Breakdown of Паркомат не работал утром.
не
not
работать
to work
утром
in the morning
паркомат
the parking meter
Questions & Answers about Паркомат не работал утром.
Why is работал used here, and what does its ending tell us?
Работал is the past tense of работать (to work / to function / to operate).
The ending -л shows past tense, and in Russian past tense it also agrees with the subject in gender and number:
- работал = masculine singular
- работала = feminine singular
- работало = neuter singular
- работали = plural
Since паркомат is a masculine singular noun, the verb is работал.
Why does работал mean was working / worked / was functioning rather than just worked in the job sense?
In Russian, работать can mean not only to work as a person does, but also to function / to be operating for a machine or device.
So in this sentence:
- Паркомат работал = The parking meter was working / functioning
- Паркомат не работал = The parking meter wasn’t working
This is a very common use of работать for machines, phones, websites, elevators, etc.
Why is не placed before работал?