Azon kívül, hogy zsúfolt a közös tér, a telefonfülke üres.

It means apart from the fact that..., besides the fact that..., or in addition to the fact that....

Literally, kívül means outside, so the expression originally feels like outside of that. In real usage, though, azon kívül, hogy... is a fixed expression for adding another point.

Because azon is the correct form of az here.

With Hungarian postpositions like kívül, demonstratives often appear in a case-marked form. Compare:

• a házon kívül = outside the house
• azon kívül = besides that / apart from that

So azon is not random; it is the form Hungarian requires in this structure.

Hogy means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• azon kívül = besides that
• azon kívül, hogy zsúfolt a közös tér = besides the fact that the common area is crowded

English often drops that, but Hungarian uses hogy very naturally in this kind of sentence.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same in feel.

• A közös tér zsúfolt is a very neutral topic + comment order: the common area is the topic, and is crowded is the comment.
• Zsúfolt a közös tér puts a bit more attention on zsúfolt (crowded), as if the state is being presented first.

In subordinate clauses after hogy, this adjective-first order is quite natural. It does not sound strange.

Because Hungarian usually omits van (is) in the present tense, third person, when the predicate is a noun or adjective.

So:

• A telefonfülke üres. = The phone booth is empty.
• A közös tér zsúfolt. = The common area is crowded.

But in the past or future, or in some other structures, the verb appears:

• A telefonfülke üres volt. = The phone booth was empty.

Here zsúfolt means crowded, packed, or full of people.

It can also describe something physically crammed or overloaded, depending on context. In this sentence, because it describes a közös tér, the natural meaning is crowded.

Literally it means common/shared space.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• common area
• shared space
• communal area
• sometimes even common room

So közös tér is a fairly general phrase, and the best English version depends on the setting.

Yes, it is a compound word:

• telefon = telephone
• fülke = booth / cubicle / small enclosed space

So telefonfülke means telephone booth or phone booth.

It is a normal Hungarian word, although of course public phone booths are less common today than they used to be.

The commas mark off the subordinate clause.

The structure is:

• Azon kívül, hogy... = introductory expression
• zsúfolt a közös tér = subordinate clause
• a telefonfülke üres = main clause

So the commas help show where the hogy-clause begins and ends. This punctuation is normal in Hungarian.

No, not really.

Azon kívül, hogy... means besides / apart from the fact that / in addition to the fact that. It adds information rather than expressing contrast.

If you wanted although, Hungarian would more naturally use words like:

• bár
• noha
• annak ellenére, hogy

So this sentence is not built as a classic although X, Y sentence.

Because both nouns are being treated as specific, identifiable things: the common area and the phone booth.

Hungarian uses definite articles very regularly when talking about specific nouns, just as English does here. So:

• a közös tér = the common area
• a telefonfülke = the phone booth

The article is not optional in this sentence.