A cég jól működik.

A is the definite article, the Hungarian equivalent of the.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

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

Since cég begins with c, you say a cég.

So:

• a cég = the company
• but az autó = the car

Cég is pronounced approximately like tsayg.

Breakdown:

• c = ts, like the end of cats
• é = a long vowel, somewhat like ay in say, but cleaner and without the English glide
• g = a hard g, as in go

So cég is not pronounced with an English k or s sound at the beginning.

Because jó means good, while jól means well.

In this sentence, the word is describing how the company functions, so Hungarian uses the adverb:

• jó = good
• jól = well

So:

• A cég jó. = The company is good.
• A cég jól működik. = The company functions well.

This is the same kind of difference as good vs well in English.

Működik is the verb meaning works, functions, or operates.

In this sentence it is:

• present tense
• third person singular
• with the subject a cég = the company

So működik here means it works/functions.

The infinitive is működni = to function / to operate.

Hungarian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the context.

In English, you must say:

• It works well

In Hungarian, the verb form often makes the subject clear enough, and here the noun a cég is already stated, so no separate it is needed.

So:

• A cég jól működik. literally = The company well functions
• natural English = The company functions well

Cég is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

In Hungarian, the nominative usually has no special ending. The basic form of the noun is used.

So:

• cég = company
• a cég = the company

There is no extra subject ending added here.

This is a natural, neutral Hungarian word order for this idea.

The sentence is:

• A cég = the company
• jól = well
• működik = functions

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English, but it is not random. It often reflects focus, emphasis, or what is new information.

In a neutral statement like this, jól működik sounds very natural.

You might hear it in a specific context, but it is less neutral.

A cég jól működik is the most natural basic version.

If you say A cég működik jól, it can sound marked, as if the speaker is arranging the sentence for emphasis or contrast. Hungarian word order often depends on discourse, not just grammar.

So as a learner, it is safest to use:

• A cég jól működik.

The -ik is part of the verb form. Működik belongs to a group often called -ik verbs.

For a beginner, the most useful thing is simply to learn:

• dictionary form often given: működik
• infinitive: működni

Historically and grammatically, -ik verbs have some special behavior, but in modern Hungarian many of those differences are smaller than they used to be. At your level, it is best to memorize the verb as a whole.

So do not treat -ik here as a separate word with its own meaning.

No. In Hungarian, definite vs indefinite verb conjugation depends on the object, not the subject.

This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers.

Here:

• a cég is the subject
• there is no direct object

So the verb is not becoming definite because the subject is definite.

In other words, the company being definite does not control the verb form here.

The accent marks are important. They are not optional spelling decorations.

In this sentence:

• ó in jól is a long vowel
• ű in működik is a long front rounded vowel
• ö in működik is a short front rounded vowel

For English speakers:

• ó is easier: a long o sound
• ö is somewhat like German ö
• ű is like a long German ü or French u

If you do not know those sounds yet, the key thing is: say them differently from plain o or u, because Hungarian distinguishes them clearly.

It can be used for many things, not just machines.

Működik can describe:

• machines or devices
• businesses or organizations
• systems
• plans or methods
• institutions

So A cég jól működik is perfectly natural and means the company is functioning effectively.

Examples:

• A gép működik. = The machine works.
• A rendszer jól működik. = The system works well.
• A cég jól működik. = The company functions well.

The basic negative version is:

• A cég nem működik jól.

Here nem means not.

This means:

• The company does not function well

A useful beginner rule is that nem usually goes before the verb in a basic negative sentence.

You can usually keep the same words and just use question intonation in speech, or a question mark in writing:

• A cég jól működik?

That means:

• Does the company function well?

You may also hear:

• Jól működik a cég?

That version puts more attention on jól and can sound like Is the company functioning well?

Both are possible, but the first one is easier to understand as a direct question from the original sentence.