Szétválogatjuk a hulladékot.

The dictionary form is szétválogat.

You can break szétválogatjuk down like this:

• szét- = apart, into separate parts/groups
• válogat = sort, select
• -juk = we do it, with a definite object

So szétválogatjuk means we sort it out / we separate it into categories.

Szét- often gives the idea of apart, into pieces, or into separate groups.

So:

• válogat = sort, select
• szétválogat = sort out into separate categories

In this sentence, it suggests not just handling the waste, but separating it according to type.

Because Hungarian verbs change depending on:

1. who is doing the action
2. whether the object is definite or indefinite

Here:

• -juk shows 1st person plural = we
• it is the definite conjugation, because the object is a hulladékot = the waste

So:

• szétválogatjuk a hulladékot = we sort the waste
• szétválogatunk hulladékot would mean something more like we sort waste / some waste

This definite vs. indefinite distinction is very important in Hungarian.

Because hulladék is the base noun, and here it is the direct object of the verb.

Hungarian marks direct objects with the accusative suffix -t.

So:

• hulladék = waste
• hulladékot = waste, as a direct object

The -o- is a linking vowel, and the real case ending is -t.

So the sentence literally has the structure:

• szétválogatjuk = we sort
• a hulladékot = the waste

Hungarian has two forms of the:

• a before a consonant sound
• az before a vowel sound

Since hulladék begins with h, which is a consonant sound, you use a:

• a hulladék
• but az alma = the apple

Because Hungarian usually does not need subject pronouns unless you want emphasis.

The ending -juk already tells you the subject is we.

So szétválogatjuk already contains:

• the action
• the tense
• the subject (we)
• and the fact that the object is definite

You could say Mi szétválogatjuk a hulladékot, but mi = we would add emphasis, something like:

• We sort the waste.

Grammatically, it is singular, but in meaning it often behaves like an uncountable mass noun, similar to English waste or trash.

So a hulladékot does not mean one single piece of waste. It means the waste as a general mass or collection.

That is very normal in Hungarian.

If you wanted an explicitly plural countable idea, you would use a different form or a different noun depending on context.

Yes, you could also say A hulladékot szétválogatjuk.

Hungarian word order is much more flexible than English word order. It is influenced by topic, focus, and emphasis, not just grammar.

These two versions are both possible:

• Szétválogatjuk a hulladékot.
• A hulladékot szétválogatjuk.

A rough difference:

• Szétválogatjuk a hulladékot can highlight the action
• A hulladékot szétválogatjuk makes the waste more of the topic

In many contexts, both are natural. The exact feel depends on what was being talked about before.

Formally, it is present tense.

So the basic meaning is:

• We sort the waste
• We are sorting the waste

But Hungarian present tense can sometimes also refer to the near future, depending on context.

For example, in the right situation, it could mean:

• We’ll sort the waste

Still, without extra context, a learner should treat it first as a present-tense sentence.

Because in Hungarian, verbal prefixes are normally written together with the verb when they stand directly in front of it.

So:

• szét + válogatjuk → szétválogatjuk

This is standard spelling.

But if something comes between the prefix and the verb, the prefix is written separately. For example:

• Nem válogatjuk szét a hulladékot. = We do not sort the waste out.

So learners often see both patterns:

• together: szétválogatjuk
• separated: válogatjuk szét

Both are correct, depending on sentence structure.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

sayt-VAA-lo-ga-tyook aw HOOL-la-day-kot

A few helpful points:

• sz is pronounced like English s
• é is a long ay sound
• á is a long open vowel, roughly like aa
• j is pronounced like English y
• ly in modern Hungarian is also pronounced like y, though it does not appear here
• stress is always on the first syllable of each word:
  • SZÉTválogatjuk
  • HULladékot

Hungarian pronunciation is quite regular once you learn the letter sounds.