A tapasztalat az állás alapja.

a and az are the same definite article, just in two forms.

• a is used before a consonant sound: a tapasztalat
• az is used before a vowel sound: az állás

Since állás begins with á, Hungarian uses az.

In Hungarian, the verb van = is/are is normally omitted in the present tense when the sentence is a simple identification or description in the third person.

So:

• A tapasztalat az állás alapja.

naturally means:

• Experience is the basis of the job/position.

This is completely normal Hungarian. The verb would appear in other tenses:

• A tapasztalat volt az állás alapja. = Experience was the basis of the job.

The base word is alap, which means base, foundation, or basis.

The ending -ja is a 3rd person singular possessive ending, so:

• alap = basis
• alapja = its basis / his basis / her basis

In this sentence, the possessor is az állás, so:

• az állás alapja = the basis of the job / the job’s basis

This is a very common Hungarian possessive structure.

English often uses of:

• the basis of the job

Hungarian usually does this by putting the possessor first, and then the possessed noun with a possessive ending:

• az állás alapja
• literally: the job its-basis

That sounds odd in English, but it is standard Hungarian structure.

Similar examples:

• a ház teteje = the roof of the house
• a könyv címe = the title of the book

Because Hungarian usually marks possession on the possessed noun, not on the possessor.

So in:

• az állás alapja

the word állás stays in its basic form, while alapja carries the possessive marking.

Hungarian can also use a more explicit possessor form with -nak/-nek:

• az állásnak az alapja

But the shorter version without -nak/-nek is very common and natural.

Hungarian often uses the definite article with general concepts where English uses no article.

So:

• A tapasztalat can mean experience in a general sense

This is similar to other Hungarian sentences like:

• A türelem fontos. = Patience is important.
• A csokoládé finom. = Chocolate is tasty.

So A tapasztalat here does not necessarily mean one specific experience. It can mean experience as a general idea.

Yes. Hungarian word order is flexible, but changing it usually changes the emphasis.

The given sentence:

• A tapasztalat az állás alapja.

is a natural, neutral way to say it.

You could also say:

• Az állás alapja a tapasztalat.

This still means basically the same thing, but now az állás alapja is more clearly the topic, and a tapasztalat is the identifying information.

So the meaning stays close, but the focus shifts.

They are all in their basic form, not in a special case like accusative or dative.

• tapasztalat = base form
• állás = base form
• alapja = base form of alap plus a possessive ending

The relationship between állás and alapja is shown by possession, not by an of-type case ending on állás.

állás can mean:

• job
• position
• post

Which English word is best depends on context. In everyday speech, job is often the first translation learners meet. In more formal or professional contexts, position may sound more natural.

So the Hungarian word covers a range that English splits into several choices.

A rough guide:

• A = short aw
• tapasztalat ≈ taw-paw-staw-lawt
• az állás ≈ awz aal-laash
• alapja ≈ aw-lawp-yaw

Useful spelling points:

• sz sounds like English s
• s sounds like English sh
• á is a long vowel
• j sounds like English y

So alapja is roughly aw-lawp-yaw, not with an English j sound.