This answer from Cécile includes «Les enfants FONTS des chateaux ...» The 's' on the end of 'font' is incorrect.
The French verb faire means to do or to make.
Here's how to say I do/make - I'm doing/making and you do/make - you're doing/making in French:
Note that the vous form (faites) is different to the je and tu forms (fais).
Remember that in French, to say you, you will use either:
- tu to address one person you know well, i.e. informal and singular
- vous to address one person in a professional context, or that you don't know well, i.e. formal and singular
See Tu and vous are used for three types of you
Here's a link to the full conjugation of faire in Présent indicatif:
Conjugate faire in Le Présent (present tense)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 5 questions, 11 answers
Maarten asked:View original
TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR IN "CORRECT ANSWER"
This answer from Cécile includes «Les enfants FONTS des chateaux ...» The 's' on the end of 'font' is incorrect.
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HalouiKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Can we ??
Can we say nous faisons un gâteau???/
Vous faites un gâteau !!!?
Correct ??
Asked 11 months ago
Haloui asked:View original
Can we ??
Can we say nous faisons un gâteau???/
Vous faites un gâteau !!!?
Correct ??
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TerenceKwiziq community member
When would you use << faire >> as compared to other verbs? For example, "I am making a cake" as compared to "I am baking a cake".
I guess I'm asking whether it's safe to substitute << faire >> for other French verbs that I haven't learnt if in English the verb can be replaced with "doing" or "making".
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Terence,
The verb 'to build' is 'construire' in French .
So you will say, "Les ouvriers sont en train de construire une maison." = The builders are ( in the process of) building a house.
If you are having a house built , you will say "Je fais construire (une maison)".= I am having a house built.
There is a magazine called 'Je fais construire' which is all about house building . The word 'maison' is not mentioned as obvious in French.
If you are building the house yourself you will need to add a little bit and say "Je construis ma ( propre) maison. (I am building my own house.) or, "J'ai construit ma maison (moi-même)."(I have built my own house).
Hope this helps!
Hi Terence,
In this case, I don't think 'faire' is as ubiquitous as it is in English. It is however one of the pillars of French verbs as it is used for other things apart from doing and making, in lots of different expressions and talking about the weather ...
Here are a few examples with different uses of 'faire' :
Je fais beaucoup de fautes en anglais. ( I make a lot of mistakes in English.)
On fait la conversation en espagnol. (We converse in Spanish.)
Les enfants font des chateaux de sable au bord de la mer.
( The children are building sand castles at the seaside.)
In the examples you give, we would say,
`Je prépare le repas, je fais la vaisselle.'
In the case of to do up , just be careful with English phrasal verbs , as in French, we will always use the proper verb , in this case , 'boutonner'.
Hope this is clearer now...
TerenceKwiziq community member
To clarify, if I wanted to say, "I'm building a house", but I didn't know the French word for "building", would it be understandable if I said, << Je fais une maison >>?
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Terence,
I don't believe "Je fais une maison" is the best way to say "I'm building a house". I am not 100% certain myself, but I would use one of the options below:
J'ai construis une maison. -- I am building a house. (If I am really builiding it myself.)
Je me fais construire une maison. -- I am having a house built.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
TerenceKwiziq community member
Thanks Chris and Cécile for your responses. However, my question wasn't really about "building", as that was just an example, and I may have led you down the wrong path, but I do appreciate your responses. My question was more about when I can use the verb << faire >>. I understand it means "make/do" and in English these verbs can be used loosely in numerous situations where there may be more appropriate verbs, but still be accepted and understable. For example, I could say:
"I'm making dinner" vs "I'm cooking dinner"
"I'm doing the dishes" vs "I'm washing the dishes"
"I'm doing up my shirt" vs "I'm buttoning up my shirt"
So my question is.. can << faire >> be used in similar situations as a substitute for more appropriate verbs that I am yet to learn? Of course, once my verb vocabulary increases, I'd learn how to say "draw", "compose", "paint", etc and would use those verbs instead, but for now, whilst in conversation, if I said, << je fais une image >>, or << je fais une chanson >>, would that be understandable?
OliviaKwiziq community member
French is far more specific than English. In fact, we misuse many words like make/do in English. Think of what a more specific word is in English, it’s likely the French word can easily be figured out.
Terence asked:View original
When would you use << faire >> as compared to other verbs? For example, "I am making a cake" as compared to "I am baking a cake".
I guess I'm asking whether it's safe to substitute << faire >> for other French verbs that I haven't learnt if in English the verb can be replaced with "doing" or "making".
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JoakimKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Faire
"Je fais un spectale" is "I'm doing a show". So, what's "I'm creating a show" in French?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Joakim !
To say "I'm creating a show" in the sense of I'm organising it to be played etc, you can use the phrase monter un spectacle: "Je monte un spectacle avec une troupe d'acteurs exceptionnels."
À bientôt !
Joakim asked:View original
Faire
"Je fais un spectale" is "I'm doing a show". So, what's "I'm creating a show" in French?
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LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Angel,
With most French verbs, yes. But faire is irregular - the vous conjugation is faites.
SimranKwiziq community member
Bonjour,
Also with the verb "dire" which is irregular like "faire" the vous conjugation is dites
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