# To bathe (a child) = füröszteni or fürdetni?



## angeloegabri

Good morning!
"To bathe (a child)" = "füröszteni" or "fürdetni"?
Or are the two verbs perfectly synonims?
In this case, are they indifferently employed or the one of them prevails in the use?
Thanks in advance to everyone who has will to answer!


----------



## AndrasBP

angeloegabri said:


> "To bathe (a child)" = "füröszteni" or "fürdetni"?
> Or are the two verbs perfectly synonims?


I only use "fürdetni". 
"Füröszteni" sounds slightly dialectal or archaic to me, but it might be more common in other parts of the country.


----------



## angeloegabri

And thank you very much again 
So, "fürdetni" is better.
But I have another question, just to make it clear: let's suppose we use "füröszteni" ....  (perhaps it's better opening a new thread ....  for not becoming off-topic ....  anyway my question regards a lot of other verbs ....)


----------



## francisgranada

angeloegabri said:


> "To bathe (a child)" = "füröszteni" or "fürdetni"?
> Or are the two verbs perfectly synonims?



Both _fürdetni _and _füröszteni _are today used, practically as synonyms.

However, grammatically the verb _fürdetni _is a causative verb (műveltető ige) derived from _fürdeni _(like e.g. _vallatni _from _vallani_). Thus strictly speaking,  _fürdetni a gyereket _should mean "to let/have the child bath(e)" (Italian approximately: "_far bagnarsi il bambino", "lasciar lavarsi il bambino [da] se stesso"_).

In practice, in general, the difference between the two verbs is typically not felt (I personally do still feel it ...).

For curiosity, I've asked a woman (native Hungarian from Debrecen) about which form does she prefer. She gave me an interesting answer: in case of very little children she prefers _füröszteni, _otherwise _fürdetni ... _


----------



## angeloegabri

Thank you for your answer francisgranada!
It is true:  fürdetni is a causative verb! 
And that woman is right when we think well:  there is a difference between a child who can already wash himself and a baby, whom one must wash!
Now:  what about the simple verb fürdeni?  Is it used?


----------



## francisgranada

angeloegabri said:


> Now:  what about the simple verb fürdeni?  Is it used?


Yes, it is used. Both _fürdeni _and _fürödni _are correct (as far as I know),  see also e.g. *here*.


----------



## angeloegabri

I thank you for the answer and for the marvelous website francisgranada!


----------

