Situational necessity (Hungarian)

SitDeonV: Situational necessity is expressed through the use of verb constructions.


(1) peti-nek haza kell men-ni-e, mert az anyuká-ja hív-t-a.

   Peti-dat home have_to.prs.3sg go-inf-3sg because the mother-3sg call-pst-obj.3sg

‘Peti has to go home because his mother called him.’


(2) itt muszáj tanulni.

here have_to study-inf

‘You have to study here.’


In Hungarian, situational necessity is expressed by the modal auxiliary kell ‘must/have to’ + infinitive construction (1) or the muszáj ‘necessary’, kötelező ‘compulsory’ etc. + infinitive constructions (Kugler 2000c: 386‒7, Kugler 2012: 34‒58, Kiefer 2007: 316‒319, Pelyvás 2013: 198‒201).

Author: 

Nikolett F. Gulyás