“Trabajar” vs. “Funcionar" in Spanish

Quick Answer

In Spanish, there are two verbs commonly used to say to work:

trabajarand funcionar.

It's important to know the differences between the two because they're not interchangeable. Let's learn more about each one!

Trabajar

Trabajar is used to talk about employment or labor.

For example:

examples
No vivo para trabajar. I don’t live to work.
Mi abuelo trabajaba en una fábrica. My grandfather worked in a factory.

Funcionar

The Spanish verb funcionar is used to talk about mechanical devices and systems.

For example:

examples
El lavaplatos no funciona. The dishwasher doesn’t work.
¿Cómo funciona este chunche? How does this thingy work?

Ready to learn more about other tricky words in Spanish? Check out these articles!

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