funcionar

Funcionar is a Spanish verb meaning to work, to operate, or to function. It is commonly used to describe whether a device, machine, system, or process is operating correctly. It can also be used figuratively to indicate that a plan, mechanism, or organization is effective or achieves its purpose.

In everyday usage, funcionar is intransitive. It does not take a direct object. Examples: “La lavadora funciona.” “¿La computadora funciona?” “El motor funciona con gasolina.” “La campaña funcionó y aumentó las ventas.” It often appears with adverbs like bien or mal: “La impresora funciona bien” or “El sistema no funciona bien.” It also can mean to serve a function, as in “Funciona como intermediario entre las partes.”

Funcionar can also describe how something operates in a given role: “La empresa funciona como cooperativa.” In addition, it is common to say that something funciona con or funciona a certain source, for example, “funciona con pilas” or “funciona con energía eléctrica.”

Conjugation and grammar: funcionar is a regular -ar verb. Present tense: yo funciono, tú funcionas, él funciona, nosotros funcionamos, vosotros funcionáis, ellos funcionan. Other tenses follow standard -ar endings: funcioné, funcionaste, funcionó, funcionamos, funcionasteis, funcionaron (pretrito); funcionaba, funcionabas, funcionaba, funcionábamos, funcionabais, funcionaban (imperfecto). The participle is funcionando and the past participle is funcionado.

Related terms include función (function), funcionamiento (operation), funcional (functional), and funcionalidad (functionality).