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Est-ce que vous devez imprimer ce dossier ?

Est-ce que vous devez imprimer ce dossier ?
Do you have to print this file?
From Lesson 55:Obligation (devoir)·French

Questions & Answers about Est-ce que vous devez imprimer ce dossier ?

Why does the sentence use devez?
Devez is the vous (you) form of the verb devoir, which means "must" or "to have to". In the present tense, the vous form ends in "-ez".
Does devez mean "must" or "have to"?
It can mean both! In French, devoir covers both "must" and "have to". So this sentence could also be translated as "Must you print this file?".
Why is the verb imprimer not conjugated?
When two verbs are used together in French, the second verb stays in its infinitive (unchanged dictionary) form. Here, the first verb devez is conjugated, so imprimer (to print) stays in the infinitive.
What is the purpose of est-ce que at the start of the sentence?
Est-ce que is a common phrase used to turn a statement into a yes-or-no question. If you drop it, the sentence becomes the statement: Vous devez imprimer ce dossier (You have to print this file).
Why is it ce dossier instead of le dossier?
Ce is a demonstrative adjective meaning "this" or "that", while le just means "the". Since dossier (file) is a masculine word, we use ce to point out "this specific file".

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