Question 1

Why do we use mieux instead of meilleur for "better" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Because mieux is an adverb (the comparative form of bien, meaning "well"). It describes how the hairdresser performs the action of drying (sèche). If you wanted to describe a noun instead of an action—like saying he is a "better hairdresser"—you would use the adjective meilleur (the comparative form of bon, meaning "good").

Question 2

Why do both toujours and mieux go right after the verb?

Accepted Answer

In French, short adverbs typically go immediately after the conjugated verb they modify, rather than at the end of the sentence like they often do in English. Here, toujours (always) and mieux (better) simply stack together right after the verb sèche.

Question 3

Why is "hair" plural (les cheveux) when it is singular in English?

Accepted Answer

In French, the hair on your head is treated as a plural noun (les cheveux). If you use the singular (le cheveu), you are talking about just one single strand of hair! Because it is a masculine plural noun, the adjective describing it must also match, which is why longs ends with an -s.

Question 4

Why does sèche have a grave accent (è) when the infinitive verb is sécher with an acute accent (é)?

Accepted Answer

Sécher is a stem-changing verb. For pronunciation reasons, the é changes to an è in the present tense for most subjects (je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles). You only keep the original é sound for nous and vous (for example, nous séchons).

Mon coiffeur sèche toujours mieux les cheveux longs.

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