3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

(https://www.lawlessfrench.c F R E N C H L E S S O N S A N D L A N G UAG E TO O L S F R O M L AU R A K L AW L E S S

Home

FAQ

Forum

Mot du jour

Progress w/ LF

Sitemap

Subjunctivisor

Support LF

Verb Conjugations

Welcome! 

About Laura K. Lawless

FAQ

French Essentials

French for Beginners

French for Travelers

Independent Study

Lessons by Level

Online Learning Tips

Privacy Policy

Relearning French

Subscribe to Lawless French

Lawless French (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/) » Grammar Lessons (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/)

Faire – to do, to make

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 1/7
 3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

Make Do with a French Verb

(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/wp-content/uploads/faire-lesson.png)

Share / Tweet / Pin Me! (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/wp-content/uploads/faire-expressions.png)

Faire is one of the most common and useful French verbs and has irregular conjugations in just about every tense and mood. Faire literally means "to do" or
"to make," but it’s also found in many idiomatic expressions and is the key to the causative construction (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-
causative/).

Faire = to do / to make
Faire can mean either "to do" or "to make." For English speakers learning French, this is easy: you can use faire for either. For French speakers learning
English, however, it’s much more difficult.*

Par exemple…

Je fais la vaisselle.   I’m doing the dishes.

Que faites-vous dans la vie ?   What do you do for a living?

Je fais le lit.   I’m making the bed.

Que fais-tu pour le déjeuner ?   What are you making for lunch?

  Two exceptions

1. "Make" with an adjective (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjectives/) is equivalent to rendre, not faire: That makes me sad = Ça me rend
triste, not Ça me fait triste. More about this in a future lesson.

2. "Make a decision" = prendre une décision, not faire une décision.

Faire = to be
Faire is equivalent to "to be" in two domains:

1) Weather (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/weather/)

Il fait chaud.   It’s hot (out).

Il fait 30 degrés.   It’s 30 degrees Celsius.

2) Math

Un et un font deux.   One plus one is two.

Trois fois quatre font douze.   Three times four is twelve.

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 2/7
 3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

Faire = to sport
With the names of sports and other activities, faire is equivalent to the verb for that activity in English.

Par exemple…

Il fait du cyclisme.   He bikes.

J’aime faire de la randonnée.   I like hiking.

Faites-vous de l’autostop ?   Do you hitchhike?

Faire = to have done, make happen

Faire plus the infinitive (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/infinitive/) is the causative construction (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-
causative/): to have/make (someone) do (something).

Par exemple…

Je fais tondre le gazon.   I’m having the lawn mowed.

Il m’a fait pleurer.   He made me cry.

Faire in idiomatic expressions

Faire is found in dozens of idiomatic expressions (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-expressions/); here are just a few:

ça ne fait rien (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/ca-ne-fait-rien/) (informal) – never mind, it doesn’t matter

faire du lard (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-du-lard/) (familiar) – to laze around

faire d’une pierre deux coups (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-dune-pierre-deux-coups/) – to kill two birds with one stone

faire exprès – to do something on purpose

faire la tête (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-la-tete/) – to sulk

faire l’école buissonnière (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-lecole-buissonniere/) – to play hooky

faire le pont (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-le-pont/) – to make a long weekend

faire parti de – to be part of

faire un temps de Toussaint (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-un-temps-de-toussaint/) – to be cold and gloomy

Faire in action
Does il se fait que need the subjunctive? (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/subjunctivisor/il-se-fait/)

Faire + infinitive (causative construction) (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-causative/)

 Related lessons
Faire conjugations (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/verb-conjugations/faire/)

Expressions with faire (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/faire-expressions/)

Adjectives (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjectives/)

Weather (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/weather/)

Top 10 irregular verbs (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/top-10-verbs/)

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 3/7
 3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

Introduction to verbs (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/introduction-to-verbs/)

 

(https://www.lawlessspanish.com) En español
Hacer (https://www.lawlessspanish.com/grammar/verbs/hacer-lesson/)
 

* Difference between "do" and "make" (https://www.vocabulary.cl/Intermediate/Do_Make.htm)

 Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/wp-content/uploads/faire-
lesson.png)

Think you've mastered 'Faire - to do, to make'? Test yourself now...

1 of 6 Je

select ...

la lessive. (I do the laundry.)

