how to say "it fails to function"
how to say "it fails to function"
5 Answers
I agree with grintojrf: In Mexico, I have heard both no sirve and no funciona used to refer to things (cars, household appliances, machines) that are broken or not working, or to a proffered solution that does not solve a posed problem, but the former (no sirve) appears to be more common: Because of its cognitive-closeness to the phrase "not function", I used to habitually say "no funciona" when referring to things that would not work, but the hispanohablantes in my presence would invariably say "no sirve" in our conversations.
Un método que no sirvió un día puede funcionar el siguiente.
A method that does not work one day can work the next.
When expanded to no sirve de nada can mean "it is of no use" or "there is no point" or "it does little good" in doing something or using something, whether that thing is tangible or not.
No sirve de nada intentar ahorrar dinero cuando gastar el dinero sin límites.
It is of no use to try to save money when spending money without limits.
¿Por qué no funciona el teclado?
Why doesn't the keyboard work?
Ya no sirve. Ya no funciona.
Also está descompuesto.
My car doesn't work. Mi carro está descompuesto.
"se lo falla funcionar" or "se lo deja de funcionar" I believe both are the same it just depends on your preference of verbs, also remember to change the direct object to "la" if "it" is feminine.
A simple "no funciona" can work...
