Let’s LearnHungarian

Lesson 64 of 74 · B1, Unit 3: Advanced grammar

Causative verbs: having something done

-tat/-tet added to a verb turns 'do X' into 'have X done' or 'make someone do X': csinál ('do') → csináltat ('have done'), vág ('cut') → vágat ('have cut'). The person doing the actual work, if named, takes -val/-vel: Fodrásszal vágattam le a hajam ('I had my hair cut by a hairdresser').

Stems ending in certain consonants double them before the suffix: épít ('build') → építtet — a small spelling detail, not a different rule.

By the end you can:

  • form causative verbs with -tat/-tet: 'have something done'
  • use fodrásszal/valakivel + a causative verb to name who does the work
  • tell apart csinálom ('I do it myself') from csináltatom ('I have it done')

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