PossSuff: Possession is expressed through the use of a suffix on the possessed noun; the pronoun referring to the possessor does not appear, regardless of person.

PrsPOblPossSuff: Possession is expressed through the use of a personal pronoun in non-base form and a suffix on the possessed noun.

(1)    a    ház-a

the    house-3sg

   ‘his/her house’    

 

(2) az ő ház-a

the (s)he house-3sg

‘his/her house’    

In the Hungarian pronominal possessive construction, the word denoting the possessed entity is always marked by a possessive suffix. Pronominal possessor is expressed by the definite article and the pronoun together (which is, thus, a non-base form of the personal pronoun) (2), but, in the role of the possessor, a personal pronoun can also be omitted (1). The longer version is normally used to express emphasis (cf. Balogh 2000a: 186‒189, É. Kiss 2003: 82‒88).