Learn Hardcore French: Mon temps est limité, donc je dois lire ce livre rapidement. - My time is limited, so I must read this book quickly.

In French, possessive adjectives agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify. Temps is a masculine singular noun, so you use mon (my). Ma would be for feminine singular (e.g. ma voiture) and mes for any plural noun.

Why is limité written without an extra e at the end?

Here limité is the past participle of limiter used as an adjective after être. It must agree in gender and number with temps (masculine singular), so it stays limité, not limitée or limités.

Could you say Mes temps sont limités instead?

No. In this context temps means the abstract, uncountable “time” you have available, so it remains singular: mon temps est limité. Using the plural mes temps would sound like you have multiple distinct “times,” which isn’t idiomatic here.

What does donc mean, and can I swap it for another word?

Donc translates as “so,” “therefore,” or “thus.” It links cause and effect. You could also use alors, par conséquent, or c’est pourquoi, but each choice carries a slightly different register or emphasis. Donc is very common in everyday speech and writing.

Why is je dois lire used instead of je dois à lire or je dois que je lise?

After the modal verb devoir, French directly takes the infinitive of the next verb (lire). You never add à in this construction. If you wanted a subjunctive clause, you’d use a different structure like il faut que je lise, but with devoir it’s always devoir + infinitive.

Why is lire in its infinitive form?

When you use devoir to express necessity or obligation, it acts like an English modal (must/has to). The verb that follows remains in the infinitive, unchanged by the subject: je dois lire, tu dois lire, nous devons lire, etc.

Where should the adverb rapidement go in the sentence?

Adverbs modifying a verb can either follow the verb directly or follow its object if there is one. Since ce livre is the direct object of lire, rapidement appears after it: lire ce livre rapidement. You could also say je dois rapidement lire ce livre, but that puts the focus more on how soon you must start reading rather than how fast you’ll read.

Is there a difference between rapidement and vite?

Both mean “quickly.” Vite is shorter and used frequently in colloquial speech (“Dépêche-toi, marche vite!”). Rapidement is a bit more formal or precise (e.g. in writing or formal instructions), but in everyday conversation they’re often interchangeable.