A kutya néha elszökik.

It is the definite article the.

• a kutya = the dog
• Hungarian uses a before consonant sounds.
• It uses az before vowel sounds.

So:

• a kutya = the dog
• az alma = the apple

Because kutya is the subject of the sentence, not the object.

In Hungarian, the basic subject form usually has no ending:

• kutya = dog / the dog

But the direct object often gets -t:

• kutyát = dog/the dog as an object

So here, the dog is the one doing the action, which is why you get:

• A kutya néha elszökik.

not:

• A kutyát néha elszökik.

Néha means sometimes.

It is an adverb, so it describes how often something happens. In this sentence it comes before the verb, which is very natural:

• A kutya néha elszökik.

Hungarian word order is fairly flexible, so néha can move, but the emphasis can change. This sentence sounds like a neutral statement: As for the dog, it sometimes runs away.

Elszökik is a verb meaning runs away, escapes, or slips away.

It can be broken down like this:

• szökik = escapes / slips away
• el- = a verbal prefix that often adds the idea of away, off, or departure

So elszökik has the sense of goes off by escaping or more naturally runs away.

Yes. Hungarian verbal prefixes often stay attached in a neutral positive sentence:

• A kutya néha elszökik.

But they can move away from the verb in certain environments, especially with negation or strong focus.

For example:

• A kutya nem szökik el. = The dog does not run away.
• A kutya csak néha szökik el. = The dog runs away only sometimes.

So in your sentence, elszökik is the normal neutral form.

It is present tense, third person singular.

That means it corresponds to:

• he/she/it runs away
• or with a noun subject: the dog runs away

Because the sentence contains néha (sometimes), the present tense is understood as a habitual or repeated action:

• A kutya néha elszökik. = The dog sometimes runs away.

Not in the same way. Hungarian word order is more strongly influenced by topic and focus than by a rigid subject-verb-object pattern.

In this sentence:

• A kutya is the topic: what the sentence is about
• néha elszökik is what is being said about it

So the sentence feels like:

• As for the dog, it sometimes runs away.

That is why the order is natural even though it does not work exactly like English word order rules.

Yes, if the subject is already clear from context.

Hungarian often omits subjects when they are understood:

• Néha elszökik. = He/she/it sometimes runs away.

But if you want to say specifically the dog, or introduce it clearly, you keep the noun:

• A kutya néha elszökik.

So the full sentence is more explicit.

A rough guide:

• a = short aw
• kutya ≈ koo-tyaw
• néha ≈ nay-haw
• sz is pronounced like English s in see
• ö is a front rounded vowel, something like German ö or French eu
• elszökik ≈ el-soe-kik with sz = s

A few useful sound notes:

• ty is a soft consonant, somewhat like a t with a y quality
• é is a long vowel, roughly like ay in say, but purer
• h is always pronounced

Because the simple present is the normal way to express a repeated or habitual action, especially with adverbs like néha (sometimes).

So Hungarian uses:

• A kutya néha elszökik.

just as English uses:

• The dog sometimes runs away.

There is no extra helper like English does in a normal positive sentence. The verb form itself is enough.