Nulla órát dolgoztam tegnap.

In Hungarian, after a numeral, the noun normally stays in the singular.

So Hungarian says:

• egy óra = one hour
• két óra = two hours
• nulla óra = zero hours

This is completely normal in Hungarian, even though it feels strange from an English perspective. The idea is that the number itself already shows how many, so the noun does not need a plural ending.

In this sentence, the noun is not just singular, but also has a case ending, so you get órát rather than plain óra.

Here -t is the accusative ending. In Hungarian, expressions of duration often use the accusative form.

So:

• Egy órát vártam. = I waited for one hour.
• Két napot maradtam. = I stayed for two days.
• Nulla órát dolgoztam. = I worked zero hours.

This -t does not necessarily mean there is a normal direct object in the English sense. It is often used for how long? / how much time? expressions.

So órát here means something like for ... hours in English structure.

Because the verb ending already tells you the person and tense.

dolgoztam can be broken down like this:

• dolgoz- = work
• -t- = past tense marker
• -am = I (first person singular)

So dolgoztam means I worked.

Hungarian verbs usually contain the subject information inside the verb form itself, so you often do not need a separate word for I.

Because Hungarian usually omits subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So:

• dolgoztam already means I worked
• én dolgoztam also means I worked, but with extra emphasis on I

You would add én only if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Én dolgoztam, nem ő. = I worked, not him/her.

In a simple sentence like this, leaving out én is the normal choice.

Yes, it is grammatical, and it makes perfect sense.

However, it can sound a little measured, statistical, or report-like, as if you are talking about logged work hours, a schedule, or a timesheet.

In everyday conversation, if you simply mean I didn’t work yesterday, many speakers would more naturally say:

• Nem dolgoztam tegnap.
• Egyáltalán nem dolgoztam tegnap.

So nulla órát dolgoztam tegnap is fine, but it specifically highlights the number of hours: zero.

Yes, the word order can change. Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order, and it often shows emphasis rather than basic grammatical roles.

In this sentence, nulla órát is right before the verb dolgoztam, and the position before the verb is often an important focus position. That means the sentence strongly highlights zero hours.

So this version gives prominence to the amount of work time:

• Nulla órát dolgoztam tegnap.

You could also say:

• Tegnap nulla órát dolgoztam.

That version makes yesterday feel more like the starting point or topic, while still keeping focus on nulla órát before the verb.

Both are possible; the difference is mainly about emphasis and information structure, not core meaning.

Yes, zéró órát is possible, but it has a slightly different feel.

• nulla is the standard word for zero
• zéró is also used, but it can sound more informal, expressive, or stylistically marked depending on context

So:

• nulla órát dolgoztam = standard
• zéró órát dolgoztam = possible, a bit more punchy or colloquial in tone

If you are learning standard Hungarian, nulla is the safer default.

Not directly.

semmi means nothing, but it is not used the same way as nulla before a counted noun. So semmi óra would not be correct here.

And semmit dolgoztam is also not the normal way to say this.

If you want a more natural way to express the idea of zero work, you would usually say something like:

• Nem dolgoztam tegnap.
• Egyáltalán nem dolgoztam tegnap.
• Még egy órát sem dolgoztam tegnap. = I didn’t work even one hour yesterday.

So nulla is the right kind of word if you want to talk about a numeric amount of time.