Az ünnepelt elfújja a tortagyertyát.

A and az are the same definite article, like English the. The choice depends on the next sound:

• az is used before a vowel sound: az ünnepelt
• a is used before a consonant sound: a tortagyertyát

So this is just a pronunciation rule, not a difference in meaning.

Ünnepelt literally means celebrated or the one being celebrated.

It comes from the verb ünnepel = to celebrate. In this sentence, it is being used like a noun, so az ünnepelt means the celebrant / the guest of honor / the birthday person, depending on context.

This is common in Hungarian: a participle or adjective can be used as a noun if the context is clear.

Hungarian often adds a verbal prefix to a verb. Here:

• fúj = blow
• elfúj = blow out

So el- gives the idea of completion or moving something away/out. In this verb, it corresponds well to English out in blow out.

It is written together with the verb when the prefix stands directly before it, as in this sentence: elfújja.

Because Hungarian uses a special verb form called the definite conjugation when the object is definite.

Here the object is a tortagyertyát, which is definite because it has a = the.

So:

• elfúj = he/she blows out something non-specific
• elfújja = he/she blows out it / the specific thing

That -ja ending shows 3rd person singular definite.

This is one of the biggest differences from English: in Hungarian, the verb can change depending on whether the object is definite.

The -t marks the direct object in Hungarian. It is the accusative ending.

So:

• tortagyertya = cake candle / birthday candle
• tortagyertyát = cake candle as the thing being blown out

English usually shows the object by word order, but Hungarian often marks it directly with -t.

When many Hungarian nouns ending in -a or -e take a suffix, that final vowel becomes longer:

• a → á
• e → é

So:

• tortagyertya
• tortagyertyá-t

This is a very common pattern, not something special about this one word.

Yes. Hungarian very often forms compounds as a single written word.

Here:

• torta = cake
• gyertya = candle
• tortagyertya = cake candle / birthday candle

English often writes these as two words, but Hungarian commonly joins them into one compound noun.

This is a very natural, neutral Hungarian word order.

• Az ünnepelt = topic / who we are talking about
• elfújja = verb
• a tortagyertyát = object

So the sentence is presented in a straightforward way: the celebrant blows out the candle.

But Hungarian word order is flexible. If you want to emphasize a different part, the order can change. For example, if the object is in focus, you might get:

A tortagyertyát fújja el az ünnepelt.

Notice that the prefix el- can separate from the verb when focus or negation changes the structure.

Because the verb stem already ends in j:

• fúj

Then the definite ending adds another j sound:

• -ja

So together you get:

• fúj + ja = fújja

In pronunciation, this is basically a longer y-like sound. Hungarian spelling often shows these combinations very clearly.

A rough guide:

• Az → like awz
• ünnepelt → ÜN-ne-pelt
• elfújja → EL-fúy-ya
• a → short aw
• tortagyertyát → TOR-ta-dyER-tyaat

A few useful points:

• Stress is always on the first syllable of each word.
• ü is like German ü or French u.
• j sounds like English y.
• gy is a soft consonant, roughly like dy in duke for many English speakers, though not exactly.
• á is a long vowel.

Hungarian pronunciation is fairly regular once you learn the sound system.