Breakdown of Il y a six ou sept problèmes difficiles.
ou
or
il y a
there is / there are
le problème
the problem
difficile
difficult
six
six
sept
seven
Questions & Answers about Il y a six ou sept problèmes difficiles.
How do I pronounce six in this sentence?
Normally, six is pronounced like 'cease'. But when it comes right before a word starting with a vowel sound, like ou (or), the 'x' connects to it and makes a 'z' sound. So here, six ou sounds like 'seez oo'. If it were placed before a word starting with a consonant, the 'x' would be completely silent!
Is the 'p' in sept pronounced?
No, the 'p' in sept is always silent. The word sounds exactly like the English word 'set'.
Doesn't il y a mean 'there is'? Why is it used here for 'there are'?
In French, il y a is a fixed phrase that translates to both 'there is' and 'there are'. It never changes to a plural form, even though we are talking about multiple problems in this sentence.
Why does difficiles come after problèmes?
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