A macska az ajtót kaparja.

It means the cat.

In Hungarian, a and az are the definite article, both meaning the.
The indefinite article is egy, which means a / an.

So:

• A macska = the cat
• Egy macska = a cat

The A is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence.

They are the same word, just used in different sound environments:

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

So:

• a macska = the cat
• az ajtó = the door

This is similar to how English uses a and an.

Because ajtót is the accusative form, used for the direct object.

• ajtó = door
• ajtót = door as the thing being acted on

In this sentence, the cat is scratching the door, so door is the object, and Hungarian marks that with -t.

So:

• az ajtó = the door
• az ajtót = the door as the object

Without -t, it would sound like the door was the subject instead.

Because az and -t do different jobs.

• az shows that the noun is definite: the door
• -t shows that the noun is the direct object

So az ajtót means:

• az = the
• ajtó = door
• -t = object marker

Hungarian often stacks this kind of information onto the noun phrase, so both are needed.

Because Hungarian has two main kinds of verb conjugation:

• indefinite conjugation
• definite conjugation

Here the object is definite: az ajtót = the door, so the verb uses the definite conjugation.

The verb is:

• dictionary form: kapar = to scratch
• here: kaparja = scratches/is scratching it/the specific thing

So:

• A macska kapar. = The cat scratches / is scratching.
  (no definite object stated)
• A macska az ajtót kaparja. = The cat is scratching the door.

More or less, yes.

The ending in kaparja tells you that the verb has a definite object. So it often feels a bit like scratches it or is scratching the specific thing.

But the ending does not tell you exactly what the object is. That still comes from the noun phrase or from context.

So in this sentence:

• kaparja tells you there is a definite object
• az ajtót tells you that the object is the door

If the context were already clear, Hungarian could sometimes omit the object:

• A macska kaparja. = The cat is scratching it.

Because Hungarian word order is much more flexible than English word order, and position often shows emphasis or focus, not just grammar.

In A macska az ajtót kaparja, the part right before the verb is a special position. Putting az ajtót there gives it extra prominence.

So this can sound like:

• The cat is scratching the door
• or more specifically, It’s the door that the cat is scratching

A more neutral word order is often:

• A macska kaparja az ajtót.

Both are grammatical, but the given sentence puts more attention on az ajtót.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Hungarian present tense does not have a separate form exactly like English is scratching. The same present form can cover:

• scratches
• is scratching

So kaparja can be:

• habitual: scratches
• ongoing right now: is scratching

In many everyday contexts, this sentence would naturally be understood as The cat is scratching the door.

Yes, often it can, if the subject is already clear from context.

Hungarian commonly drops subjects when they are understood. Since kaparja is third person singular, you do not always need to say the subject explicitly.

For example:

• Az ajtót kaparja. = It/He/She is scratching the door.
• Kaparja az ajtót. = also possible, with a different information structure

But if you want to make clear that it is the cat, then you keep A macska.

A few useful points:

• Stress is on the first syllable of each word.
• cs is pronounced like ch in church.
• j is pronounced like y in yes.
• ó is a long o sound.

So in this sentence:

• macska: the cs sounds like ch
• kaparja: the j sounds like y
• ajtót: the ó is long

Also, Hungarian spelling is quite regular, so once you learn the sound values, pronunciation becomes much easier than in English.