Ce cauchemar me fait encore peur.

This nightmare still scares me.

Breakdown of Ce cauchemar me fait encore peur.

• ce: this
• me: me
• encore: still
• le cauchemar: the nightmare
• faire peur: to scare

Questions & Answers about Ce cauchemar me fait encore peur.

What does ce mean here, and why not cet or ceci?

Ce is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this” in front of a masculine singular noun starting with a consonant.

• ce cauchemar = this nightmare
• You would use:
  • cet before a masculine noun starting with a vowel or mute h:
    
    • cet homme, cet avion
  • cette before feminine singular:
    
    • cette histoire
  • ces for any plural:
    
    • ces cauchemars

Ceci and cela are pronouns (they stand alone: “this / that”), not adjectives used directly before a noun, so they cannot replace ce in ce cauchemar.

Is cauchemar masculine or feminine, and how do we know?

Cauchemar is a masculine noun. That’s why the sentence uses ce cauchemar and not cette cauchemar.

You generally have to learn the gender with each noun, but:

• Dictionaries will show (n.m.) for nom masculin.
• The article also tells you: un cauchemar, le cauchemar, ce cauchemar → all masculine.

How does the structure me fait peur work? What is the literal translation?

The core expression is faire peur à quelqu’un = to scare someone / to make someone afraid.

Broken down:

• faire = to make / to do
• peur = fear (a noun)
• à quelqu’un = to someone

So:

• Ce cauchemar me fait peur.
  Literally: “This nightmare makes fear to me.”
  Natural English: “This nightmare scares me.” / “This nightmare still frightens me.”

Here, me is the indirect object pronoun replacing à moi:
Ce cauchemar fait peur à moi → Ce cauchemar me fait peur.

Why is the pronoun me before fait, not after, like in English?

In simple French verb forms, object pronouns normally go before the verb, not after it as in English.

Order in this sentence:

• Ce cauchemar → subject
• me → indirect object pronoun
• fait → verb
• encore peur → rest of the predicate

So:

• Ce cauchemar me fait encore peur.
  and not
• Ce cauchemar fait encore peur à me.

With a full phrase you could say:

• Ce cauchemar fait encore peur à moi. (grammatically possible but sounds heavy; used only for emphasis) The pronoun form me is the normal choice.

Is peur here a noun or an adjective? Why not a verb like être or avoir?

Peur is a noun meaning “fear”.

In this expression:

• avoir peur = to be afraid
  
  • J’ai peur. = I am afraid.
• faire peur à quelqu’un = to scare someone
  
  • Ce cauchemar me fait peur. = This nightmare scares me.

So in me fait encore peur:

• fait is the conjugated verb (faire, 3rd person singular)
• peur is a noun, the thing being “made”
• me is the person who experiences the fear

French uses these fixed expressions instead of a single verb like to scare.

What exactly does encore mean here: “still”, “again”, or both?

In Ce cauchemar me fait encore peur, encore means “still”:

• This nightmare still scares me.

In other contexts, encore can mean “again”, but that usually appears with a verb of repetition:

• Il recommence encore. = He’s starting again (yet again).
• Fais-le encore ! = Do it again!

Here, with fait peur, the natural reading is still: the fear continues.

Could I use toujours instead of encore here? Any difference?

Yes, you could say:

• Ce cauchemar me fait toujours peur.

Both encore and toujours can mean “still”, but:

• encore often emphasizes ongoingness or persistence, sometimes with a hint of “surprisingly, even now”.
• toujours is more neutral “still / always”, depending on context.

In this particular sentence:

• encore: slight nuance of “it’s still scaring me (even now)”.
• toujours: could be heard as “it always scares me” or “it still scares me”; context clarifies the intended meaning.

Are there other natural ways to express the same idea in French?

Yes, here are some common alternatives with slightly different nuance:

1. Ce cauchemar m’effraie encore.

   • Uses the verb effrayer = to frighten.
   • A bit more formal/literary than faire peur, but very correct.

2. Ce cauchemar me terrifie encore.

   • Stronger: terrifier = to terrify.

3. J’ai encore peur de ce cauchemar.

   • Focuses on you having fear:
   • Literally: “I still have fear of this nightmare.”
   • Very natural and common.

All of these are good; faire peur is the most everyday, neutral expression.

How would I say “This nightmare doesn’t scare me anymore” in French?

Use ne … plus for “no longer / not anymore”:

• Ce cauchemar ne me fait plus peur.
  = This nightmare doesn’t scare me anymore.

Related forms:

• Ce cauchemar ne me fait pas peur.
  = This nightmare doesn’t scare me (at all / in general).
• Ce cauchemar ne me fait pas encore peur.
  = This nightmare doesn’t scare me yet.

Note the word order in the negation:

• ne (or n’ before a vowel)
• then me
• then fait
• then plus / pas
  → Ce cauchemar ne me fait plus peur.

How do I turn this sentence into a yes/no question in French?

You have three common options:

1. Est-ce que question (very common, neutral):

   • Est-ce que ce cauchemar te fait encore peur ?
     (Does this nightmare still scare you?)

2. Intonation (just raise your voice, informal speech):

   • Ce cauchemar te fait encore peur ?

3. Inversion (more formal or written style):

   • Ce cauchemar te fait-il encore peur ?

Note: you’d usually change me → te if you’re asking you instead of talking about yourself.

Does fait agree with cauchemar or with peur?

Fait is the 3rd person singular of faire, and it agrees with the subject, which is ce cauchemar:

• Singular subject: Ce cauchemar fait peur.
• Plural subject: Ces cauchemars font peur.

Peur is an invariable noun; it does not control the verb agreement. The verb always agrees with what is doing the scaring, not with the fear itself.

Can I replace Ce cauchemar with Ça or Cela? Is the meaning the same?

Yes, if the nightmare has already been mentioned, you can replace Ce cauchemar with a pronoun:

• Ça me fait encore peur.
• Cela me fait encore peur.

Nuances:

• Ça: more informal, very common in speech.
• Cela: more formal or written; also fine in careful speech.

Meaning: “That still scares me.” (referring to the nightmare or to something you’ve just been talking about).