Learn French: Mon coiffeur sèche toujours mieux les cheveux longs. - My hairdresser always dries long hair better.

Mon coiffeur sèche toujours mieux les cheveux longs.

My hairdresser always dries long hair better.

Breakdown of Mon coiffeur sèche toujours mieux les cheveux longs.

Questions & Answers about Mon coiffeur sèche toujours mieux les cheveux longs.

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

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").

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

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.

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

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.

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