Il est dix heures et nous devons commencer la réunion.

From Lesson 55:Obligation (devoir)·French

Questions & Answers about Il est dix heures et nous devons commencer la réunion.

How does the verb devoir work in this sentence?
Devoir means "must" or "to have to". Here, it is conjugated as devons to match the subject nous (we). So, nous devons means "we must" or "we have to".
Why is commencer in its full dictionary form?
Because it directly follows another conjugated verb (devons). When you have two verbs back-to-back like "must start", the first one is conjugated (nous devons) and the second one stays in the infinitive form (commencer).
Why do we use Il est to say "it is" ten o'clock instead of C'est?
In French, you must always use il est when stating the time. Even though c'est is the most common way to say "it is" in other situations, time is a strict exception.
How do I pronounce dix heures together?
The "x" in dix makes a "z" sound here because the next word, heures, starts with a silent "h" and a vowel sound. This linking of sounds (called a liaison) makes it sound like "deez-uhr".
How can I remember that réunion is feminine?
Notice the ending! Almost all French words that end in -ion (like la réunion, la télévision, la question) are feminine, so they use la or une.

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