Az autó új, mégsem működik.

Hungarian has two forms of the definite article: a and az.

• a is used before words that begin with a consonant
• az is used before words that begin with a vowel

Since autó begins with a, you say az autó.

Examples:

• a ház = the house
• az autó = the car
• az ember = the person

Autó means car, and yes, it is a very common everyday word in Hungarian.

It is somewhat like a shortened form historically related to automobile, but in modern Hungarian autó is the normal basic word for car.

Yes, in a noun phrase, Hungarian adjectives usually come before the noun:

• az új autó = the new car

But in your sentence, új is not directly modifying the noun inside a noun phrase. Instead, it is acting as the predicate:

• Az autó új = The car is new

So this is not the new car but the car is new.

That is why the order is:

• Az autó új not
• Az új autó (which would mean the new car)

In the present tense, 3rd person singular, Hungarian often leaves out the verb to be.

So:

• Az autó új. = The car is new.
• A ház nagy. = The house is big.
• A leves meleg. = The soup is warm.

But the verb appears in other persons:

• Én fáradt vagyok. = I am tired.
• Te fáradt vagy. = You are tired.
• Ő fáradt. = He/she is tired.

So in Az autó új, the is is understood.

Mégsem means something like:

• and yet
• nevertheless
• still not
• despite that

In this sentence, it expresses contrast: the car is new, but contrary to expectation, it does not work.

So the idea is:

• It’s new, and yet it doesn’t work.

The word contains:

• még = still / yet / even
• sem = not...either / not even / a negative-emphasis particle in some combinations

But you should usually learn mégsem as a single fixed word meaning yet / nevertheless / even so not.

Because mégsem adds a stronger sense of unexpected contradiction.

Compare:

• Az autó új, de nem működik.
  = The car is new, but it doesn’t work.

• Az autó új, mégsem működik.
  = The car is new, yet it still doesn’t work / nevertheless it doesn’t work.

The second one sounds more like: You would expect a new car to work, but surprisingly it doesn’t.

So mégsem is not just plain but; it highlights that the second part goes against expectation.

Működik means works / is functioning / operates.

It is used for things, systems, machines, plans, methods, etc.

Examples:

• A telefon működik. = The phone works.
• A terv működik. = The plan works.
• A gép nem működik. = The machine doesn’t work.

In your sentence:

• működik = works / functions

So mégsem működik means yet it doesn’t work.

Because Hungarian verbs already show the person and number, and subjects are often omitted when they are clear from context.

Here, az autó is already the subject of the sentence, so Hungarian does not need to repeat it.

English:

• The car is new, yet it doesn’t work.

Hungarian:

• Az autó új, mégsem működik.

The subject remains understood in the second clause.

Because the negativity is built into mégsem.

If you say:

• de nem működik = but it does not work

that uses the normal negative word nem.

But:

• mégsem működik

already carries the negative sense in this structure, so you do not add nem.

So you should think of mégsem here as something like:

• and yet not
• nevertheless not

Yes, the comma is natural and correct here because there are two coordinated parts:

• Az autó új
• mégsem működik

The comma helps separate the contrast between the two clauses.

So:

• Az autó új, mégsem működik.

is the standard written form.

Not exactly the same.

• Az autó új, mégsem működik.
  = The car is new, yet it doesn’t work.
  This emphasizes the surprising contrast between new and doesn’t work.

• Az új autó mégsem működik.
  = The new car still/after all doesn’t work.
  Here új simply describes the car as the new car. The sentence does not separately state the car is new in the same emphatic way.

So the grammar changes the focus.

Yes, but changing word order in Hungarian often changes emphasis.

The given sentence:

• Az autó új, mégsem működik.

is very natural and neutral.

If you change the order, you may shift the focus or make it sound marked. For example:

• Az autó mégsem működik.
  = The car still/after all doesn’t work.
  Here the focus is more on the failure to work, not on the fact that it is new.

Hungarian word order is flexible, but not random. In this sentence, the original version is a good standard model.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Az autó új, mégsem működik.
• roughly: awz ow-toh ooy, mayg-shem mew-koh-dik

A few useful notes:

• sz is pronounced like English s
• s is pronounced like English sh
• ú and ő are long vowels
• ű is also a long vowel, pronounced with rounded lips

Word-by-word:

• az ≈ awz
• autó ≈ ow-toh
• új ≈ ooy
• mégsem ≈ mayg-shem
• működik ≈ mew-koh-dik

This one sentence teaches several very useful Hungarian patterns:

1. Definite article choice

   • a / az
   • az autó

2. Predicate adjective without is

   • Az autó új.
   • Hungarian often omits is in present tense 3rd person.

3. Contrast with unexpected result

   • mégsem = yet / nevertheless / and yet not

4. Common verb for functioning

   • működik = works / functions

5. No need to repeat the subject

   • Hungarian often leaves out pronouns and repeated subjects when they are clear.

So it is a short sentence, but it contains several core features of natural Hungarian.