Question 1

Why use voire instead of et même (and even) in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Both mean 'and even' and show an escalation in intensity. voire is a concise, elegant conjunction that does the exact same job. It is slightly more formal than et même but is very commonly used in everyday French to introduce a stronger alternative, like escalating from grave to insupportable.

Question 2

Could I write voire même insupportable?

Accepted Answer

You will hear native speakers say voire même, but it is technically a redundancy (a pleonasm) because voire already carries the meaning of 'and even'. At a B2 level, especially in writing, it is much better to use voire exactly as it is written in this sentence.

Question 3

Since symptôme ends in '-e', why is it masculine (le symptôme)?

Accepted Answer

While nouns ending in '-e' are often feminine, many nouns ending in -ôme (which mostly come from Greek) are masculine. Other common examples you might know are le diplôme (the diploma) and le fantôme (the ghost). It is a highly reliable pattern to memorize.

Question 4

Is grave a false friend here?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly, as it does translate to 'grave' or 'serious', but its everyday usage is much broader in French than in English. We say un problème grave or une maladie grave (a serious illness). In modern slang, young people even use grave on its own to mean 'totally' or 'I strongly agree', though here it is just the standard adjective for 'serious'.

Le symptôme est grave, voire insupportable.

Breakdown of Le symptôme est grave, voire insupportable.

Questions & Answers about Le symptôme est grave, voire insupportable.

Learn Le symptôme est grave, voire insupportable and more in French