inesszívusz
In the house
Being inside. Time-of-year and many abstract ‘in’s live here too.
-ban/-ben is being inside something: a room, a building, a foreign country, a month, a year. It answers hol? — where at? Most abstract English ‘in’s land here as well.
Endings
-ban · -ben
Inessive · in · space triad, position
When not to use it
Not for Hungarian settlements, which take the surface ending: Budapesten, Szegeden, Pécsett. Not for clock times either — those take -kor.
Tell them apart
a házban
in the house
Budapesten
in Budapest
Interiors take -ban/-ben; Hungarian towns take -n/-on/-en/-ön instead.
Notes
- A házban vagyok — I am in the house.
- Months and years take -ban/-ben: januárban, 2026-ban.
- Languages are the exception: magyarul, not magyarban.
Examples
A házban vagyok.
I am in the house.
Budapesten lakom, de a házban olvasok.
I live in Budapest, but I read in the house.
Nyáron a kertben ülünk.
In summer we sit in the garden.
Januárban hideg van.
In January it is cold.
2026-ban kezdtük.
We started in 2026.