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Le programme fonctionne bien sur mon ordinateur.

Le programme fonctionne bien sur mon ordinateur.
The program works well on my computer.
FromLesson 18inHardcore French

Breakdown of Le programme fonctionne bien sur mon ordinateur.

mon
my
sur
on
fonctionner
to function
bien
well
le programme
the program
l’ordinateur
the computer

Questions & Answers about Le programme fonctionne bien sur mon ordinateur.

What is le in this sentence?
le is the definite article for masculine singular nouns, equivalent to the in English. Here it specifies a particular programme.
Why do we use le programme instead of un programme?
Because you’re talking about a specific program (perhaps one you just mentioned), so you use the definite article le (“the”) rather than the indefinite un (“a”).
What does programme mean, and what is its gender?
programme is a masculine noun meaning program or software. Notice its article le agrees in gender (masculine) and number (singular).
What is fonctionne, and why is it conjugated that way?
fonctionne is the third-person singular present tense of the verb fonctionner (“to function,” “to run,” “to work”). Since the subject le programme is singular, we use fonctionne (not fonctionnent or fonctionnons, etc.).
Why is bien placed after fonctionne rather than before it?
In French, most adverbs (like bien) follow the verb they modify when the verb is in a simple tense (present, imperfect, etc.). So you say fonctionne bien (“runs well”), not bien fonctionne.
What does sur mean here, and why not use dans or à?
sur literally means on or upon. It indicates the environment or platform where something runs. You wouldn’t use dans mon ordinateur (that’d imply physically inside the computer’s hardware) nor à mon ordinateur (which doesn’t convey “on the device”).
Why is there mon before ordinateur, and why no additional article?
mon is a possessive adjective meaning my. Possessive adjectives replace the need for a separate article. You never say le mon ordinateur—you simply say mon ordinateur.
Could you say Le programme marche bien sur mon ordinateur instead?
Yes. marcher is often used colloquially to mean “to work/function.” Le programme marche bien is perfectly natural in spoken French and has essentially the same meaning as fonctionne.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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