Conjugate "faire" (to do) in Le Présent

NEXT »

French proficiency test (https://progress.lawlessfrench.com#2-testmy-french) by

Share:

 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/?share=facebook&nb=1)
 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/?share=pinterest&nb=1)
21

 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/?share=reddit&nb=1)
(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/?share=twitter&nb=1)

 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/?share=jetpack-whatsapp&nb=1)
 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/?share=email&nb=1)  More

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 4/7
 3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

  Lawless French Files:   A1 French Lessons and Practice - Beginning French (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/a1/) verbs (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/verbs/)

Stay up to date with Lawless French

(https://twitter.com/LawlessFrench) (https://www.facebook.com/LawlessFrench) (https://www.quora.com/q/vngsqhnexrjjxfqf)

(https://www.instagram.com/lawlessfrench/) (https://www.pinterest.com/lklawless/boards/) (https://www.youtube.com/c/LawlessFrench)

(https://feeds.feedblitz.com/LawlessFrench) (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/learn-french/subscribe-to-lawless-french/)

 PREVIOUS NEXT 
le supplice (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/mot-du-jour/supplice/) givré (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/mot-du-jour/givre/)

       

Any Questions? Support Lawless French

  This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.

 Get help on the forum (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/bonjour/). If you love it, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation
   (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/support-lawless-french/).
 
Your support is entirely optional but tremendously appreciated.

More Lawless French

 Subscribe (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/learn-french/subscribe-to-
lawless-french/) to my twice-weekly newsletter.

1 R ES P O N S E

JOHN HUR
30 April 2018 / 15:32

Regarding “faire” translated as “to be” in math, even in English, we sometimes say “one and one makes two,” so translating “faire” as “make” for math still makes sense.

 Log in to Reply (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lawlessfrench.com%2Fgrammar%2Ffaire-lesson%2F)

You must log in (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lawlessfrench.com%2Fgrammar%2Ffaire-

lesson%2F%23respond) to post a comment.

S E A R C H L AW L ES S F R E N C H

Search … 

P R I N T * S U B S C R I B E * FO L LOW

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 5/7
 3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/learn-french/subscribe-to-lawless-french/) (https://feeds.feedblitz.com/LawlessFrench)

(https://www.youtube.com/c/LawlessFrench) (https://www.pinterest.com/lklawless/boards/) (https://twitter.com/LawlessFrench)

(https://www.facebook.com/LawlessFrench) (https://www.quora.com/q/lawlessfrench) (https://www.instagram.com/lawlessfrench/)

FRENCH VERBS

Most common verbs

aller être (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/etre- savoir

(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/aller- lesson/) (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/savoir-
lesson/) faire (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire- lesson/)
avoir lesson/) tenir
(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/avoir- falloir (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/falloir- (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/tenir-
lesson/) lesson/) lesson/)
croire manquer vivre
(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/croire- (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/manquer- (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/habiter
lesson/) lesson/) vivre/)
devoir pouvoir voir (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/vo
(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/devoir- (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/pouvoir- lesson/)
lesson/) lesson/) vouloir
dire (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/dire- (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/vouloir
lesson/) lesson/)

Verb lessons and tools

Conjugation lessons (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/conjugation-lessons/)
Conjugation tables (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/conjugation-tables/)
Verb tenses, moods, and voices (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/tenses-moods-voices/)
Verb timeline (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/verb-timeline/)

L ES S O N S A N D E X E R C I S ES

Grammar (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/)   Listening (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/listening/)

Pronunciation (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/pronunciation/) Reading (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/reading/)

Quizzes/Tests (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/quizzes-and-tests/) Speaking (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/speaking/)

Vocabulary (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/) Writing (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/writing/)

L ES S O N S BY L E V E L

A1 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/a1/) | A2 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/a2/) | B1 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/b1/) | B2

(https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/b2/) | C1 (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/tag/c1/)    What’s my level? (https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/)

COUPS DE CŒUR

Subjunctive (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/subjunctive/)
French for Beginners (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/learn-french/french-for-beginners/)
Passé composé vs Imparfait (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/passe-compose-vs-imparfait/)

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 6/7
 3/6/2020 Faire - Do, Make - Essential French Verb - Lawless French Grammar

Telling Time (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/telling-time/)

Demonstrative Adjectives (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/demonstrative-adjectives/)
Encore vs Toujours (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/encore-vs-toujours/)
Que and Qui - Relative Pronouns (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/relative-pronouns-que-qui/)
Avoir (to have) - Verb Tables (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/verb-conjugations/avoir/)

© 2020 Lawless French. All rights reserved.     Privacy Policy (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/privacy-policy/)

Created by Laura K. Lawless (https://www.lawlessfrench.com/welcome/about-lkl/)
Hosted by PeoplesHost (https://www.peopleshost.com/#a_aid=lklawless)   Cassie (http://www.themememe.com/cassie) by ThemeMeme

(https://malcare.com?
src=DB311D&utm_source=mcbadge&utm_medium=usersite&utm_campaign=badge)

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/faire-lesson/ 7/7