A kenu felborulhat az áramlatban.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

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

So:

• a kenu = the canoe
• az áramlatban = in the current

This is similar to how English uses a and an, except Hungarian does it with the definite article instead.

felborulhat can be broken down like this:

• fel- = up / over
• borul = tip over, overturn
• -hat / -het = can, may, might

So felborulhat means something like:

• can capsize
• may overturn
• might tip over

In natural English here, may capsize or can capsize works well.

Because Hungarian often adds that meaning directly to the verb with the suffix -hat / -het.

So instead of using a separate helper verb like English can, Hungarian says:

• felborul = capsizes / overturns
• felborulhat = can capsize / may overturn

Which form appears, -hat or -het, depends mainly on vowel harmony.

The ending -ban / -ben means in.

So:

• áramlat = current
• áramlatban = in the current

This is one of the common Hungarian case endings. Instead of using a separate preposition like English in, Hungarian usually adds a suffix to the noun.

This is because of vowel harmony.

Hungarian suffixes often come in two versions:

• -ban after back-vowel words
• -ben after front-vowel words

áramlat contains back vowels (á, a, a), so it takes:

• -ban → áramlatban

áramlat means current, especially a flow of water.

So az áramlatban means:

• in the current
• in the water current

It does not mean simply in the river. The sentence is specifically talking about the moving water.

Because kenu is the subject of the sentence, and subjects in Hungarian often appear in the basic dictionary form with no special ending.

Here:

• A kenu = the canoe → subject
• felborulhat = may capsize
• az áramlatban = in the current

So the canoe is the thing doing the action, which is why kenu stays unchanged.

Here it expresses possibility, not permission.

So the sense is:

• The canoe may capsize in the current
• The canoe can capsize in the current

It does not mean someone is giving the canoe permission to capsize. In context, it means the current creates a risk or possibility.

Yes. Hungarian word order is more flexible than English, and changing it often changes the focus or emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

• A kenu felborulhat az áramlatban.
  Neutral: The canoe may capsize in the current.

• Az áramlatban a kenu felborulhat.
  Emphasis on in the current.

The version you were given sounds natural as a neutral statement.

fel- is a verbal prefix. In many verbs, prefixes modify the basic meaning.

With borul, the idea is tipping or turning over, and felborul specifically means:

• to overturn
• to capsize
• to tip over

So the prefix helps create the full verb meaning. Hungarian uses verbal prefixes very often, and they are important to learn as part of the verb.

No, kenu is a loanword, ultimately related to canoe.

That is why it looks quite similar to English. Hungarian uses it as a normal noun:

• a kenu = the canoe
• kenuban = in a canoe
• kenut = a canoe (object form)

So even though it is borrowed, it still behaves like a regular Hungarian noun.

Usually, no, not in a normal neutral sentence like this.

Hungarian often uses the definite article when English would say the:

• A kenu felborulhat az áramlatban. = The canoe may capsize in the current.

If you remove a, it sounds less natural here and may require a special context or style. For a standard example sentence, keeping a kenu is the right choice.