Breakdown of Au lieu de dormir, tu finis le projet en chronométrant chaque tâche.
tu
you (informal singular)
le projet
the project
finir
to finish
dormir
to sleep
chaque
each / every
en
while / by (with gerund)
la tâche
the task
au lieu de
instead of
chronométrer
to time
Questions & Answers about Au lieu de dormir, tu finis le projet en chronométrant chaque tâche.
The translation says "by timing", but the lesson is about the conditional use of the gérondif. How does that apply to this sentence?
While translated as "by timing" to sound natural in English, en chronométrant can be understood as a condition here. It essentially means "If you time each task, you finish the project." In French, the gérondif frequently replaces an "if" clause to show the condition required for the main action to happen.
Why is dormir in the infinitive here instead of being conjugated?
In French, prepositions are followed by the infinitive form of a verb. Because au lieu de (instead of) ends with the preposition de, the following verb dormir must remain unconjugated.
If the gérondif is acting as a condition, why does the sentence use the present tense tu finis instead of the future tense?
French often uses the present tense for conditions to state a guaranteed outcome, similar to a zero conditional in English. Using tu finis instead of the future tense makes the successful result of timing the tasks feel immediate and absolutely certain.
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