A embreagem não funciona bem.

Because embreagem is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so it takes the feminine definite article a.

• a embreagem = the clutch
• not o embreagem

In Brazilian Portuguese, noun gender is something you usually need to learn together with the word.

Embreagem is a noun. In this sentence, it is the subject:

• A embreagem = the clutch

It is a common word for the clutch in a vehicle.

In Portuguese, não usually goes directly before the verb to make it negative.

So:

• funciona = works / functions
• não funciona = does not work

This is the normal and most common placement in simple sentences.

Funciona is the conjugated form of the verb funcionar.

• funcionar = infinitive, to function / to work
• funciona = it functions / it works

Since the subject is a embreagem (the clutch), Portuguese uses the third person singular form:

• A embreagem funciona
• A embreagem não funciona bem

Because Portuguese does not form simple negatives the way English does.

English often uses do / does / did:

• The clutch does not work well

Portuguese does not need that helper verb here. It simply uses:

• subject + não
  • main verb

So:

• A embreagem não funciona bem

This is one of the big structural differences between English and Portuguese.

Bem is an adverb here. It modifies the verb funciona.

• funciona = works
• funciona bem = works well

So bem tells us how the clutch works.

That is the normal position for many adverbs in Portuguese, especially in simple sentences like this one.

• funciona bem = works well

Putting bem after the verb sounds natural and standard in Brazilian Portuguese.

Yes. Mal means badly / poorly, so:

• A embreagem funciona mal = The clutch works poorly

That is a valid sentence. However, não funciona bem and funciona mal are not always exactly identical in tone.

• não funciona bem can sound a bit softer or less direct
• funciona mal can sound more direct or stronger

Both are correct, but the nuance can be slightly different.

Yes, embreagem is a normal Brazilian Portuguese word for clutch.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, especially when talking about cars, embreagem is the standard word learners should know.

A common Brazilian pronunciation is approximately:

• em-breh-AH-zhem
  or more carefully:
• ẽ-bɾe-A-ʒẽj / ẽ-bɾe-A-ʒẽ

A few helpful notes:

• em at the beginning is nasal
• br is pronounced with a tapped or light Portuguese r
• gem sounds like zhem in Brazilian Portuguese, with a soft zh sound like the s in measure

The stress falls on:

• em-bre-A-gem

Não is nasal and is roughly like:

• nowng (very approximate)
• IPA: [nãw]

Important points:

• It is not pronounced like English now
• the vowel is nasal
• the final sound glides off slightly

This word is very common, so it is worth practicing carefully.

Yes. Funciona is in the present indicative.

So the sentence means something like:

• The clutch doesn’t work well
• The clutch is not working well in a general sense

Portuguese present tense often covers meanings that in English can be translated in slightly different present-time ways depending on context.

In standard Portuguese, with this sentence by itself, a article is normally expected:

• A embreagem não funciona bem

Leaving out the article can sound unnatural in a neutral standalone sentence. Portuguese often uses definite articles more than English does.

So for a learner, the safest version is:

• A embreagem não funciona bem

Yes. This sentence can be understood as a general statement about the clutch of a vehicle or machine.

Because it uses the present tense, it can describe:

• a current problem
• a general condition
• a repeated issue

So it is not limited to what is happening at this exact second.

The word order is:

• A embreagem = subject
• não funciona = negative verb phrase
• bem = adverb

So the structure is basically:

• Subject + não + verb + adverb

This is a very common Portuguese sentence pattern.

Yes. Since embreagem is feminine singular, you could use ela if the context is clear:

• Ela não funciona bem. = It doesn’t work well.

However, Portuguese often repeats the noun instead of using a pronoun if that makes things clearer.

No. Funcionar can be used for many things that work, function, or operate.

For example, it can refer to:

• machines
• systems
• plans
• methods
• ideas

Examples:

• O carro não funciona. = The car doesn’t work.
• Esse método funciona bem. = That method works well.

So it is a very useful verb beyond mechanical contexts.