A fazekaskorong hirtelen nem működik.

A is the Hungarian definite article, equivalent to English the.

So:

• a fazekaskorong = the potter’s wheel

Hungarian has two forms of the:

• a before most consonant sounds
• az before vowel sounds

For example:

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

Here, fazekaskorong starts with a consonant sound, so a is used.

Fazekaskorong is a compound noun, which is very common in Hungarian.

It breaks down as:

• fazekas = potter
• korong = disk / wheel

Together, fazekaskorong means potter’s wheel.

Hungarian often combines related nouns into a single word where English might use:

• a noun + noun structure, or
• a possessive structure

So instead of something like the wheel of the potter, Hungarian naturally uses the compound fazekaskorong.

In Hungarian, nem is the basic word for not, and it normally goes directly before the verb it negates.

So:

• működik = works / is working / functions
• nem működik = does not work / is not working

This is the standard pattern:

• Jön. = He/She is coming.
• Nem jön. = He/She is not coming.

So hirtelen nem működik means suddenly doesn’t work / suddenly stops working.

Működik is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb működni, which means to function, to operate, to work.

So működik can mean:

• it works
• it is working
• it functions
• sometimes, depending on context, it operates

Because the subject is a fazekaskorong (the potter’s wheel), Hungarian uses the 3rd person singular verb form.

Hungarian usually does not need a subject pronoun like it, he, or she if the subject is already clear.

In this sentence, the subject is stated explicitly:

• A fazekaskorong = The potter’s wheel

So the verb simply agrees with that subject:

• A fazekaskorong ... működik.

Hungarian often leaves pronouns out unless they are needed for emphasis or contrast.

Hirtelen means suddenly.

It is an adverb, modifying the whole event:

• A fazekaskorong hirtelen nem működik.
• The potter’s wheel suddenly doesn’t work.

In other words, the wheel’s failure happens unexpectedly or all at once.

This is a natural Hungarian word order.

A neutral reading is:

• A fazekaskorong = topic / what we are talking about
• hirtelen = adverb
• nem működik = negated verb phrase

Putting hirtelen before nem működik sounds natural for suddenly doesn’t work or suddenly stops working.

Hungarian word order is flexible, but it is not random. Moving words around can change emphasis. For example, if you put hirtelen elsewhere, the sentence may still be possible in some contexts, but the focus or naturalness may change.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Hungarian present tense is often broader than English present tense. So:

• nem működik can mean doesn’t work
• or isn’t working

English chooses between simple present and present progressive, but Hungarian often uses the same present-tense form for both.

So the exact English translation depends on the situation:

• general fact: It doesn’t work
• right now: It isn’t working

Because of hirtelen (suddenly), the sentence strongly suggests a change of state:

• it was working before
• now it suddenly is not

So even though the verb is just present tense, the overall meaning is close to:

• The potter’s wheel suddenly stops working
• or The potter’s wheel suddenly isn’t working

That sense of sudden change comes mainly from hirtelen, not from a special verb form.

The word működik can be tricky for English speakers because of the vowels.

Roughly:

• mű has a long front rounded vowel, written ű
• kö has ö, another front rounded vowel
• dik is more straightforward

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• mű-kö-dik

The important part is that:

• ö is like a rounded version of e
• ű is a long rounded front vowel, somewhat like saying ee while rounding your lips

Also, the accents matter:

• ö and ő are different lengths
• ü and ű are different lengths

In működik, the first vowel is long: ű.

In standard Hungarian, it is written as one word: fazekaskorong.

That is because it is a fixed compound noun. Hungarian commonly writes these kinds of combinations as single words.

This is a good habit to get used to as a learner: many concepts that English writes as two words are often written as one compound in Hungarian.

Yes. That would simply mean:

• The potter’s wheel doesn’t work
• or The potter’s wheel isn’t working

Adding hirtelen introduces the idea of a sudden development.

So compare:

• A fazekaskorong nem működik. = The potter’s wheel doesn’t work / isn’t working.
• A fazekaskorong hirtelen nem működik. = The potter’s wheel suddenly doesn’t work / suddenly stops working.

Yes, nem működik is a very common and natural way to say that something doesn’t work or is not functioning.

You can use it for many things:

• A telefon nem működik. = The phone doesn’t work.
• A lift nem működik. = The elevator isn’t working.
• A számítógép nem működik. = The computer doesn’t work.

So this sentence uses a very useful everyday pattern:

• A [thing] nem működik. = The [thing] doesn’t work.