left
gb/lˈɛft/ us/lˈɛft/
A1
English
elmegy, elhagy, elindul, bal, balra, marad, hátralévő, megmaradt, hagy, ottfelejt, otthagy, felmond, kilép, bal oldal, bal kanyar, baloldal, baloldali
VERB
A1
1
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] left [place]; [someone/something] left at [time]; [someone/something] has left
She left the office at six.
Hatkor ment el az irodából.
The train had already left by the time we arrived.
Mire megérkeztünk, a vonat már elindult.
He left without saying goodbye.
Learner examples
I left home at eight.
Nyolckor mentem el otthonról.
Has the bus left yet?
Elment már a busz?
Common mistake:
Do not use left for arriving; use arrived or got to.
Meaning
went away
Collocations
left home
|left early
|left the room
|left work
|left for school
|left at noon
|already left
|just left
|left without saying goodbye
|the train left
Synonyms
departed (more formal than left)
|
went away (simple and conversational)
|
exited (emphasizes going out of a place)
Antonyms
arrived (came to a place rather than went away)
|
stayed (remained in the same place)
|
entered (went into a place rather than away from it)
Themes
movement
|daily_life
|travel
Definition
went away from a place
Past tense and past participle of leave: went away from a place or person, or stopped being in a place.
A1
2
bal
A1
Usage pattern:
left [body part/side/place]
She writes with her left hand.
Bal kézzel ír.
Put the form in the left column.
Tedd az űrlapot a bal oldali oszlopba.
The left side of my face hurts.
Learner examples
This is my left hand.
Ez a bal kezem.
The door is on the left side.
Az ajtó a bal oldalon van.
Common mistake:
Left and right depend on the direction you are facing.
Meaning
opposite of right side
Collocations
left hand
|left foot
|left eye
|left side
|left arm
|left leg
|left shoulder
|left column
|left lane
|left corner
Synonyms
left-hand (used before nouns, especially for position)
|
left-side (emphasizes the side of something)
Antonyms
right (on the opposite side)
Themes
direction
|body
|daily_life
Definition
on the side opposite your right side
On or relating to the side of the body with the left hand, opposite the right side.
A1
3
balra
A1
Usage pattern:
turn/go/look/move left
Turn left at the traffic lights.
A lámpánál fordulj balra.
She looked left before crossing the road.
Balra nézett, mielőtt átment az úton.
The road curves left after the bridge.
Learner examples
Go left here.
Itt menj balra.
Look left first.
Először nézz balra.
Common mistake:
Turn left is natural; do not say turn to left unless you say turn to the left.
Meaning
toward the left
Collocations
turn left
|go left
|look left
|move left
|keep left
|bear left
|shift left
|curve left
|veer left
|swing left
Synonyms
leftward (more formal or technical)
|
to the left (slightly fuller phrase with the same direction)
Antonyms
right (toward the opposite side)
|
rightward (more formal or technical opposite)
Themes
direction
|movement
|daily_life
Definition
in the direction of the left side
Toward, on, or from the left side.
A2
4
Usage pattern:
[amount/thing] left; left to [do something]
There are only two slices left.
Már csak két szelet maradt.
How much time do we have left?
Mennyi időnk maradt?
I have a lot of work left to finish.
Learner examples
No milk is left.
Nem maradt tej.
We have ten minutes left.
Tíz percünk maradt.
Common mistake:
In this meaning, left usually comes after the noun or amount: two tickets left, not left two tickets.
Meaning
still remaining
Collocations
time left
|money left
|food left
|seats left
|nothing left
|only one left
|a few minutes left
|work left to do
|space left
|energy left
Synonyms
remaining (more formal and precise)
|
available (emphasizes that something can still be used)
|
unused (emphasizes not yet used)
Antonyms
gone (no longer available or present)
|
used up (completely used)
|
finished (completed or all gone)
Themes
quantity
|daily_life
|time
Definition
still there or still available
Still available, present, or not used after others have gone, been used, or been taken.
VERB
A2
5
Usage pattern:
[someone] left [something/someone] [place]; [someone] left [something] with [someone]
I left my keys at home.
Otthon hagytam a kulcsaimat.
She left a note on the kitchen table.
Egy cetlit hagyott a konyhaasztalon.
They left the children with their grandparents for the weekend.
Learner examples
I left my bag on the bus.
A buszon hagytam a táskámat.
She left a message for you.
Üzenetet hagyott neked.
Common mistake:
If you accidentally did not take something, say I left my phone at home, not I forgot my phone at home in all contexts; forgot can also be correct but focuses on memory.
