Je lis la convocation.

A careful pronunciation is:

zhuh lee la kon-vo-ka-syon

More precisely in IPA: /ʒə li la kɔ̃.vɔ.ka.sjɔ̃/

A few tips:

• Je sounds like zhuh with a soft j sound, like the s in measure.
• lis is pronounced lee. The final s is silent.
• la is simply la.
• In convocation, the on is nasal in French, so you do not pronounce it like English on.

In everyday speech, je is sometimes reduced, so it can sound a bit like j’lis.

Because it is a form of the verb lire (to read).

In the present tense:

• je lis
• tu lis
• il/elle/on lit
• nous lisons
• vous lisez
• ils/elles lisent

The final s in lis is a spelling marker for the je and tu forms, but it is not pronounced here.

Interestingly:

• je lis and tu lis are both pronounced lee
• il lit is also pronounced lee

So several forms sound the same, even though they are spelled differently.

It is the present tense: the present indicative.

In French, the present tense can mean:

• I read
• I am reading

So Je lis la convocation can mean either:

• I read the notice/summons
• I am reading the notice/summons

The exact meaning depends on context. French often uses the simple present where English might prefer the progressive form am reading.

La is the definite article, meaning the.

French nouns normally need an article much more often than English nouns do. Here:

• la convocation = the convocation / the notice / the summons

Also, convocation is a feminine noun, so it takes:

• la in the singular
• une for a/an

So:

• la convocation = the convocation
• une convocation = a convocation

You usually learn the gender together with the noun: la convocation, not just convocation.

A useful pattern is that many nouns ending in -tion are feminine:

• la nation
• la question
• la conversation
• la convocation

This pattern is very common, though learning the article with the word is still the safest habit.

No. It stays la because convocation begins with a consonant sound.

French uses l’ before a vowel sound or a silent h:

• l’école
• l’histoire

But here you say:

• la convocation

because convocation starts with c, a pronounced consonant.

No, there is no liaison between lis and la.

You say:

• je lis la... not
• je li-z-la...

The s in lis remains silent here.

So the middle of the sentence sounds like:

• lee la

Not exactly.

Even if the meaning has already been given to you, it is useful to know that French convocation is often a formal official notice, summons, or request to appear somewhere.

Depending on context, it might refer to:

• a school notice
• an administrative summons
• a court or police summons
• an official meeting notice

So although the word looks familiar to an English speaker, its everyday use in French is often more specific and administrative than English convocation.

Yes. That means more specifically:

I am in the middle of reading the notice/summons.

Compare:

• Je lis la convocation = I read / I am reading the notice
• Je suis en train de lire la convocation = I am reading the notice right now

The longer form emphasizes that the action is happening at this moment. In many normal situations, though, simple Je lis... is completely natural.

Yes. In careful speech, je is usually pronounced /ʒə/.

In faster, more casual speech, the e can weaken or disappear, especially before another consonant. So:

• Je lis may sound closer to j’lis

Both are normal, but for learning and careful pronunciation, /ʒə li/ is a good starting point.