Alternative words

Question

1. Can I use "empirer" instead of exacerber or aggraver in the sentence "ce qui ne faisant qu'exacerber les problèmes ..."? 
2. Why do we use faire ... instead of the word itself?

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Thanh Tân,
You could use "empirer" in this instance, although "exacerber" / "aggraver" are better o ptions.
To express that something is "doing" nothing/only but something else, you use ne faire que + [infinitive]. Here, her workload is only making her personal issues worse.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Yes, I think empirer and exacerber are synonyms here.Regarding your second question: faire exacerber -- making worse. This is the better translation in this case. It hints at a more indirect effect on the problems.Le travail ne faisait qu'exacerber les problèmes. -- Work was only making the problems worse.Le travail ne qu'exacerbait les problèmes. -- Work was only worsening the problems.