Der Gebrauchsgegenstand funktioniert nicht mehr.

Because Gebrauchsgegenstand is a masculine noun in German, so its nominative singular article is der.

In this sentence, der Gebrauchsgegenstand is the subject, so it appears in the nominative case:

• der = masculine nominative singular

If the noun were in another case, the article could change:

• nominative: der Gebrauchsgegenstand
• accusative: den Gebrauchsgegenstand
• dative: dem Gebrauchsgegenstand
• genitive: des Gebrauchsgegenstands

It is a compound noun, which is extremely common in German.

It is built from:

• Gebrauch = use, usage
• Gegenstand = object, item

So literally it is something like object for use or item of use.

The -s- in the middle is a linking element:

• Gebrauch + s + Gegenstand

This little -s- often appears in German compounds, and you usually just have to learn it with the word.

It is understandable, but it sounds a bit formal, general, or administrative. In everyday speech, Germans would often use something more specific, depending on what they mean:

• das Gerät = the device
• der Gegenstand = the object/item
• das Ding = the thing
• der Artikel = the item/article

So the sentence is grammatical and natural enough, but it may sound more neutral or formal than casual speech.

Because the subject is der Gebrauchsgegenstand, which is third person singular.

The infinitive is funktionieren = to function / to work.

Present tense:

• ich funktioniere
• du funktionierst
• er/sie/es funktioniert
• wir funktionieren
• ihr funktioniert
• sie/Sie funktionieren

Since der Gebrauchsgegenstand is like he/it grammatically, German uses:

• funktioniert

Nicht mehr means no longer or not anymore.

So:

• funktioniert nicht = does not work
• funktioniert nicht mehr = no longer works / doesn’t work anymore

This is a very common expression in German:

• Ich wohne nicht mehr dort. = I don’t live there anymore.
• Er raucht nicht mehr. = He no longer smokes.

So mehr here does not mean more in the usual quantity sense. In this structure, nicht mehr is a fixed expression meaning no longer.

In a normal German main clause, the conjugated verb usually comes in second position.

So the sentence structure is:

• Der Gebrauchsgegenstand = subject
• funktioniert = conjugated verb
• nicht mehr = negation + no longer

That gives:

• Der Gebrauchsgegenstand funktioniert nicht mehr.

This is the normal placement. Compare:

• Das Auto fährt nicht mehr.
• Mein Handy lädt nicht mehr.

Usually, no. For machines, devices, or objects, funktionieren is the normal verb.

• funktionieren = to function, to work
• arbeiten = to work, but usually for people, and sometimes for machines in certain contexts

For an object or device, funktionieren is much more natural:

• Das Gerät funktioniert nicht mehr.

You may hear arbeiten with technical systems or machines in some contexts, but for a learner, funktionieren is the safest and most natural choice here.

Not necessarily.

Funktioniert nicht mehr simply means that it doesn’t work anymore. It suggests that it used to work before, but now it does not.

That could mean:

• it is broken
• the battery is empty
• it is switched off
• there is some temporary problem

So the sentence describes the current situation, not necessarily a permanent one.

Because all nouns are capitalized in German.

So in this sentence:

• Der = article, not capitalized because it is first only by position
• Gebrauchsgegenstand = noun, capitalized
• funktioniert = verb, not capitalized
• nicht mehr = adverbial expression, not capitalized

This is one of the clearest visual features of written German.

Roughly, it sounds like:

guh-BROUKHS-guh-gen-shtant

A few useful points:

• Ge- is usually a weak syllable
• brauchs contains the ch sound after au, like the ch in Scottish loch for many learners’ purposes
• st at the start of a syllable is usually pronounced sht in standard German, so stand sounds like shtand
• the main stress is typically on Brauchs

You do not need perfect pronunciation immediately, but it helps to notice that long compounds still follow normal German stress patterns.

No, not in this sentence.

Kein is used to negate nouns:

• Ich habe kein Auto. = I have no car.

But here you are negating the verb phrase funktioniert ... mehr, so you need nicht:

• Der Gebrauchsgegenstand funktioniert nicht mehr.

So:

• kein negates a noun
• nicht negates verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or larger parts of the sentence

Yes, depending on context. More everyday options might be:

• Der Gegenstand funktioniert nicht mehr.
• Das Gerät funktioniert nicht mehr.
• Das Ding funktioniert nicht mehr. (casual)
• Der Artikel funktioniert nicht mehr. (possible in product/shopping contexts)

If you know what the object is, German usually prefers the specific noun:

• Der Drucker funktioniert nicht mehr.
• Mein Handy funktioniert nicht mehr.

That often sounds more natural than using a very general word like Gebrauchsgegenstand.