# Difference between elkéstem and késtem el



## forexknight

Hello,

I have a problem, can you tell me difference between elkéstem and késtem el?
For example : Nagyon siettem. Nem értem, miért *késtem el*.
Can you explain to me when I should use elkestem and when kestem el?

Thanks in advance


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## Zsanna

Hello forexknight and welcome to the forum

It is a bit of a complex question. I'm afraid even if it is possible to give an answer to your example, the problem goes further than what can be given as a summary.
*El* is called a preverb. (There are more than 40 of them in Hungarian.)
Preverbs appear before a verb and then they are written in one word with them (_el_késik, _el_megy, _el_mond etc.) - this happens in normal statements.

In questions (1 both direct and indirect - as in your example), negative sentences (2) and in statements where a particular word/part of a sentence (3) is emphatic the preverb will follow the verb (and written separately from it).

1. In direct questions: *Miért* késtem el? (*Why* am/was* I late?) or indirect questions - your sentence.
2. *Nem* késtem el. (I am/was *not* late.)
3. (Nem én, hanem) *Pali* késett el. ((It wasn't me but* it was*) *Pali* (who) is/was late.)

*It is indipendent from your question and it is a bit strange but both verb tenses are possible in English depending on the speaker's situation in time (compared to the event in question).


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## forexknight

Thank you very much!


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## frugnaglio

Zsanna said:


> In questions (1 both direct and indirect - as in your example), negative sentences (2) and in statements where a particular word/part of a sentence (3) is emphantic the preverb will follow the verb (and written separately from it).
> 
> 1. In direct questions: *Miért* késtem el? (*Why* am/was* I late?) or indirect questions - your sentence.



I wouldn't say it always happens in questions. You ask _Elkéstél?_ and not _Késtél el?_ It does happen in questions phrased with a question word (what, who, why etc.) since the question word is always the element in emphasis. So it is the same as your case 3. above.


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## Zsanna

I'm sorry. 
You are right frugnaglio, it is not the question in itself that makes the preverb separate from the verb but the _question wor_d which (similarly to all the other cases) has the emphatic accent (may not be the right term linguistically in English) on it that is the reason for the separation. (It is lucky I put those words in bold though, at least it was visible which word helps to recognize the emphasis that could not be indicated in a written form.)

It may be evident but I add (just to make sure) that such a word has to come before the verb in the sentence - which is also connected to our word order rules within a sentence.


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## frugnaglio

Of course! I was not dissenting with you, just trying to make things clearer for forexknight.


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## gorilla

It's also worth noting that these preverbs (or coverbs) could be considered separate words for the purposes of word order. They move around as other words. 

"Sokat eszem." - "Miért eszel sokat?" 
"Kórházba került." - "Miért került kórházba?"
"Elmegyek. - "Miért mész el?"
"El kell mennem" - "Miért kell elmenned"
"Sokat kell ennem" - "Miért kell sokat enned?"

Etc.


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## francisgranada

frugnaglio said:


> ... It does happen in questions phrased with a question word (what, who, why etc.) since the question word is always the element in emphasis ...


Yes, consequently it happens in general when the element in emphasis is not the verb itself (not necessarily with a question word). E.g. _Mária késett el? Te késtél el? Tegnap késtél el?
_
As to the word order, there is an other thing to be taken in consideration as well. See the following difference:
_Elmentem - _approximately _"I have gone away"
Mentem el - _approximately _"I was going away" _
(This example doesn't work  very well with the verb _elkésni, _as _késni _"normally" is not a continuous action)
_
_


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## frugnaglio

francisgranada said:


> As to the word order, there is an other thing to be taken in consideration as well. See the following difference:
> _Elmentem - _approximately _"I have gone away"
> Mentem el - _approximately _"I was going away" _



This is yet something else. I remember I learnt about this with “Megyek le a lépcsőn / Lemegyek a lépcsőn”, but I have never known how productive this is. Hmm I guess it's material for another thread (not now - I'm lazy)


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## francisgranada

frugnaglio said:


> This is yet something else ... Hmm I guess it's material for another thread (not now - I'm lazy)


Yes, but I think this has to do with the emphasis as well. I'm lookin' for the new thread (when you will not be lazy ) ...


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