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Questions & Answers about Der Computer funktioniert nicht.
What part of speech is der in this sentence?
der is the definite article in the masculine nominative singular; it marks Computer as a specific masculine noun and the subject of the sentence.
Why is the noun Computer capitalized?
German capitalizes all nouns. Regardless of origin, Computer is a noun so it must start with a capital letter.
Why is the verb funktioniert placed immediately after the subject?
German main clauses follow V2 word order: the conjugated verb is always in second position. Here, the subject Der Computer is first, so funktioniert comes second.
Why does funktioniert end with -t instead of -en?
funktionieren is the infinitive form. When conjugated for third‑person singular (er/sie/es), German verbs add -t, so funktioniert fits der Computer (er).
Why is nicht at the end of the sentence?
When you negate the main verb or the entire clause without a direct object or specific adverbial, nicht typically follows the verb (or verb phrase) at the end.
Could I use another verb instead of funktionieren, such as arbeiten or laufen?
Yes, but they differ slightly. funktionieren means “to function” or “to work” in a technical sense. arbeiten means “to work” in terms of performing labor, and laufen (“to run”) implies the device is running but may sound less precise for technical contexts.
What case is Der Computer in, and why?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. Subjects in German are always nominative.
How would I say “The computer doesn’t work anymore”?
You add mehr after nicht: Der Computer funktioniert nicht mehr.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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