Breakdown of Директор признал, что план не работает.
работать
to work
план
plan
директор
director
что
that (conjunction)
признать
to admit, to acknowledge (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Директор признал, что план не работает.
Why is не работает in the present tense when the English translation says 'was not working'?
This is a classic difference in how Russian handles reported speech. English uses a sequence of tenses, shifting the verb back in time to match 'admitted'. Russian keeps the tense that was true at the exact moment of the statement. Since the director originally thought to himself 'the plan is not working', Russian keeps that thought in the present tense: не работает.
Why use the perfective verb признал instead of the imperfective признавал?
The sentence describes a single, completed action in the past: the director made a specific admission. If you used the imperfective признавал, it would change the meaning to an ongoing process ('he was admitting') or a repeated habit ('he used to admit').
Is it normal to use работать for abstract concepts like a plan?
Yes! Just like in English, работать can mean 'to function' or 'to be effective'. You will frequently hear it used for machines, systems, rules, and abstract concepts like a план (plan) to show that they are successfully doing what they are supposed to do.
How is the verb признать constructed?
It combines the prefix при- (which often denotes bringing something to oneself or adding something) with the root знать (to know). So, to admit or acknowledge something in Russian is closely tied to the concept of taking that knowledge upon yourself or formally recognizing a fact.
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