word "to have," but expresses possession by the attributive or possessive case with the verb van "to be." The sentence, Peter has a house, is therefore to be rendered in Hungarian, Péternek van háza (literally, there is a house of Peter's, or which belongs to Peter).
The form of the possessive with the verb van is called its subjective form, and is always to be translated into English with the nominative and the verb "to have;" the other form, where it governs its object directly, that is, without van, is called its attributive form, and is to be rendered in English by the possessive.
Examples.
- 1. Jánosnak van kalapja, John has a hat.
- 2. Jánosnak a kalapja szép, the hat of John is handsome.
- 3. Pál háza ég, Paul's house is burning.
In the third example Pál stands without suffix, and in the translation it has been rendered by the possessive (Paul's).
Rule 1.—If the possessive stands only as attribute to its object, it is not necessarily inflected, as the object is already inflected with the personal suffix, which expresses amply the relation between possessor and thing possessed.
Rule 2.—The possessive must be inflected with its distinguishing terminations if standing as a subject (with the verb van). The suffixed form is also preferable for the attributive
