They Don’t Work in Spanish | Say It Like A Local

The most natural everyday phrasing is “No funcionan,” while “No me sirve(n)” fits when something isn’t useful for you.

English packs a lot into the verb “work.” A phone can “work,” a plan can “work,” a joke can “work,” and a schedule can “work” for you. Spanish splits those ideas across several verbs and set phrases. Once you pick the right bucket, your sentence sounds calm and native instead of translated.

This article gives you a clean way to choose between funcionar, servir, and a few close cousins, with ready-to-steal lines you can drop into texts, travel moments, and work chats.

Why “Work” Splits Into Several Spanish Verbs

In English, “work” can mean “operate,” “be useful,” “go well,” “be effective,” or “be employed.” Spanish keeps those meanings apart. That’s good news. You get more precision with fewer awkward sentences.

Ask one fast question: are you talking about a thing that runs, or a thing that helps? If it runs, Spanish leans toward funcionar. If it helps or suits a purpose, Spanish often uses servir. If it’s about a plan turning out well, Spanish may use salir bien or resultar.

These verbs overlap a bit, yet the “sound” changes with context. That’s why you’ll hear two native speakers solve the same moment with different words and both feel right.

When To Say “No Funciona”

Funcionar is the go-to when something is supposed to run or operate and it isn’t doing its job. It’s the “machine sense” of “work.” The Real Academia Española defines funcionar as carrying out its proper functions and also “to go or turn out well.” RAE definition of “funcionar” backs that range.

Use it for devices, systems, apps, Wi-Fi, elevators, air-con, ticket machines, card readers, buttons, and pretty much any “thing with an on/off expectation.”

Ready Lines For Real Life

• No funciona. (It doesn’t work.)
• No funcionan. (They don’t work.)
• No me funciona el Wi-Fi. (My Wi-Fi isn’t working.)
• Esto no funciona. (This isn’t working.)
• ¿Te funciona? (Is it working for you?)
• Me dejó de funcionar. (It stopped working on me.)

That little me in me funciona marks “it works for me,” the same way English hints at personal experience. It’s common with tech and daily mishaps.

Small Meaning Shifts You’ll Hear

No funciona often sounds like “it won’t run.” No está funcionando can sound like “it’s acting up right now.” No funcionó is past: “it didn’t work (that time).”

When you want to stay polite while asking staff for help, tack on a quick softener: Perdón, no funciona or Disculpa, no me funciona.

When To Say “No Sirve”

Servir is about usefulness, suitability, or being fit for a purpose. The RAE lists the “instrument sense” as “being suitable for a given end.” RAE definition of “servir” captures that idea.

This is where English “doesn’t work” can mean “doesn’t do what I need,” even if it technically turns on. A pen writes but the ink is too light, so it “doesn’t work” for your purpose. That’s no me sirve territory.

Usefulness And Fit

• No sirve. (It’s no good / it’s useless.)
• No me sirve. (It doesn’t work for me / it won’t do.)
• No me sirve esta talla. (This size doesn’t work for me.)
• Eso no me sirve para nada. (That’s no use to me.)

You’ll also hear servir used in positive lines: Me sirve (“That works for me”) or ¿Te sirve el martes? (“Does Tuesday work for you?”).

If you want a concise rule of thumb: funcionar is “it runs,” servir is “it fits the job.”

A Quick Note On Pronouns That Saves Awkward Moments

Servir takes the indirect object pronouns for “to be useful to someone”: me, te, le, nos, os, les. If you want a refresher on where those pronouns sit in a sentence, the Instituto Cervantes materials on object pronouns are a solid reference. CVC notes on direct and indirect object pronouns lays out the forms.

They Don’t Work in Spanish In Common Situations

You can say the English idea in several Spanish ways, and each one points at a slightly different problem. The table below maps common situations to the line that usually lands best.

What You Mean In English	Spanish That Fits	When It Sounds Natural
A device won’t turn on or run	No funciona / No funcionan	Phones, kiosks, elevators, apps, Wi-Fi
It runs but fails at the task you need	No me sirve / No sirve	Wrong tool, wrong size, wrong option
A plan or method didn’t get results	No funcionó	“We tried it and it failed”
A suggestion is acceptable	Me sirve / Me viene bien	Scheduling, choosing options
A routine or process isn’t doing its job	No está funcionando	Processes, habits, team routines
Something isn’t valid anymore	No vale	Tickets, coupons, passes, codes
Something is broken beyond repair	Está roto / Se rompió	Physical damage, clear breakage
A recipe or trick failed	No salió bien	Cooking, hacks, attempts
A joke or line didn’t land	No funcionó	Comedy, persuasion, timing

Pick The Verb In 10 Seconds

Use this quick decision path when your brain wants to translate too literally.

