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Nessuno era convinto che l'illusione funzionasse.

Nessuno era convinto che l'illusione funzionasse.
No one was convinced that the illusion was working.
From Lesson 198:Sequence of tenses with past main clauses·Italian

Questions & Answers about Nessuno era convinto che l'illusione funzionasse.

Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive funzionasse here instead of the present subjunctive funzioni?
The main clause era convinto is in a past tense, and the illusion working is happening at the exact same time. When a past-tense main clause triggers the subjunctive, you must use the imperfect subjunctive for a simultaneous action.
What specifically triggers the subjunctive in this sentence?
The phrase era convinto che (was convinced that) expresses a personal belief or state of mind. In Italian, verbs of thinking, believing, or feeling trigger the subjunctive in the secondary clause.
Nessuno means 'no one.' Don't Italian negative sentences usually require a non?
Yes, but only when the negative word comes after the verb. Because Nessuno comes right at the beginning, before the verb era, you don't add non. If the word order were flipped, it would be Non era convinto nessuno.
Does funzionasse translate to 'was working' the same way a person works?
No. Funzionare means 'to work' in the sense of functioning or succeeding, which is perfect for an illusion, a plan, or a machine. If you wanted to say a person was working at a job, you would use a form of lavorare.

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