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Mon ordinateur est en panne, alors je travaille sur le tien.

Mon ordinateur est en panne, alors je travaille sur le tien.
My computer is down, so I am working on yours.
FromLesson 24inHardcore French
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Breakdown of Mon ordinateur est en panne, alors je travaille sur le tien.

je
I
être
to be
mon
my
sur
on
travailler
to work
alors
so
l'ordinateur
the computer
en panne
out of order
le tien
yours
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“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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Questions & Answers about Mon ordinateur est en panne, alors je travaille sur le tien.

What exactly does en panne mean? Is it the same as cassé?

En panne means “out of order/not working” due to a malfunction, usually temporary or fixable (vehicles, appliances, computers). Cassé is “broken” in a physical, often more permanent way.

  • Other near-synonyms:
    • tomber en panne = to break down
    • ne marche/ne fonctionne pas (plus) = not working (anymore)
    • hors service / HS = out of service
    • (for software) planter = to crash
Why is it mon ordinateur and not ma ordinateur?

Because ordinateur is masculine. Possessive adjectives agree with the noun’s gender/number:

  • Masculine singular: mon ordinateur
  • Feminine singular: ma tablette
  • Plural: mes ordinateurs Note: With feminine nouns starting with a vowel sound you use mon (e.g., mon amie), but here ordinateur is already masculine.
What does le tien mean, and does it agree with the owner or the thing?

Le tien is a possessive pronoun meaning “yours,” and it agrees with the thing possessed, not the owner. Since it stands for ordinateur (masc. sg.), we use le tien.

  • Examples:
    • ton clavier → le tien
    • ta tablette → la tienne
    • If I’m a woman, I still say le mien for my computer, because agreement is with the computer’s gender.
Why is there a le in sur le tien? Why not just sur tien?
Possessive pronouns in French always take a definite article: le mien/la mienne/les miens/les miennes, le tien/la tienne/…, etc. You cannot drop it. So you must say sur le tien, not “sur tien.”
How do I say it if I’m speaking formally or to several people (vous)?

Use le vôtre (with a circumflex), agreeing with the thing:

  • le vôtre (masc. sg.), la vôtre (fem. sg.), les vôtres (plural) Example: Mon ordinateur est en panne, alors je travaille sur le vôtre.
What are the full sets of possessive pronouns I might need?
  • 1st person: le mien, la mienne, les miens, les miennes; plural: le nôtre, la nôtre, les nôtres
  • 2nd person (tu): le tien, la tienne, les tiens, les tiennes; (vous): le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres
  • 3rd person: le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes; plural: le leur, la leur, les leurs
Why sur here? Could I say avec, à, or chez instead?
  • travailler sur (un ordinateur) is the common way to mean “work on a/the computer” (i.e., using it).
  • travailler avec can mean using it as a tool, but often sounds like “working with” something/someone as a partner; it’s less idiomatic here.
  • à l’ordinateur is common in Canadian French; in France people prefer sur l’ordinateur.
  • chez toi/vous means “at your place,” not “on your computer.” If you want zero ambiguity, you can say j’utilise le tien or je me sers du tien.
Could je travaille sur le tien mean I’m repairing your computer?

Context decides. With computers, travailler sur usually means “I’m using it.” But with other machines, it can mean “I’m working on it (repairing).” To remove doubt:

  • Using it: j’utilise le tien / je me sers du tien
  • Repairing it: je répare le tien / je travaille à la réparation du tien
Is the comma before alors required? And how is alors different from donc or du coup?

A comma before alors is standard when it links two clauses. As for nuance:

  • alors = “so/then,” conversational and very common.
  • donc = “so/therefore,” slightly more neutral/logical, common in writing.
  • du coup = very colloquial in France (“as a result/so”). All three work here; register and style guide your choice.
Why is it just je travaille for “I’m working”? What about être en train de?
French simple present covers both “I work” and “I’m working.” Je travaille is perfect. Use je suis en train de travailler to emphasize the ongoing nature (“I’m in the middle of working”).
Other natural ways to say “My computer is down”?
  • Mon ordinateur ne marche plus.
  • Mon ordinateur ne fonctionne pas.
  • Mon ordi est HS / hors service. (informal)
  • Mon ordinateur est tombé en panne.
  • (software crash) Mon ordi a planté.
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?
  • alors: final “s” is silent.
  • tien: nasal vowel [tyɛ̃]; don’t pronounce a full “n.”
  • panne: pronounce the “n” (not nasal).
  • ordinateur: say each syllable clearly: or-di-na-teur; the final -eur is like a relaxed “eu(r).”