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How to Say ‘Why keep at it? You're starting over’ in French

Pourquoi s'acharner? Tu r'commences

poor-kwah s ah-shar-nay too re-kuh-mohns

[poor-kwah s ah-shar-nay too re-kuh-mohns]

💬 Usage Tip: In songs and casual speech, sounds often get dropped: s'acharner stays joined, and recommences becomes r'commences. Learn to spot the full verb underneath the shortened form.

Phrase Breakdown

Pourquoi s'acharner?

poor-kwah s ah-shar-nay

Words in this phrase

Pourquoi

[poor-kwah]

Why

Used to ask for a reason or explanation.

Example

Pourquoi es-tu triste?

Why are you sad?

[s]

oneself

Reflexive pronoun used for oneself in actions.

Example

Il s'acharne à finir ce projet.

He is determined to finish this project.

acharner

[ah-shar-nay]

to persist

To continue stubbornly despite difficulties.

Example

Elle s'acharne malgré les obstacles.

She persists despite the obstacles.

Tu r'commences

too re-kuh-mohns

Words in this phrase

[too]

You

A pronoun referring to the person being spoken to.

Example

Tu es mon ami.

You are my friend.

r'commences

[re-kuh-mohns]

start again

To begin doing something once more.

Example

Il r'commence à zéro.

He starts again from zero.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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