Question 1

Why is there an à before ce style ondulé when we already said au before dégradé?

Accepted Answer

In French, the prepositions à, de, and en must be repeated before every single item in a series. Since the verb is s'habituer à (to get used to), you have to use à for both le dégradé (which contracts into au) and ce style.

Question 2

Does the repetition rule still apply even though au looks like a different word than à?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Because au is just a mandatory contraction of à + le, it still counts as the preposition à. The repetition rule applies, so the next item gets its own à (which stays à because it's followed by ce, not le).

Question 3

I usually see dégradé translated as a gradient. How does it mean layered cut here?

Accepted Answer

In hairdressing, un dégradé specifically refers to hair that transitions in length, like a layered cut for women or a fade for men. It comes from the same concept of a gradual change or gradient.

Question 4

Since the subject Elle is feminine, why doesn't the verb have a feminine ending like s'habituée?

Accepted Answer

Because it follows the conjugated verb va, the second verb must be in its infinitive form: s'habituer. You only add feminine or plural agreements to past participles in compound tenses, never to infinitives, even though s'habituer and s'habituée sound exactly the same.

Elle va s'habituer au dégradé et à ce style ondulé.

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