This is used to mean "as far as...", "until".
For example:
- kilencig or kilenc óráig
until 9 (o'clock)
- megyek a folyóig
I'm going as far as the river
- itt leszek két hétig
I will be here for two weeks (until two weeks)
Some more common uses are in the demonstrative pronouns and the question:
Remember how most English wh- question words are m- in Hungarian.....
- meddig?
until when?
-
ez + -ig
= eddig
until this (time) = until now
-
az + -ig
= addig
until that (time) = until then
It's one of the few
endings that has just one form, there are no options for vowel harmony.
All nouns, no matter their harmonious character, take the ending -ig.
Another useful word is sokáig for a long time.
This is dissected as "sok" (much, many) plus the terminative ending -ig.
I have seen that some translators
try to use the American style or showing a time-span, using the word "through".
The phrase "I will be here for three days" may be translated as
"Három napon keresztül itt leszek" which actually means
"I will be here through three days."
This isn't the same.