What's the best way to say "it is broken"?

Question

What is the best way to say that something no longer works or is broken? I'm just thinking about it now.

Is it right to say it like this?

Mi tarjeta no trabaja nunca más. _{My card doesn't work anymore.}

But I know the verb 'trabajar' as "to work" in relation to a job.

So which is right?

Answer 1

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

broken: damaged, no longer able to work:

My watch is broken.

So, in English, you can use the adjective broken when you want to say that something is no longer working.

In Spanish, literal translation would be roto that according to RAE:

roto, ta:
Del participio de romper; latín ruptus.

1. adj. Andrajoso y que lleva rotos los vestidos. U. t. c. s.

2. adj. Agotado o muy cansado.

And from WordReference (Diccionario de la lengua española © 2005 Espasa-Calpe):

roto:
p. p. irreg. de romper.

1. adj. Que está quebrado o partido en dos o más partes.
2. Averiado, que ha dejado de funcionar.
3. Andrajoso, que lleva la ropa rota.

So you may say:

"Mi tarjeta está rota"

But being more accurate:

"Mi tarjeta está averiada"

Said so, the status of your card is indicated, but not necessarily the fact that your card has stopped working, so you can use the word trabajar that means according to RAE:

trabajar

1. Ocuparse en cualquier actividad física o intelectual.
2. Tener una ocupación remunerada en una empresa, una institución, una institución, etc.
   ^ Translation: Have a paid occupation in a company, an institution, an institution, etc. (related to job)
3. Ejercer determinada profesión u oficio.
4. Dicho de una máquina: funcionar
   ^ Translation: Said of a machine: work

And funcionar is a synonym for trabajar, that means (from RAE):

1. Dicho de una persona, de una máquina, etc.: Ejecutar las funciones que le son propias.
   ^ Translation: Execute the functions that are his own.

Note that the verb funcionar is more adapted to the concept that something has stopped fulfilling its role or function

In this way, when you want to say that something is no longer working or broken, you can say:

Mi tarjeta ya no trabaja.
Mi tarjeta ya no funciona.

Or use some other conjugation according to the context:

Mi tarjeta ha dejado de trabajar.
Mi tarjeta ha dejado de funcionar.

Or use both meanings to be clearer in the meaning:

Mi tarjeta esta rota y ya no funciona.
Mi tarjeta esta rota y ya no trabaja.

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I am assuming that the term "card" refers to a physical object with a specific function such as a video card (electronic), since for "card", in other meanings, it hardly fits the fact that "a card is working" and therefore can not stop doing it.

Answer 2

The most common way to say that something doesn't work would be "está roto" (literally "it's broken").

So you can say:

Se (me) ha roto la tarjeta _{my card is broken}

No (me) funciona la tarjeta _{my card is not working}

La tarjeta está estropeada _{the card it's damaged/ruined}

Note that the adjective "averiado" is mostly used for machines or somewhat complex mechanisms:

La máquina de refrescos está averiada _{the vending machine is out of order}

Se me ha averiado la tele _{The TV set}

Tengo el coche averiado en el taller _{the car}

but would be extremely strange to use averiado/a for a credit card.

There's also a very informal way (at least in Spain) that would be that something "no va", literally (something) it's not going as in:

no me va la tarjeta/no va mi tarjeta.

Answer 3

Trabajar can be used in this context, although it's more common to use funcionar. But note that nunca doesn't work in your sentence. I suppose you're aiming for "It doesn't work any more"; "any more" is ya no:

Mi tarjeta ya no funciona.

I can't imagine talking about a credit card being broken, in English or in Spanish, but I'll outline the two most common ways of expressing the adjective broken:

• Descompuesto: this is generally used for a complex system, and it suggests that a repair is possible

• Roto: this gives less of an idea of a repair being possible

Examples:

El ascensor está descompuesto | The elevator is broken

Notice that an elevator is a complex system.

Mis lentes están rotos | My glasses are broken

In this case, there was physical damage, e.g. scratching or snapping.

Answer 4

En el contexto de un aparato o elemento que dejó de funcionar correctamente también se puede usar la palabra "dañado".
Por ejemplo:

El teléfono está dañado
El televisor está dañado