A csapat ellen játszunk.

A is the Hungarian definite article, so a csapat means the team.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before most consonants
• az before vowels

So:

• a csapat = the team
• az asztal = the table

In this sentence, a csapat refers to a specific team.

Ellen means against.

It is a very common Hungarian postposition, which means it comes after the noun, not before it as in English.

So:

• a csapat ellen = against the team
• literally: the team against

This is normal in Hungarian. Many relationship words that are prepositions in English are postpositions in Hungarian.

Because ellen is a postposition, and postpositions come after the noun phrase they belong to.

So the correct order is:

• a csapat ellen = against the team

not:

• ellen a csapat

English uses prepositions, so English says against the team, but Hungarian puts this word after the noun.

Because ellen itself expresses the relationship against, so the noun does not need an extra case ending in this phrase.

So:

• a csapat = the team
• a csapat ellen = against the team

The noun stays in its basic form, and ellen carries the meaning.

This is different from some other Hungarian structures where the noun does take a case ending, such as:

• a csapatban = in the team
• a csapathoz = to the team

Játszunk means we play or we are playing.

It comes from the verb játszik = to play.

The ending -unk / -ünk can mark 1st person plural, so játszunk includes the subject we inside the verb.

So Hungarian does not need a separate word for we here.

Because Hungarian verbs usually show the subject clearly enough by their endings.

In játszunk, the ending already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• játszunk = we play / we are playing

If you add mi (we), it usually adds emphasis or contrast:

• Mi játszunk a csapat ellen. = We are the ones playing against the team.

So the pronoun is often omitted unless it is needed for emphasis.

It can be either, depending on context.

Hungarian present tense often covers both:

• we play
• we are playing

So A csapat ellen játszunk could mean:

• We play against the team
• We are playing against the team

The wider context tells you which one is meant.

Yes, Játszunk a csapat ellen is also possible.

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order, and it often reflects focus, topic, or what the speaker wants to highlight.

• A csapat ellen játszunk puts against the team first, which can make that part feel more topical or contrastive.
• Játszunk a csapat ellen is also natural and may sound more straightforward in some contexts.

Both are grammatical. The difference is more about emphasis and information structure than basic meaning.

Because this sentence does not have a direct object.

Hungarian verbs can use different conjugation patterns, often called indefinite and definite conjugation.

Here, a csapat ellen means against the team, which is not a direct object. It is a postpositional phrase.

So Hungarian uses the ordinary we form:

• játszunk = we play

A form like játsszuk would be used when the verb has a definite direct object, for example:

• A játékot játsszuk. = We are playing the game.

In your sentence, the team is the opponent, not the thing being played.

The dictionary form is játszik, meaning to play.

Some common forms are:

• játszik = he/she plays
• játszom = I play
• játszol = you play
• játszunk = we play
• játszotok = you all play
• játszanak = they play

So játszunk is built from the verb játszik.

You add nem before the verb:

• A csapat ellen nem játszunk. = We are not playing against the team.

You may also see:

• Nem játszunk a csapat ellen.

Both are correct. The difference is mostly about emphasis and sentence structure.

Then you would usually use egy:

• Egy csapat ellen játszunk. = We are playing against a team.

Compare:

• a csapat = the team
• egy csapat = a team

So the article changes depending on whether the team is specific or not.