Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet.

Elutasítják can be analyzed like this:

• elutasít = reject / refuse
• -ják = they (3rd person plural) in the definite verb conjugation

So elutasítják means they reject it or, depending on context, it is being rejected.

A very important point is that this is not just utasítják with a simple added meaning of el- in a fully transparent way. Elutasít is a standard verb meaning to reject.

Because Hungarian verbs change according to not only the subject, but also whether the object is definite.

Here the object is az útlevélkérelmet = the passport application, which is definite, so Hungarian uses the definite conjugation.

Compare:

• elutasítanak = they reject (indefinite object, or no object stated)
• elutasítják = they reject it / they reject the ... (definite object)

So in this sentence, -ják shows:

• 3rd person plural: they
• definite object: the passport application

Hungarian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

So instead of saying:

• Ők elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet

Hungarian normally just says:

• Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet.

The -ják ending already tells you the subject is they.

Also, Hungarian often uses they in an impersonal way, similar to English they in sentences like They rejected my application, where the exact people are not important.

It can often function like both, depending on context.

Literally, the verb is active:

• Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet.
• They reject the passport application.

But in natural English, this may often be translated more passively:

• The passport application is rejected.

Hungarian often avoids a true passive and instead uses an active 3rd person plural form with an unspecified subject, like they.

So a learner should recognize that this kind of Hungarian sentence may sound more passive in English than it looks on the surface.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a before consonant sounds
• az before vowel sounds

Since útlevélkérelmet begins with ú, a vowel, the correct article is:

• az útlevélkérelmet

This is similar in idea to English a / an.

The -t marks the direct object in Hungarian.

Base form:

• útlevélkérelem = passport application

Object form:

• útlevélkérelmet = passport application as the thing being affected by the verb

So in this sentence, the passport application is what gets rejected, and therefore it takes the accusative ending -t.

There is also a small linking change before -t, which is normal in Hungarian word forms:

• kérelem → kérelmet

This is just part of how the noun is inflected.

It is a compound noun:

• útlevél = passport
• kérelem = application / request

Together:

• útlevélkérelem = passport application

This kind of noun compounding is very common in Hungarian. English often uses separate words where Hungarian uses one compound word.

Yes. Elutasítják is present tense.

So the sentence is literally present:

• They reject the passport application.

However, depending on context, English may translate it in different ways, for example:

• They are rejecting the passport application.
• The passport application is rejected.
• They reject passport applications. (less likely for this exact definite sentence, but possible in some contexts)

The exact English tense/aspect depends on the situation, but the Hungarian form itself is present.

Hungarian word order is flexible and depends a lot on information structure: what is topic, what is focus, and what is being presented as the main news.

Starting with the verb here can make the action itself feel central:

• Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet.

A different order is also possible:

• Az útlevélkérelmet elutasítják.

That version puts the passport application in topic position, something like As for the passport application, they reject it or The passport application gets rejected.

So the word order is not random. It reflects emphasis and discourse structure more than strict English-style subject-verb-object rules.

Yes, el- is a verbal prefix, and Hungarian prefixes can separate from the verb in some sentence types.

Here it stays attached:

• Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet.

But with negation or certain kinds of focus, the prefix can move away:

• Nem utasítják el az útlevélkérelmet. = They do not reject the passport application.

So learners should notice that dictionary forms like elutasít may appear split in actual sentences.

Not normally, if you mean the passport application.

• az útlevélkérelmet = the passport application

If you removed the article, the sentence would sound different and less natural in this context. Also, the verb form elutasítják strongly fits a definite object.

So the article and the definite verb conjugation work together here.

Then the verb would usually switch to the indefinite conjugation.

For example:

• Elutasítanak egy útlevélkérelmet.
• They reject a passport application.

Compare:

• Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet.
  = They reject the passport application.

• Elutasítanak egy útlevélkérelmet.
  = They reject a passport application.

This is one of the key grammar patterns in Hungarian: the verb form changes depending on the definiteness of the object.

Yes, very much so.

A sentence like Elutasítják az útlevélkérelmet sounds like something you might see or hear in an administrative, legal, or official context. Hungarian often uses this kind of impersonal they construction in formal announcements and decisions.

In practice, English might render it more naturally as:

• The passport application has been rejected.
• The passport application is rejected.

Even though the Hungarian form is literally active, its real-life tone is often official and impersonal.