Klakson nie działa.

not

Breakdown of Klakson nie działa.

• działać: to work
• klakson: the vehicle horn

Questions & Answers about Klakson nie działa.

What does klakson mean exactly?

Klakson means horn, especially a car horn. It is a normal noun in Polish.

In this sentence, Klakson nie działa means The horn isn’t working or The horn doesn’t work.

Why is nie placed before działa?

In Polish, nie is the basic word for not, and it normally goes directly before the verb:

• działa = works / is working
• nie działa = does not work / is not working

So:

• Klakson działa. = The horn works.
• Klakson nie działa. = The horn does not work.

This is the standard way to negate a verb in Polish.

What form is działa?

Działa is the 3rd person singular form of the verb działać, which means to work, to function, or to operate.

Present tense of działać:

• ja działam = I work / function
• ty działasz = you work / function
• on/ona/ono działa = he/she/it works / functions
• my działamy = we work / function
• wy działacie = you all work / function
• oni/one działają = they work / function

Since klakson is a singular thing, Polish uses działa.