Learn French: Tu dois lire le rapport parce que c'est un problème difficile. - You must read the report because it is a difficult problem.

Tu dois lire le rapport parce que c'est un problème difficile.

You must read the report because it is a difficult problem.

Breakdown of Tu dois lire le rapport parce que c'est un problème difficile.

être

to be

you (informal singular)

it / this (with être)

le problème

the problem

Questions & Answers about Tu dois lire le rapport parce que c'est un problème difficile.

Why do we say tu dois lire instead of conjugating both verbs?

When you use devoir (must / to have to) with another verb, only devoir is conjugated to match the subject (tu dois). The second verb stays in its dictionary form, called the infinitive (lire). This is similar to English: we say "You must read", not "You must reads".

Is problème masculine even though it ends in "-e"?

Yes! While many French words ending in "-e" are feminine, problème is a very common exception. You can see it is masculine in this sentence because it uses the masculine word for "a": un problème.

Why does difficile come after problème?

In French, most adjectives come after the noun they describe, which is the opposite of English. So "a difficult problem" becomes un problème difficile. Only a small group of common adjectives (like petit or bon) go before the noun.

Why do we use c'est instead of il est for "it is"?