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Questions & Answers about De computer reageert traag.
Why does reageert end in -t?
In Dutch, most regular verbs in the present tense add -t for the third-person singular (hij/zij/het or a noun like de computer). The stem of reageren is reageer, so with de computer as subject you get reageert.
Is traag an adjective or an adverb in this sentence?
Here traag modifies the verb reageert, so it functions as an adverb (“slowly”). In Dutch, adverbs often share the same form as the base adjective, without adding -e.
Why is traag placed after the verb? Could I put it somewhere else?
Dutch adverbs of manner typically follow the finite verb, giving the normal word order: Subject–Verb–Adverb. You could front the adverb for emphasis—Traag reageert de computer—but that sounds literary or dramatic. You generally would not place traag before reageert without inverting the sentence.
Can I say De computer is traag instead? What’s the difference?
Yes. De computer is traag means “The computer is slow,” using traag as a predicative adjective describing the machine’s overall speed. Reageert traag focuses specifically on how it responds (“responds slowly”), rather than its general slowness.