Learn Hardcore French: Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérira plus vite. - If Marie really rests, she will get better faster.

reposer on its own usually means to put something down / to lay something (to rest).
- Je repose le livre. = I put the book down.
se reposer means to rest, as in to relax / to take a break.
- Marie se repose. = Marie is resting.

Because Marie is the one doing the action to herself (she herself is resting), French uses the reflexive form se reposer, hence se repose.

What tense is se repose and why is it present if we’re talking about the future?

Se repose is in the present tense (présent de l’indicatif).

In French, after si (if), you normally use:

Present tense in the si-clause
Future tense in the main clause (for a real, possible future)

So:

Si Marie se repose vraiment = If Marie really rests (present form)
elle guérira plus vite = she will get better faster (future)

Even though English also uses present in the if part (If she rests), the logic is the same: the condition is expressed in the present, the result in the future.

Why is it guérira and not guérit or guérirait?

Guérira is the simple future tense of guérir (to get better / to heal).

French has a standard pattern for real, likely conditions about the future:

Si + present, future
→ Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérira plus vite.
= If Marie really rests, she will get better faster.

Other possibilities change the meaning:

Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérit plus vite.
Sounds more like a general truth/habit: Whenever Marie really rests, she gets better faster.
Si Marie se reposait vraiment, elle guérirait plus vite.
Uses imparfait + conditionnel → This is more hypothetical/unreal: If Marie really rested (but she doesn’t), she would get better faster.

Could I say Si Marie se reposait vraiment, elle guérirait plus vite instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct, but the meaning shifts:

Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérira plus vite.
→ Real and possible future condition. We think it’s realistic that she might rest.
Si Marie se reposait vraiment, elle guérirait plus vite.
→ Hypothetical or contrary-to-fact:
- Suggests she does not really rest at the moment.
- Implies something like: If she *did really rest (which she doesn’t), she would get better faster.*

So the original sentence feels more neutral and practical. The version with se reposait / guérirait is more like a regret, criticism, or a theoretical situation.

Why is it guérir and not se guérir?

Guérir can be:

Intransitive: Marie guérit. = Marie is getting better.
Transitive: Le médecin guérit Marie. = The doctor cures Marie.

There is also se guérir (de), but it’s less common and usually means to cure oneself of something:

Elle s’est guérie de sa phobie. = She cured herself of her phobia.

In the sentence elle guérira plus vite, we’re simply saying she will get better faster, so the plain guérir (no se) is the natural choice.

What does vraiment add here? How is it different from bien?

Vraiment means really / truly / genuinely.

Si Marie se repose vraiment = If Marie really rests (as in, properly, for real, not just a tiny bit)

Bien is very flexible in French, but here it would have a different nuance:

Si Marie se repose bien
- Often understood as If Marie rests well / properly (in a good way).
- Focuses more on the quality of her rest.

Vraiment stresses the reality, seriousness, or sincerity of the action:

Maybe she says she’s resting but keeps checking emails; vraiment suggests actually resting.

Why does vraiment come after se repose? Could we say vraiment se repose?

The standard and most natural placement here is:

Si Marie se repose vraiment…

In French, short adverbs like vraiment often come:

After the verb in simple tenses:
- Elle se repose vraiment.
- Elle mange vraiment lentement.

Si Marie vraiment se repose is possible in special contexts, but it sounds marked/emphatic and not neutral. It would be used in spoken language to strongly insist on vraiment, and even then it’s not the most natural version.

For a learner, stick with:

Subject + verb (+ reflexive pronoun) + vraiment
→ Marie se repose vraiment.

Why is it plus vite and not something like plus rapidement or plus tôt?

Plus vite literally means more quickly / faster.

vite here is an adverb (quickly), so plus vite = more quickly.
plus rapidement also means more quickly, but vite is shorter and more common in speech.

Plus tôt means earlier, which is different:

Elle guérira plus tôt. = She will get better earlier (for example, compared to another date).
Elle guérira plus vite. = She will get better faster (speed of recovery).

In the context of recovery speed, plus vite is the idiomatic choice.

What grammar structure is plus vite? How do comparatives of adverbs work in French?

Plus vite is a comparative of the adverb vite:

For many adverbs:

plus + adverb = more + adverb
moins + adverb = less + adverb
aussi + adverb = as + adverb

Examples:

Elle marche plus vite. = She walks faster.
Il parle moins clairement. = He speaks less clearly.
Elle chante aussi bien. = She sings as well.

So guérir plus vite = to get better faster / more quickly.

Could we say Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle va guérir plus vite? What is the difference with elle guérira plus vite?

Yes, elle va guérir plus vite is correct.

elle guérira plus vite
- Simple future; often a bit more neutral/formal.
- Very common in writing and in careful speech.
elle va guérir plus vite
- Near future (futur proche).
- Feels a bit more immediate, spoken, or emotional: she’s going to get better faster.

In meaning, both refer to the future. In everyday conversation, you will hear elle va guérir plus vite a lot, but the original elle guérira plus vite is perfectly natural and maybe a touch more “textbook” or formal.

Why is it si and not something like quand?

Si = if (condition, uncertainty).
Quand = when (time, more certain).

So:

Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérira plus vite.
We don’t know if she will rest or not; it’s a condition.

Compare:

Quand Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérit plus vite.
= Whenever / When Marie really rests, she gets better faster.
This talks more about a general pattern, not a condition for a specific future situation.

In the original sentence, the idea is a conditional future result, so si is the right choice.

Can I switch the order: Marie guérira plus vite si elle se repose vraiment?

Yes, absolutely. Both word orders are correct:

Si Marie se repose vraiment, elle guérira plus vite.
Marie guérira plus vite si elle se repose vraiment.

The meaning is the same.
Putting the si-clause first slightly emphasizes the condition; putting it second sounds very natural in speech too.

How do you pronounce plus in plus vite? Is the s silent?

In plus vite (meaning more quickly / faster), you will often hear the s pronounced:

plus vite ≈ plys veet (with an s sound)

A simple rule of thumb for learners:

When plus means more, you can usually pronounce the s.
When plus means no more / no longer (as in ne… plus), the s is usually silent:
- Je ne fume plus. ≈ plu (no s sound)

So in plus vite, since it clearly means more quickly, pronouncing the s is normal and safe.