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L'ordinateur est allumé maintenant.

L'ordinateur est allumé maintenant.
The computer is on now.
FromLesson 26inHardcore French

Breakdown of L'ordinateur est allumé maintenant.

être
to be
maintenant
now
l'ordinateur
the computer
allumé
on

Questions & Answers about L'ordinateur est allumé maintenant.

Why is it L'ordinateur and not Le ordinateur?
French drops the final vowel of certain little words before a vowel sound. This is called elision. Le becomes l' before a vowel or mute h: l'ordinateur, l'enfant, l'homme. You cannot say le ordinateur.
Is ordinateur masculine? How do I know?
Yes, ordinateur is masculine: un ordinateur, l'ordinateur, mon ordinateur. You mostly have to memorize noun gender. The ending -eur is often masculine, though there are exceptions.
Why is allumé written with é and not plain e?
Allumé is the past participle of allumer used as an adjective, and it keeps the accent: allumé. Accents are part of the spelling in French; allume would be a different form (present-tense verb).
Does allumé have to agree, and with what?

Yes. As an adjective here, it agrees with the noun it describes:

  • Masculine singular: allumé (l'ordinateur est allumé)
  • Feminine singular: allumée (la machine est allumée)
  • Masculine plural: allumés (les ordinateurs sont allumés)
  • Feminine plural: allumées (les machines sont allumées) It never agrees with the speaker; it agrees with the noun.
Is est allumé a passive voice, or does it just mean “is on”?
Here it describes a resulting state: “is on.” It can look like a passive, but if you want to emphasize the ongoing action (is being turned on), you’d say: il est en train d’être allumé or more naturally on allume l’ordinateur. For the state, il est allumé is perfect.
What’s the opposite of allumé?

Éteint (past participle of éteindre). Examples:

  • L’ordinateur est éteint. (The computer is off.)
  • J’éteins l’ordinateur. (I’m turning the computer off.)
Where can I put maintenant in the sentence?

Common placements (all correct, slight changes in emphasis):

  • L’ordinateur est allumé maintenant. (neutral; “now” at the end)
  • Maintenant, l’ordinateur est allumé. (fronted for emphasis on “now”)
  • L’ordinateur est maintenant allumé. (focus on the change of state) All three are natural.
What’s the difference between maintenant, en ce moment, à présent, and actuellement?
  • maintenant = now, at this moment (most common).
  • en ce moment = right now/these days (often a short period).
  • à présent = now/at present (a bit more formal or literary).
  • actuellement = currently/at present (false friend: it does NOT mean “actually”). For this sentence, maintenant or à présent work best.
Can I say L’ordinateur marche to mean “the computer is on”?

Not exactly. Il marche means “it works/it functions.” To say it’s powered on, use:

  • L’ordinateur est allumé.
  • L’ordinateur est en marche. (running/in operation) Also common: démarrer l’ordinateur = to boot/start it.
How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

Rough guide: “lor-dee-nah-TEUR eh tal-lyu-MAY mehn-t(uh)-NAHN”

  • There’s a liaison: est allumé sounds like [eh t‑a‑lyu‑may]; the t is pronounced.
  • The final -nt in maintenant is nasal; many speakers drop the middle schwa: [mɛ̃t.nɑ̃].
Why use the definite article L’ here? Could I say Mon ordinateur… or Un ordinateur…?
  • L’ordinateur… refers to a specific, known computer (like “the computer”).
  • Mon ordinateur… if it’s yours: “My computer is on now.”
  • Un ordinateur… would mean “a computer is on now,” which is unusual unless you’re speaking generically or introducing an unknown computer.
How do I make it plural?
  • Les ordinateurs sont allumés maintenant. Note both the article les and the adjective allumés are plural. The noun adds silent -s; the adjective adds -s as well.
How do I say it in the negative (not on, no longer on, not yet on)?
  • Not on: L’ordinateur n’est pas allumé. (In speech, the ne is often dropped: L’ordinateur est pas allumé.)
  • No longer on: L’ordinateur n’est plus allumé.
  • Not yet on: L’ordinateur n’est pas encore allumé.
Can I drop the article and say Ordinateur est allumé?
No. In normal French sentences you need an article or determiner: L’ordinateur, Mon ordinateur, Cet ordinateur… Article-less subjects are for headlines, labels, or note-taking shorthand.
Should I say Il est allumé or C’est allumé to replace L’ordinateur?
Use Il est allumé to refer back to l’ordinateur (masculine singular). C’est allumé can work only if you’re pointing to “that thing” being on, without naming it; it’s not the usual way to refer back to a specific noun like l’ordinateur.
Does ouvrir l’ordinateur mean “turn the computer on”?

No. Ouvrir = open (a file, an app, a laptop lid, a computer case). For powering on, use allumer or démarrer:

  • J’allume l’ordinateur.
  • Je démarre l’ordinateur.
Is L’ordi est allumé maintenant okay?
Yes, l’ordi is a common informal shortening of l’ordinateur. It’s fine in speech and casual writing. It’s still masculine: un ordi, mon ordi.
Any easy spelling tip for maintenant?
Remember it’s main-tenant (etymologically “hand-holding”), which helps fix the -ten- in the middle: mainTEnant, not “maintanant” or “maintienant.”
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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