The predicative adverbial participle construction in Hungarian and in the teaching of Hungarian

Abstract

This study investigates the predicative adverbial participle construction in Hungarian and its teachability in Hungarian as a foreign language. The [VM+BE+V_ADV] construction combines a verbal modifier, the copula 'van' (‘be’), and an adverbial participle marked by the suffix -vA. Although widely used in everyday language, this linguistic expression has long been stigmatized due to prescriptive norms and is rarely addressed in Hungarian language teaching. Drawing on previous research and our own observations, we classify the construction into three groups based on verb argument structure and examine its morphosyntactic, semantic, and pragmatic properties. We argue for a construction-based approach that treats the phenomenon holistically rather than as a generative rule set. The paper also explores pedagogical implications: when, how, and to whom the construction should be taught. We propose two teaching strategies – analytical instruction for more regular forms and lexical treatment for idiomatic or less predictable expressions – and illustrate these with practical classroom tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating this high-frequency construction into communicative language teaching while considering its sociolinguistic profile and learner readiness.