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Je lis le livre maintenant.

Je lis le livre maintenant.
I am reading the book now.
FromLesson 2inHardcore French

Breakdown of Je lis le livre maintenant.

je
I
lire
to read
le livre
the book
maintenant
now

Questions & Answers about Je lis le livre maintenant.

Why is the verb lis used here instead of lire?
The verb lire means "to read," and lis is its first-person singular present tense form. In French, we change lire to lis when the subject is je (I).
Why do we say le livre rather than un livre?
Le is the definite article, used when talking about a specific book, while un is the indefinite article. Saying le livre implies we have a particular book in mind.
Why do we say Je lis le livre maintenant when in English it would be "I am reading the book now"?
In French, the present tense (Je lis) covers both "I read" and "I am reading" in English. Adding maintenant (now) emphasizes the action is happening at this very moment.
Is there a difference in pronunciation between lis (I read) and lit (he/she reads)?
No, both lis (with je) and lit (with il/elle) are pronounced the same way in spoken French. The difference is only noticeable in writing.
Why is the s in lis silent?
In French, final s at the end of most words is not pronounced. The ending -is in verbs like lis is typically silent. This is a common pronunciation rule in French.
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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