This paper discusses some of the consequences of the assumption that Hungarian negative elements - or n-words - are not inherently negative. On the one hand, this assumption seems to raise potential problems, which I will argue can be solved under an analysis which resorts to ellipsis. On the other hand, given the restrictions on the licensing of n-words in Hungarian, namely the fact that despite the assumption just mentioned, they seem to depend somehow on strict negative contexts for their licensing, I propose an analysis of n-words which discriminates between licensing, interpretation and surface position.