Meaning
kept in a place
Collocations
left my keys
|left at home
|left on the table
|left in the car
|left a note
|left a message
|left it there
|left with a friend
|left the children with grandparents
|left your bag
Synonyms
forgot (only when it was accidental)
|
put (focuses on placing something somewhere)
|
kept (emphasizes allowing something to remain)
Antonyms
took (carried something away)
|
brought (took something with you to a place)
|
removed (took something away from where it was)
Themes
daily_life
|memory
|location
Definition
put or forgot something somewhere
Past tense and past participle of leave: put, kept, or forgot someone or something in a particular place instead of taking them away.
VERB
A2
6
Usage pattern:
[someone] left [job/school/group/person]
He left the company to start his own business.
Otthagyta a céget, hogy saját vállalkozást indítson.
She left college after one semester.
Egy félév után otthagyta az egyetemet.
After years of arguments, he left his partner.
Learner examples
My brother left school last year.
A testvérem tavaly otthagyta az iskolát.
She left her job in June.
Júniusban otthagyta az állását.
Common mistake:
Left the company means stopped working there; left the office usually means went away from the office.
Meaning
stopped being involved
Collocations
left the company
|left his job
|left school
|left college
|left the team
|left the party
|left the army
|left office
|left her husband
|left the group
Synonyms
quit (more informal; often voluntary)
|
resigned from (formal, especially for jobs or positions)
|
dropped out of (used especially for school or courses)
Antonyms
joined (became part of a group or organization)
|
stayed with (continued in a job, group, or relationship)
|
entered (began attending or participating)
Themes
work
|education
|relationships
|organizations
Definition
stopped being part of a job, school, group, or relationship
Past tense and past participle of leave: stopped working for, attending, belonging to, or being in a relationship with a person, place, or organization.
VERB
B1
7
hagy
A2
Usage pattern:
[something] left [someone/something] [adjective/noun phrase]; left [something] [adjective]
The news left everyone speechless.
A hír mindenkit szótlanul hagyott.
You left the front door open.
Nyitva hagytad a bejárati ajtót.
The flood left thousands of people homeless.
Learner examples
The film left me happy.
A film boldoggá tett.
He left the window open.
Nyitva hagyta az ablakot.
Common mistake:
This meaning often describes a result: The news left me sad means the news made me sad.
Meaning
made remain in state
Collocations
left open
|left alone
|left unchanged
|left someone waiting
|left me confused
|left everyone speechless
|left no doubt
|left a mark
|left homeless
|left in charge
Synonyms
kept (emphasizes continuing the same state)
|
made (simple result meaning)
|
rendered (formal; means caused to become)
Antonyms
changed (did not allow the state to continue)
|
restored (returned someone or something to a normal or better state)
|
fixed (corrected a problem rather than leaving it)
Themes
cause_and_effect
|states
|daily_life
Definition
made someone or something stay in a condition
Past tense and past participle of leave: made or allowed someone or something to remain in a particular condition or situation.
NOUN
A2
8
Usage pattern:
the left; on/to/from [someone's] left; a left
The bathroom is on the left.
A mosdó a bal oldalon van.
Move the slider a little to the left.
Mozgasd a csúszkát egy kicsit balra.
Take a left after the gas station.
Learner examples
The shop is on your left.
A bolt a bal oldaladon van.
Turn at the next left.
A következő bal kanyarnál fordulj be.
Common mistake:
Use the with the noun: on the left, to the left.
Meaning
left side or direction
Collocations
on the left
|to the left
|from the left
|your left
|the left side
|the left of the screen
|far left
|top left
|bottom left
|take a left
Synonyms
left side (clearer and more explicit)
|
left-hand side (often used for positions on pages, roads, or objects)
|
left turn (only means a turn in that direction)
Antonyms
right (the opposite side or direction)
|
right side (explicit opposite side)
Themes
direction
|location
|travel
Definition
the left side or a turn to that side
The side or direction opposite right; informally, a turn in that direction.
NOUN
B2
9
baloldal
B2
Usage pattern:
the left; on the left; the [adjective] left
The proposal was popular on the left.
A javaslat népszerű volt a baloldalon.
The left won a narrow victory in the election.
A baloldal szűk győzelmet aratott a választáson.
Critics on the left said the policy did not go far enough.
Learner examples
She is on the left politically.
Politikailag baloldali.
The left supported the new law.
A baloldal támogatta az új törvényt.
Common mistake:
Use the when referring to the political group: the left, not just left.
