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Word Analysis

malfunzionavamo

Complete linguistic analysis including syllable division, pronunciation, morphology, and definitions.

6 syllables
15 characters
Italian
Enriched
Fig. 1 — . The composing stick. “malfunzionavamo” is set in lead; each gap is a place it may break.
6syllables

malfunzionavamo

Linguistic Analysis

Syllables

mal-fun-zio-na-va-mo

Pronunciation

/malfuntsjonaˈvamo/

Stress

001000

Morphemes

mal- + funzion- + -ava-mo

The word 'malfunzionavamo' is a verb form divided into six syllables: mal-fun-zio-na-va-mo. Stress falls on the 'zio' syllable. It's composed of a Latin-derived prefix 'mal-', root 'funzion-', and imperfect ending '-ava-mo'. Syllabification follows standard Italian rules based on vowel nuclei and permissible consonant clusters.

Definitions

verb
  1. 1

    We were malfunctioning

    We were malfunctioning

    “Ieri, il computer malfunzionavamo.”

    “Quando eravamo nuovi, i macchinari malfunzionavamo spesso.”

    syn:guastavamonon funzionavamo correttamente
    ant:funzionavamo correttamente

Stress pattern

Primary stress falls on the third syllable ('zio'), following the general rule of penultimate stress in Italian.

Syllables

6
mal/mal/
fun/fun/
zio/tsjo/
na/na/
va/va/
mo/mo/

mal — Open syllable, unstressed.. fun — Open syllable, unstressed.. zio — Closed syllable, primary stressed.. na — Open syllable, unstressed.. va — Open syllable, unstressed.. mo — Open syllable, unstressed.

Word Parts

pre

mal-

Latin origin, meaning 'badly', adverbial modifier.

root

funzion-

Latin origin (*functio*), verb stem denoting function/operation.

suf

-ava-mo

Imperfect indicative ending, 1st person plural, tense and person marking.

Similar Words

pa­rla­va­mocam­mi­na­va­moa­scol­ta­va­mo

Vowel Nucleus Rule

Syllables are formed around vowel nuclei. Each vowel typically forms a syllable.

Consonant Cluster Rule

Consonant clusters are maintained within a syllable unless they violate sonority sequencing principles.

  • The 'funzion' portion contains a consonant cluster (/ntsjo/) which is permissible in Italian verb stems. No significant regional variations affect syllabification.
Analysis by gemma3:27b · 6/9/2025

Nearby Words

17 words
malfunzionavamo(current)
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