Das Auto funktioniert nicht.

The car does not work.

Breakdown of Das Auto funktioniert nicht.

• das Auto: the car
• nicht: not
• funktionieren: to work

Questions & Answers about Das Auto funktioniert nicht.

Why is das used here?

In German, nouns are typically accompanied by an article, and das is the neuter definite article for Auto (car). German assigns a grammatical gender to every noun (masculine, feminine, or neuter). Since Auto is a neuter noun, it takes the article das.

Why do we say funktioniert instead of another verb like läuft?

The verb funktionieren in German specifically means to work or to function (properly). When referring to a machine or device working correctly, funktionieren is the standard verb to use. Läuft (runs) can sometimes be used informally for machines, but funktioniert is more precise for indicating proper working condition.

Why is nicht at the end of the sentence?

In German, nicht typically goes near the end of the sentence to negate the entire statement when there’s no specific element (like an adjective or a noun) being negated. If you just want to say that the car is not working, you place nicht after the verb phrase, resulting in Das Auto funktioniert nicht.

Could I use kein instead of nicht here?

No, kein replaces indefinite articles (like ein) or negates nouns without an article (e.g., kein Auto = no car). Since we’re negating the verb clause (the car does not function), we need nicht. Kein would change the meaning to something like no car functions, which isn't what we want to convey.

What if I want to say the car isn’t working properly or isn’t running well?

You can make the sentence more specific by adding an adverb or phrase:
• Das Auto funktioniert nicht richtig. (The car doesn’t work properly.)
• Das Auto läuft nicht gut. (The car isn’t running well.)
Remember that funktioniert is more general for function, while läuft can hint at running.