1. Is it a thing that should run? Say no funciona.
2. Is it about usefulness or fit? Say no me sirve.
3. Is it about validity? Say no vale.
4. Is it about an attempt that went badly? Say no salió bien or no funcionó.

If you’re stuck between funcionar and servir, try this swap test: if you can replace “work” with “be useful” in English, servir often wins.

Polite, Direct, Or Frustrated: Tone Options That Sound Native

Spanish gives you quick knobs to turn the tone up or down without extra padding. That’s handy with staff, friends, or a coworker.

Polite And Calm

• Perdona, no funciona.
• Disculpa, no me sirve.
• Creo que no está funcionando.

Casual With Friends

• No va.
• No tira. (common in Spain for “it won’t go”)
• Se quedó pillado. (it froze / got stuck)

Firm When You Need A Fix

• Esto no funciona y lo necesito hoy.
• No me sirve así. ¿Hay otra opción?

Use the firm lines with a neutral face and normal volume. In Spanish, blunt words can still be polite if your tone stays even.

How To Talk About People “Working”

When “work” means employment, Spanish uses trabajar, not funcionar or servir. That separation trips learners all the time.

• Trabajo en un hospital. (I work in a hospital.)
• ¿En qué trabajas? (What do you do for work?)
• Hoy no trabajo. (I’m not working today.)

When you mean “this schedule works for me,” you’re back to servir or venir bien: Me sirve or Me viene bien.

Pronouns That Change The Meaning

A tiny pronoun can shift who benefits or who gets stuck with the problem. These are patterns you’ll hear all day.

• Me funciona. It works for me (it runs, from my side).
• Me sirve. It works for me (it’s useful to me).
• No le funciona. It doesn’t work for them (runs poorly for that person).
• No les sirve. It doesn’t work for them (doesn’t fit their needs).

The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas notes that servir is irregular and follows the pattern of pedir. RAE DPD entry on “servir(se)” is handy if you want the forms.

English Idea	Spanish Pattern	Natural Use
It works for me (it runs)	Me funciona	Apps, Wi-Fi, devices, logins
It works for me (it suits me)	Me sirve	Plans, sizes, dates, options
It works for us	Nos funciona / Nos sirve	Group plans, shared gear
It doesn’t work for you	No te funciona / No te sirve	Helping a friend troubleshoot
That works for them	Les funciona / Les sirve	Talking about a third party
It stopped working on me	Me dejó de funcionar	Sudden failure, personal tone
That doesn’t work like that	Eso no funciona así	Rules, procedures, norms

Common “It Doesn’t Work” Traps And Better Fixes

Some English sentences feel natural, yet a direct translation comes out stiff. Swap in one of these and you’ll sound smoother.

“It’s Not Working” In A Relationship Or Personal Plan

If you mean a relationship or plan isn’t going well, no funciona can still fit, yet Spanish speakers often add a result phrase: No está yendo bien or No está saliendo bien. Those lines point to the outcome, not the mechanics.

“This Method Doesn’t Work”

When a method failed, No funciona is fine. If you tried it once and it failed, No funcionó is cleaner. If you mean it doesn’t suit your needs, No me sirve is the better pick.

“My Card Doesn’t Work”

Cards “work” in two ways: the terminal might be down, or your card might be blocked. In Spanish, people often say No pasa (it won’t go through) or La tarjeta no funciona. In stores, you can also say No me la acepta (it won’t accept it).

“The Link Doesn’t Work”

A link that fails often gets El enlace no funciona. If it’s expired, El enlace ya no vale or Ya no está vigente can fit, depending on the setting.

Mini Practice: Build Your Own Lines

Use this quick drill. Say the English sentence, then pick the Spanish bucket and build the line.

1. “They don’t work.” → No funcionan.
2. “This doesn’t work for me.” → No me sirve.
3. “The app isn’t working.” → La app no funciona.
4. “Tuesday works for me.” → El martes me sirve.
5. “The trick didn’t work.” → No funcionó.
6. “The coupon doesn’t work.” → El cupón no vale.

Once you can do these without pausing, you’ll start hearing the split meanings in Spanish speech and your choices will feel natural.

A Scroll-Stopping Cheat Sheet

If you only keep one set of lines, keep these. They cover most daily moments without sounding translated.

• No funciona. (It won’t run.)
• No me funciona. (It won’t run for me.)
• No sirve. (It’s no good.)
• No me sirve. (It won’t do for me.)
• No vale. (It isn’t valid.)
• No funcionó. (It failed that time.)
• Me sirve. (That works for me.)

When you want to sound a touch more formal, swap no me funciona for no me está funcionando, or add perdón at the start.