Question 1

Why do we need the d' before énerver? Can't we just say soupirer et énerver?

Accepted Answer

In English, we can say 'instead of sighing and annoying,' sharing the 'of' between both verbs. French doesn't allow this shortcut. When you have multiple infinitives governed by prepositions like de or à, you must repeat the preposition before every single verb in the list.

Question 2

Is au lieu de always followed by an infinitive?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as long as the subject performing the action is the same for both verbs. Just like other compound prepositions ending in de (such as au bout de or avant de), au lieu de connects directly to an infinitive verb or a noun.

Question 3

I always mix up énerver and s'énerver. Which one is this?

Accepted Answer

This is the standard, non-reflexive énerver, which means 'to annoy' someone else (in this case, le groupe). If you used the reflexive s'énerver, it would mean 'to get angry' or 'to lose your temper.'

Question 4

Why does the command fais keep its -s? Don't we drop the -s in the tu imperative?

Accepted Answer

You only drop the -s in the tu command form for verbs that end in -er (like Regarde ! or Mange !). Because faire is an -re verb, its imperative form keeps the -s, just like its present tense conjugation.

Au lieu de soupirer et d'énerver le groupe, fais un effort !

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