# mi/ami ki/aki



## jiris

Is there a difference between the meaning or use of these variants? I've noticed several intances when looking up words such as what/when/how/which etc. where there is a variant in which an "a" is added at the beginning of the word. Could someone explain what this is? 

Many thanks!


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## Zsanna

There wouldn't be a difference in the English translation (though especially for the second group). 
Roughly the first could be a question word (mi/ki) the second its conjunctive "equivalent" (ami/aki) introducing a subsentence giving extra information about a thing or a person.

*Mi* van a dobozban? _*What* is in the box?_ - *Ami* a dobozban van, nem rád tartozik. _*What*(ever) is in the box is none of your business_.

*Ki* van itt? _*Who* is here?_ - Egy ember, *aki* nem beszél franciául. _A man *who* doesn't speak French_.


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## jiris

Ok great! Thanks –– is this the case across the board then? 
E.g. –– Hol van a doboz? Where is the box? 
         Ahol van a doboz, nem rád tartozik.  Where(ever) the box is, it's none of your business.  

Right?


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## Zsanna

Yes, almost...! The idea is that, in any case.

In your example, we would rather say: (Az) Hogy hol van a doboz, nem rád tartozik. (Please, don't ask why!)

But: Meglátogatta a várost, *ahol* korábban lakott._ He visited the town *where* he had lived (earlier)_.


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## jiris

Okay thanks!


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## francisgranada

I don't know if the following explanation is useful or not ...

_Mi, hogy, ki, hol_ ... are _interrogative _pronouns, while the forms with *a-* (_ami, ahogy, aki, ahol_ ..) are _relative _pronouns. This "a" comes from "az", so for example "_ahol" _literally means "_the where_". 

An example:
- Hol lakik Péter? (_Where does Peter live?_)
- Ahol született (_Where he was born,_ i.e_. In/at *the *place *where *he was born_)


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