Level A1 (Beginner)
The French word of the day is: maintenant (A1), meaning ‘now’. There are two accepted ways to pronounce this word where the /ə/ can be omitted.
maintenant – / mɛ̃.tə.nɑ̃ or mɛ̃t.nɑ̃ /
How To Pronounce & Use “Maintenant” (Now) In French
Word origin
The Modern French adverb maintenant (now) is the present participle of the verb maintenir (to keep, maintain). Hence, the literal translation of maintenant is ‘keeping’ or ‘maintaining’.
Example sentences
In this sentence, you’ll hear that Marie, our voice over artist, used the academic pronunciation and clearly pronounced the /e/ sound. This pronunciation may be more frequently heard in southern France.
Qu’est-ce que vous faites maintenant ?
What are you doing now?
In this sentence you’ll hear that Marie used the colloquial pronunciation and omitted the /e/ sound. This lesson covers il faut (it’s necessary) in detail.
Il faut partir maintenant ou on ratera l’avion!
We need to leave now or we’ll miss the plane!
C’est maintenant ou jamais !
It’s now or never!
Words and expressions related to “maintenant”
- Actuellement: currently, at the moment
- Tout de suite: right away, immediately
- Désormais: from now on
- Dorénavant: from now on
- Actuellement, en ce moment: Now, at present
- Présentement: Now, presently (used in Canada)
- En ce moment: currently
- À l’heure actuelle: At the current time, currently
Continue learning French!
Now that you’ve mastered maintenant, check out this grammar lesson which provides a comprehensive overview of French adverbs!
