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Tu vois ce placard ? Il faut le garder propre.

Tu vois ce placard ? Il faut le garder propre.
Do you see this cupboard? You have to keep it clean.
From Lesson 68:Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')·French

Questions & Answers about Tu vois ce placard ? Il faut le garder propre.

Why is le placed before garder instead of after it?
In French, direct object pronouns like le (meaning "it" here) usually go directly before the verb they are connected to. Since the action being done to the cupboard is keeping it, le goes right before the infinitive verb garder, making it le garder.
How do I know to use le instead of la for "it"?
The pronoun replaces ce placard (this cupboard). Because placard is a masculine noun in French, you must use the masculine pronoun le. If you were talking about a feminine object like a table (la table), you would use la instead.
Why is "You have to" translated as Il faut? Doesn't il mean "he"?
Il faut is a very common fixed expression that means "It is necessary" or "One must." Even though it uses il, it doesn't refer to a specific "he." English speakers often translate it as "You have to" or "We need to" to make the sentence sound more natural.
Why does the sentence use ce placard instead of le placard?
Ce is a pointing word (a demonstrative adjective) that means "this" or "that" for masculine nouns. You use it because the speaker is pointing out a specific cupboard ("this cupboard"), rather than just saying "the cupboard" (le placard).

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