Learn French: Nous avons dix ou onze projets. - We have ten or eleven projects.

Nous avons dix ou onze projets.

We have ten or eleven projects.

Breakdown of Nous avons dix ou onze projets.

nous

we / us (object pronoun)

Questions & Answers about Nous avons dix ou onze projets.

How is the 'x' in dix pronounced in this sentence?

Because dix is followed by a word starting with a vowel sound (ou), the 'x' is pronounced like a 'z'. When counting or at the end of a sentence, it sounds like an 's', and before a consonant, it is silent.

Is there a linking sound between ou and onze?

No, and this is a great rule to remember! The number onze is a special exception in French. Even though it starts with a vowel sound, it acts like a hard consonant. You never make a linking sound (liaison) or drop a vowel (elision) before it.

Why doesn't ou have an accent mark here?

In French, ou without an accent means "or". If you see it with an accent pointing backwards (où), it means "where". They sound exactly the same, but the accent tells you which word it is when reading.

How do you pronounce nous avons?

You connect the two words with a 'z' sound. Because the silent 's' at the end of nous is followed by the vowel at the start of avons, the 's' wakes up and sounds like a 'z'. This linking of words is called a liaison.

Do we pronounce the 't' and 's' at the end of projets?

You don't pronounce either of them! The 't' is part of the singular word projet and is silent. The 's' makes it plural, and plural endings are almost always silent in French.