Elrontjuk a munkát, ezért újrakezdjük.

In Hungarian, a / az is the definite article, so it means the.

• a is used before consonant sounds: a munka
• az is used before vowel sounds: az autó

The Hungarian word for English a / an is egy.

So a munkát means the work / the job, not a work.

Because munkát is the direct object of the verb elrontjuk.

Hungarian usually marks a direct object with -t. So:

• munka = work, job
• munkát = work/job as the object

In this sentence, we mess up the work, so work is what receives the action, and Hungarian marks that with the accusative ending.

This is a very common Hungarian pattern.

When a noun ends in -a or -e, that vowel often becomes long before certain suffixes:

• munka → munkát
• szoba → szobát
• mese → mesét

So it is not just munka + t mechanically; the final a changes to á.

It tells you several things at once:

• the subject is we
• the tense is present
• the verb is in the definite conjugation

So:

• elrontjuk = we mess it up / we spoil it
• újrakezdjük = we start it again / we restart it

Hungarian usually leaves out the subject pronoun mi (we) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

This is mainly because of vowel harmony.

Hungarian endings often appear in a back-vowel and a front-vowel version:

• -juk after back-vowel stems
• -jük after front-vowel stems

Here:

• ront has the back vowel o → rontjuk
• kezd has the front vowel e → kezdjük

So the difference is normal and expected.

Because the object is still understood from the previous clause.

The sentence first mentions a munkát, and in the second clause Hungarian does not need to repeat it. The meaning is still basically:

• we mess up the work, so we restart it

That understood it is enough to keep the verb in the definite conjugation.

They change the meaning of the base verbs.

• ront = spoil, ruin, damage
• elront = mess up, spoil, do badly

The prefix el- often gives the sense that the action is carried through or results in something being spoiled or gone wrong.

And:

• kezd = begin, start
• újrakezd = start again, restart

So újra- means again / re-.

These prefixes are very important in Hungarian, and often the prefixed verb has a meaning you learn as a whole word.

Because in their neutral form, Hungarian verb prefixes are written together with the verb when they stand directly in front of it.

So:

• el + rontjuk → elrontjuk
• újra + kezdjük → újrakezdjük

But this changes in some sentence patterns, especially with negation or focus, where the prefix moves away from the verb.

In negative sentences, the prefix usually moves after the verb.

So:

• Elrontjuk a munkát. = We mess up the work.
• Nem rontjuk el a munkát. = We do not mess up the work.

And:

• Újrakezdjük. = We restart it.
• Nem kezdjük újra. = We do not restart it.

This separation of the prefix is one of the most important things to notice with Hungarian prefixed verbs.

Ezért means something like:

• therefore
• for this reason
• so
• that’s why

It connects the two clauses in a cause-and-result relationship:

• Elrontjuk a munkát = We mess up the work
• ezért újrakezdjük = therefore / so we start again

Literally, ezért comes from ez (this) plus -ért (for), so the core idea is for this reason.

Not completely. Hungarian word order is flexible, but it is not random. It often reflects topic, focus, and emphasis.

This sentence has a fairly neutral order:

• Elrontjuk a munkát, ezért újrakezdjük.

That sounds like a straightforward statement.

If you emphasize a different part, the order can change. For example, if you strongly focus a munkát, Hungarian may move things around, and the prefix can separate from the verb.

So the sentence you have is the neutral, natural version, not the only possible order.

Yes, both verbs are present tense forms:

• elrontjuk
• újrakezdjük

In Hungarian, the present tense can often be used where English might use either present or future, depending on context.

So this sentence can sound like:

• a general statement: We mess up the work, so we start again
• or an immediate/expected sequence in context: We’ll mess up the work, so we’ll restart it

Hungarian often relies on context instead of using a separate future form.