Tíz önéletrajzot olvas el a munkaadó.

Because it is the direct object of the verb, and Hungarian marks direct objects with the accusative ending -t.

In önéletrajzot, the important part is the final -t. The -o- is a linking vowel that appears to make the form pronounceable and to match the word’s vowel pattern.

So:

• önéletrajz = CV / résumé
• önéletrajzot = CV / résumé as the object

That tells you this is the thing being read.

After exact numbers, Hungarian normally uses the singular noun, not the plural.

So Hungarian says:

• tíz önéletrajz = ten CVs

not

• tíz önéletrajzok

This is completely normal in Hungarian. The number already shows plurality, so the noun itself stays singular. If that noun is the object, you then add the accusative ending:

• tíz önéletrajzot

Because Hungarian has two main conjugation patterns for many verbs:

• indefinite conjugation
• definite conjugation

Here, olvas is the indefinite 3rd person singular form.

The object tíz önéletrajzot is a bare quantified object (ten CVs), which counts as indefinite in this kind of sentence. That is why Hungarian uses olvas, not olvassa.

Compare:

• Tíz önéletrajzot olvas el. = He/she reads ten CVs.
• A tíz önéletrajzot olvassa el. = He/she reads the ten CVs.

In the second example, the object is definite, so the verb changes to the definite form olvassa.

El is a verbal prefix, and with olvas it often adds the idea of completion or reading through.

So:

• olvas = reads / is reading
• elolvas = reads through / reads completely / finishes reading

In this sentence, el makes the action more bounded or complete. It is not just reading in a general sense, but reading the CVs through.

In Hungarian, verbal prefixes often move away from the verb when another part of the sentence is in focus.

The basic verb is elolvas. But in this sentence, tíz önéletrajzot stands right before the verb in the focus position, so the prefix gets pushed behind the verb:

• basic form: elolvas
• here: olvas el

This is why it is written as two words in the sentence.

The word order suggests that tíz önéletrajzot is especially important or highlighted. It can feel a bit like:

• It is ten CVs that the employer reads
• or The employer reads ten CVs

with emphasis on the number/object.

Because Hungarian does not rely on English-style fixed word order as much as English does. Instead, case endings do a lot of the work.

Here:

• önéletrajzot has the accusative ending -t, so it is the object
• a munkaadó has no object ending, so it is the subject

So even though a munkaadó comes at the end, it is still the one doing the action.

Hungarian word order is strongly influenced by topic and focus, not just by subject-verb-object order. That is why the subject can appear later in the sentence.

Because a is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a munkaadó = the employer

Hungarian uses:

• a before consonant-initial words
• az before vowel-initial words

Since munkaadó begins with a consonant sound, the article is a.

Grammatically, the verb form is present tense:

• olvas = reads

However, Hungarian present tense can sometimes refer to the future if the context makes that clear, especially when a verbal prefix like el- gives the action a completed, goal-oriented sense.

So depending on context, English might translate it as:

• reads
• will read
• is going to read

But the Hungarian form itself is present.

Yes. A more neutral version would often be:

• A munkaadó elolvas tíz önéletrajzot.

That version is more straightforward:

• subject first
• verbal prefix attached to the verb
• less focus on tíz önéletrajzot

The original sentence:

• Tíz önéletrajzot olvas el a munkaadó.

puts tíz önéletrajzot in a highlighted position. So the word order is not random; it changes what the sentence emphasizes.