Ellenőrizzük az igazolványképet, különben elutasíthatják az útlevélkérelmet.

It can be understood either way depending on context.

• ellenőriz = to check / to verify
• ellenőrizzük is 1st person plural definite present

So grammatically it means we check it / we are checking it, but in many real-life contexts Hungarian uses this form like English Let’s check it.

Why it? Because the verb is in the definite conjugation, which usually means the object is definite and understood here as az igazolványképet.

So in this sentence, a natural interpretation is:

• We/let’s check the ID photo, otherwise they may reject the passport application.

This is about Hungarian’s two verb conjugations:

• indefinite conjugation
• definite conjugation

Here:

• ellenőrzünk = we check (general, no definite object)
• ellenőrizzük = we check it/them (a definite object is involved)

Because the sentence has a specific object:

• az igazolványképet = the ID photo

the definite form ellenőrizzük is used.

So:

• Ellenőrzünk egy képet. = We are checking a photo.
• Ellenőrizzük a képet. = We are checking the photo.

The -t marks the direct object in Hungarian.

Base noun:

• igazolványkép = ID photo

With the definite article and object ending:

• az igazolványképet = the ID photo as the object of the verb

Hungarian often adds -t to the noun being acted on:

• látom a házat = I see the house
• olvasom a könyvet = I’m reading the book
• ellenőrizzük az igazolványképet = we check the ID photo

Not exactly.

• igazolványkép literally means ID-card photo / identification photo
• útlevélkép would be more specifically passport photo

In practice, igazolványkép is often used more generally for the kind of official photo required on documents. So it can overlap with passport photo, but the literal meaning is broader: a photo for some kind of identification document.

That makes the sentence slightly interesting:

• igazolványkép = the photo
• útlevélkérelem = passport application

So the photo is being checked because it is part of a passport application.

különben means otherwise.

It introduces the consequence of not doing the first action:

• Ellenőrizzük az igazolványképet, különben elutasíthatják az útlevélkérelmet.
• Let’s check the ID photo, otherwise they may reject the passport application.

It often appears near the beginning of the second clause, just like English otherwise.

Other examples:

• Siess, különben elkésel. = Hurry, otherwise you’ll be late.
• Tanulj, különben megbukhatsz. = Study, otherwise you may fail.

elutasíthatják breaks down like this:

• elutasít = reject
• -hat / -het = may / can (possibility or ability)
• -ják = they with a definite object

So elutasíthatják means:

• they may reject it
• they can reject it

And again, the definite conjugation is used because the object is definite:

• az útlevélkérelmet = the passport application

So the structure is:

• elutasíthatják az útlevélkérelmet
• they may reject the passport application

Yes, Hungarian often leaves the subject unstated if the verb ending already shows it.

In elutasíthatják, the ending tells you the subject is they.

But this they is indefinite or institutional, similar to English:

• they may reject the application
• meaning the authorities / the office / the officials may reject it

Hungarian very often uses 3rd person plural in this impersonal way.

So it does not necessarily refer to a specific known group of people; it can simply mean the relevant people in charge.

Hungarian very often forms compound nouns.

Here:

• útlevél = passport
• kérelem = application / request

Together:

• útlevélkérelem = passport application

Then it gets the object ending -t:

• útlevélkérelmet

This is very normal in Hungarian. English often uses separate words where Hungarian prefers compounds.

Other examples:

• szemüveg = glasses
• vasútállomás = railway station
• lakcímkártya = address card

az is the definite article the.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article:

• a
• az

The choice depends on the sound that follows:

• a before most consonant sounds
• az before vowel sounds

Here both nouns begin with vowels:

• igazolványkép
• útlevélkérelem

So Hungarian uses:

• az igazolványképet
• az útlevélkérelmet

Compare:

• a könyv = the book
• az asztal = the table

Hungarian word order is flexible, but not random. It often reflects focus, emphasis, and information structure.

The neutral order here is:

• Ellenőrizzük az igazolványképet, különben elutasíthatják az útlevélkérelmet.

This sounds natural and straightforward.

You could change word order for emphasis, but that would shift the nuance. For example:

• Az igazolványképet ellenőrizzük...
  • puts more focus on the ID photo
• Az útlevélkérelmet elutasíthatják...
  • highlights the passport application

A learner should usually treat the original sentence as a standard, natural version.

Because of the suffix -hat / -het in elutasíthatják.

This suffix often expresses:

• possibility
• permission
• ability

In this sentence, the best fit is possibility:

• they may reject the passport application
• they could reject the passport application

Without -hat/-het, the form would be:

• elutasítják = they reject / they will reject it

So elutasíthatják is softer and more conditional: rejection is a possible consequence.

Yes, the idea is similar, but the structure would be different.

Original:

• Ellenőrizzük az igazolványképet, különben elutasíthatják az útlevélkérelmet.
• Let’s check the ID photo, otherwise they may reject the passport application.

A version with ha nem might be:

• Ha nem ellenőrizzük az igazolványképet, elutasíthatják az útlevélkérelmet.
• If we don’t check the ID photo, they may reject the passport application.

So:

• különben = otherwise
• ha nem = if not / if we don’t

Both are natural, but they organize the logic differently.

They are related, but not always identical in tone.

• kérelem = formal application/request
• igénylés = requesting/applying for something, often more process-oriented

So:

• útlevélkérelem = passport application as a formal submitted application/document
• útlevél igénylése = the act/process of applying for a passport

In official or administrative language, kérelem often sounds like the actual application being assessed, which fits well with elutasíthatják (they may reject it).

Here are the main ones:

• ellenőrizzük → ellenőriz = to check / verify
• az = the
• igazolványképet → igazolványkép = ID photo
• különben = otherwise
• elutasíthatják → elutasít = to reject
• útlevélkérelmet → útlevélkérelem = passport application

It is very useful to learn Hungarian words this way: separate the dictionary form from the endings added in the sentence.