Question 1

Why is mon used instead of ma?

Accepted Answer

Because ordinateur is masculine. French possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. For a feminine noun you would use ma, but since ordinateur is masculine, it’s mon ordinateur.

Question 2

Why isn’t there an article before maintenant?

Accepted Answer

Because maintenant is an adverb (meaning “now”). Adverbs in French are not preceded by articles. You simply place them in the sentence where needed.

Question 3

Does lent change form when the subject is feminine or plural?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Adjectives in French agree in gender and number. Lent is the masculine singular form. The other forms are:
  • Feminine singular: lente  
  • Masculine plural: lents  
  • Feminine plural: lentes  
For example: “Ma sœur est lente maintenant” or “Les ordinateurs sont lents maintenant.”

Question 4

Why is the verb est used here instead of c’est?

Accepted Answer

Est is the third-person singular conjugation of être, used to link the subject mon ordinateur to the adjective lent. C’est lent would also be grammatically correct but more impersonal—it generalizes (“it’s slow”) instead of personally describing your computer. Since you want to state your computer is slow, mon ordinateur est lent is the more direct choice.

Question 5

Can I place maintenant in a different position in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes. French adverbs are relatively flexible. Besides “Mon ordinateur est lent maintenant,” you can say:  
  • “Maintenant, mon ordinateur est lent.” (at the beginning for emphasis)  
  • “Mon ordinateur est maintenant lent.” (immediately after the verb)  
All these placements are grammatically correct; the nuance or emphasis just shifts slightly.

Question 6

Why doesn’t French use a continuous tense like English “is running slow” here?

Accepted Answer

French generally uses the simple present for both habitual and ongoing actions. There is no distinct “present continuous” form. To stress an ongoing action, you can use être en train de + infinitive (e.g. “Mon ordinateur est en train de ramer”), but for states like “being slow,” the simple present is standard.

Question 7

What’s the difference between maintenant, actuellement, and en ce moment?

Accepted Answer

• Maintenant means “now” in a very general sense.  
  • Actuellement translates to “currently” or “at present,” often implying a broader current period (equivalent to “these days”).  
  • En ce moment also means “right now” or “at the moment,” emphasizing a temporary situation.  
In your sentence, all three could work with slight nuances:  
  • “Mon ordinateur est lent maintenant.” (My computer is slow now.)  
  • “Mon ordinateur est actuellement lent.” (My computer is slow currently / these days.)  
  • “Mon ordinateur est lent en ce moment.” (My computer is slow at the moment.)

Mon ordinateur est lent maintenant.

Breakdown of Mon ordinateur est lent maintenant.

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