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Elle va passer un examen difficile.

Elle va passer un examen difficile.
She is going to take a difficult exam.
From Lesson 69:The near future (aller + infinitive)·French

Questions & Answers about Elle va passer un examen difficile.

How do we form the 'going to' future in this sentence?
We use the near future tense. Just like in English, you use the verb 'to go' plus the main action. Here, it is va (the 'she' form of aller, to go) followed by the infinitive verb passer (to take). So, elle va passer means 'she is going to take'.
Wait, doesn't passer mean 'to pass'? Why does the translation say 'to take'?
This is a famous false friend! In French, passer un examen means to sit or take an exam. If you want to say that someone actually passed (succeeded), you would use a completely different verb: réussir (to succeed).
Why is difficile placed after examen?
In French, most adjectives go directly after the noun they describe. So instead of saying 'a difficult exam' like we do in English, you say un examen difficile. Only a handful of short, common adjectives (like bon or petit) go before the noun.
How do I pronounce un examen?
Because examen starts with a vowel, you must connect the two words when speaking. You will pronounce the 'n' at the end of un, making it run into the next word so it sounds a bit like 'un-nexamen'. This spoken connection is called a liaison.

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