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O meu portátil está lento hoje.

O meu portátil está lento hoje.
My laptop is slow today.
FromLesson 33inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of O meu portátil está lento hoje.

hoje
today
meu
my
estar
to be
lento
slow
o portátil
the laptop

Questions & Answers about O meu portátil está lento hoje.

Why is it está and not é?

Portuguese uses estar for temporary states or conditions and ser for inherent or permanent characteristics. Because the sentence contains hoje (today), it describes a temporary condition, so está is the natural choice.

  • O meu portátil está lento hoje. = It is slow today (temporary).
  • O meu portátil é lento. = It is a slow laptop (inherently low-performance). You can also use é if you mean a general characteristic: É um portátil lento.
Why do we say O meu portátil instead of just meu portátil?

In European Portuguese, possessives before a noun normally take the definite article: o/a/os/as + meu/minha/meus/minhas. So o meu portátil is the standard form. You typically drop the article in:

  • Vocatives: Meu amigo! (My friend!)
  • After the verb ser: É meu. (It’s mine.)
  • Some set expressions: Minha nossa! In Brazilian Portuguese, omitting the article is common: meu notebook, minha casa.
What does portátil mean in Portugal? Is it the same as “laptop”?
Yes. In Portugal, portátil (as a noun) = laptop. You also hear computador portátil (portable computer). People may understand the English loan laptop, but portátil is the default in European Portuguese. As an adjective, portátil means portable (e.g., coluna portátil = portable speaker).
Why is lento masculine? When would it be lenta?

Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender and number. Portátil here is masculine singular (implied computador is masculine), so you use lento.

  • Feminine: A Internet está lenta hoje.
  • Plural masculine: Os portáteis estão lentos hoje.
  • Plural feminine: As aplicações estão lentas hoje.
Can I move hoje to a different place in the sentence?

Yes. All are correct, with small differences in emphasis:

  • Hoje, o meu portátil está lento. (Emphasizes the time; comma preferred.)
  • O meu portátil está lento hoje. (Neutral, very common.)
  • O meu portátil hoje está lento. (Highlights the subject, slightly marked.)
Is lento the right word for a slow computer? What about devagar?

Yes, lento is the usual adjective for a slow device. Devagar is an adverb used with verbs (describing how something is done), not typically a predicate of a device in European Portuguese.

  • Natural: O meu portátil está lento.
  • Also fine: O meu portátil funciona devagar. (works slowly) Colloquial alternatives in Portugal:
  • Hoje o meu portátil está a arrastar-se. (It’s dragging.)
How would I say “It’s getting slow” or “It became slow”?
  • Getting slow (process): O meu portátil está a ficar lento.
  • Became slow (change of state): O meu portátil ficou lento hoje.
  • Has been slow lately: O meu portátil tem estado lento ultimamente.
  • Has been slow all day: O meu portátil tem estado lento o dia todo.
How do I pronounce the sentence in European Portuguese?

Approximate EP pronunciation: [u ˈmew puɾˈta.tiɫ ʃˈta ˈlẽtu ˈoʒɨ]

  • O is [u] (like “oo”).
  • meu ≈ “mayw” [mew].
  • portátil stress on tá; tapped r [ɾ]; final l is velarized [ɫ].
  • está often sounds like [ʃˈta] (the initial e reduces).
  • lento has a nasal en [ẽ].
  • hoje ≈ [ˈoʒɨ] (final vowel like a reduced i/uh).
Do the accents in está and portátil matter?

Absolutely.

Can I drop the noun and just say O meu está lento hoje?

Yes, if the context makes it clear you mean your laptop. This kind of ellipsis is common in conversation:

  • O teu está rápido? O meu está lento hoje.
How would a very informal version sound in Portugal?
  • Hoje o meu portátil tá lento.
  • Hoje o meu portátil está a arrastar-se. You’ll hear tá in casual speech for está.
What would a Brazilian typically say?

Common options include:

  • Meu notebook tá lento hoje.
  • Meu computador tá lento hoje.
  • If it freezes: Meu computador tá travando hoje. / Travou. Note: In Brazil, using meu/minha without the article is normal.
What is the plural form?
How do I make comparisons like “slower,” “very slow,” or “too slow”?
  • Slower: mais lento (e.g., Está mais lento do que ontem.)
  • Very slow: muito lento / lentíssimo (formal/literary)
  • Too slow: demasiado lento (EP preference) or lento demais (also understood)
Is there a difference between hoje and hoje em dia?

Yes.

  • hoje = today (this day).
  • hoje em dia = nowadays/these days (a general, ongoing period). Example: Hoje o meu portátil está lento. vs Hoje em dia os portáteis são leves.
Any common alternatives when a computer is almost frozen?

Yes, depending on how severe:

  • Sluggish: Está a arrastar-se.
  • Frozen/blocked: Está bloqueado.
  • It crashed: Foi abaixo.
  • It jammed/locked up: Encravou. These are idiomatic in Portugal.
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