.

• (personal suffix) Variants:

  -sz added to verbs not in the categories listed below

  ‎vár (“to wait”) + ‎-sz → ‎vársz (“you wait, you are waiting”)

  -asz added to back-vowel verbs ending in two consonants or -ít

  ‎hall (“to hear”) + ‎-asz → ‎hallasz (“you hear, you are hearing”)

  ‎tanít (“to teach”) + ‎-asz → ‎tanítasz (“you teach, you are teaching”)

  -esz added to front-vowel verbs ending in two consonants or -ít

  ‎dönt (“to decide”) + ‎-esz → ‎döntesz (“you decide, you are deciding”)

  ‎segít (“to help”) + ‎-esz → ‎segítesz (“you help, you are helping”)

  -ol added to back-vowel verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz

  ‎olvas (“to read”) + ‎-ol → ‎olvasol (“you read, you are reading”)

  -el added to unrounded front-vowel verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz

  ‎vesz (“to buy”) + ‎-el → ‎veszel (“you buy, you are buying”)

  -öl added to rounded front-vowel verbs ending in s, sz, z, dz

  ‎főz (“to cook”) + ‎-öl → ‎főzöl (“you cook, you are cooking”)