Coverb separation

Coverbs attach to the front of their verb — until something more important claims the pre-verb position. Then they detach and move behind. This looks chaotic; it’s actually one rule.

The rule

The slot immediately before the verb belongs to focus. In a neutral sentence, the coverb occupies it (attached). The moment anything else takes focus — a question word, negation, an emphasized element — the coverb is evicted and lands right after the verb.

Megeszem az almát.

I'll eat the apple. (neutral — coverb attached)

Nem eszem meg az almát.

I won't eat the apple. (negation takes focus)

Mikor eszed meg az almát?

When will you eat the apple? (question word takes focus)

Az almát eszem meg, nem a körtét.

It's the APPLE I'll eat, not the pear. (focused object)

With auxiliaries, the coverb splits forward

Future fog, modal akar, tud, szeretne + infinitive: the coverb detaches from the infinitive and the auxiliary sits between them:

Meg fogom enni.

I will eat it (up).

El akarok menni.

I want to leave.

Ki tudod nyitni?

Can you open it?

Unless, again, something takes focus — then the coverb goes to the back:

Nem fogom megenni.

I will not eat it.

Miért akarsz elmenni?

Why do you want to leave?

Imperatives separate

Commands put the verb first, coverb after — and negated commands use ne:

Edd meg! — Eat it (up)!
Menj el! — Go away!
Ne menj el! — Don’t leave!

Standalone coverb answers

Since the coverb carries the telic payload, it can answer a yes/no question alone:

Megetted az almát? — Meg. (Yes, ate it.)
Elolvastad? — El. (Yep, read it.)

Reading tip

When you meet a bare verb mid-sentence, check the sentence tail — its coverb may be waiting there (…eszem meg, …fogom enni). Yomitan often needs the reunited form (megeszik) for the correct dictionary entry — split coverbs are one of the cases where Yomitan’s Hungarian deinflection can miss.