Meaning
progressive political side
Collocations
the left
|on the left
|the far left
|center-left
|the political left
|the left wing
|left of center
|left voters
|left parties
|left-right divide
Synonyms
left wing (very close; often used for the political side or its supporters)
|
progressives (emphasizes support for social reform; not identical in every country)
|
liberals (common in US politics, but meanings vary by country)
Antonyms
the right (the opposing political side, generally more conservative)
|
conservatives (people or groups favoring tradition or limited change)
Themes
politics
|society
|government
Definition
people or parties with progressive political ideas
The part of a political system that generally supports more social equality, progressive change, and often a larger role for government in the economy.
B2
10
baloldali
B2
Usage pattern:
left [party/group/politics/view]
Left parties gained seats in parliament.
A baloldali pártok mandátumokat szereztek a parlamentben.
The professor is known for left politics.
A professzor baloldali nézeteiről ismert.
A left coalition formed after the election.
Learner examples
He reads left newspapers.
Baloldali újságokat olvas.
Left groups joined the protest.
Baloldali csoportok csatlakoztak a tüntetéshez.
Common mistake:
For a person or organization, left-wing or left-leaning is often more natural than just left.
Meaning
politically left-wing
Collocations
left parties
|left politics
|left perspective
|left activists
|left voters
|left coalition
|left tradition
|left agenda
|left intellectuals
|left media
Synonyms
left-wing (more common before nouns)
|
progressive (emphasizes reform and social change)
|
left-leaning (suggests moderate support for left ideas)
Antonyms
right-wing (supporting the political right)
|
conservative (favoring tradition or slower change)
|
right-leaning (moderately supportive of right-wing ideas)
Themes
politics
|society
|government
Definition
having progressive political ideas
Supporting or connected with the political left.
Grammar
Dictionary form
left
IPA
GB/lˈɛft/
US/lˈɛft/
Syllables & stress
left (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (left)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: left
Noun
- Base: left
- Plural: left, lefts
Expressions
be left behind
1/bˈi lˈɛft bɪhˈaɪnd/
fixed phrase
not keep up
not go with others or not progress as fast
Examples
- Check the bus before you leave so no child is left behind.
- Older workers may be left behind by rapid changes in technology.
- I ran to catch up because I didn't want to be left behind.
Learner examples
- My bag was left behind.
- Don't leave me behind.
be left in the dark
1/bˈi lˈɛft ˈɪn ðə dˈɑɹk/
idiom
not be informed
not be told important information
Examples
- Employees felt left in the dark about the company's plans.
- Please keep me updated; I don't want to be left in the dark.
- Parents were left in the dark about the changes to the school schedule.
Learner examples
- I felt left in the dark.
- They left us in the dark about the problem.
be left out
1/bˈi lˈɛft ˈaʊt/
fixed phrase
be excluded
not be included
Examples
- No one wants to be left out of the conversation.
- Her name was accidentally left out of the credits.
- I felt left out when my friends went without me.
Learner examples
- Tom was left out of the game.
- I don't want to be left out.
be left to one's own devices
1/bˈi lˈɛft tə wˈʌnz ˈoʊn dɪvˈaɪsɪz/
idiom
manage without help
be left alone to decide what to do
Examples
- If left to his own devices, he would play video games all day.
- The new employee was left to her own devices with almost no training.
- The kids can be very creative when they're left to their own devices.
Learner examples
- The children were left to their own devices.
- I work well when left to my own devices.
be left with
1/bˈi lˈɛft wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
end up having
have something as the result of a situation
Examples
- After taxes, we were left with very little profit.
- When the guests went home, I was left with a huge mess.
- The report left us with several important questions.
Learner examples
- I was left with no money.
- We are left with one choice.
have two left feet
1/hˈæv tˈu lˈɛft fˈit/
idiom
informal
be physically clumsy
be bad at dancing or moving smoothly
Examples
- I tried salsa, but I have two left feet.
- Don't ask me to dance; I've got two left feet.
- He moves well on the soccer field, but on the dance floor he has two left feet.
Learner examples
- I have two left feet.
- She says she has two left feet.
left and right
1/lˈɛft ˈænd ɹˈaɪt/
idiom
informal
everywhere or constantly
a lot, everywhere, or very often
Examples
- During the sale, people were buying shoes left and right.
- The company is hiring engineers left and right.
- He was spending money left and right.
Learner examples
- She wins prizes left and right.
- They are building new houses left and right.
out of left field
1/ˈaʊt əv lˈɛft fˈild/
idiom
informal
Unexpected or unusual
Very surprising or strange.
Examples
- His question came out of left field and surprised everyone.
- That idea is really out of left field, but it might work.
out of left field
1/ˈaʊt əv lˈɛft fˈild/
idiom
informal
unexpected or strange
very unexpected or strange
Examples
- Her question came out of left field.
- The ending felt completely out of left field.
- That job offer was out of left field, but I took it.
Learner examples
- His idea came out of left field.
- That answer was out of left field.