Faire is the verb to do and to make — but those translations capture only a fraction of what it does in French. Faire is one of the most semantically overloaded verbs in the language: it powers weather expressions (il fait chaud, il fait beau), measures and durations (ça fait trois kilomètres, ça fait deux ans qu'il habite ici), the causative construction (je fais réparer ma voiture — I'm having my car fixed), sports and activities (faire du sport, faire du tennis), and dozens of fixed idioms (faire la cuisine, faire les courses, faire attention, faire semblant).
This page is the verb-reference entry: every paradigm, every compound tense, the major uses with examples, and the idioms. Use it as a lookup. The detail pages cover individual topics in depth.
The simple tenses
These are the tenses formed without an auxiliary — the basic conjugational paradigms. Faire is wildly irregular: its conjugations split across multiple stems (fai-, fais-, fass-, fer-, fi-) and contain a famously irregular vous form (vous faites — one of only three French verbs with a vous form ending in -tes).
Présent de l'indicatif
The present indicative. The plural forms have a notorious pronunciation trap on the nous form.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | fais | /fɛ/ |
| tu | fais | /fɛ/ |
| il / elle / on | fait | /fɛ/ |
| nous | faisons | /fəzɔ̃/ |
| vous | faites | /fɛt/ |
| ils / elles | font | /fɔ̃/ |
Two famous traps in this paradigm:
- Nous faisons is pronounced /fəzɔ̃/, not /fɛzɔ̃/. The spelling ai would normally produce /ɛ/, but in this single verb (and its derivatives — défaire, refaire, satisfaire, etc.) the ai in fais- is pronounced as a schwa /ə/ whenever the fais- is unstressed. So nous faisons sounds like /fə-zɔ̃/. The same applies throughout the imparfait: je faisais /fəzɛ/, nous faisions /fəzjɔ̃/, etc.
- Vous faites, not faisez. Three French verbs do not take the regular -ez ending in the vous form: vous êtes, vous dites, vous faites. All three are extremely high-frequency and must be memorized.
The 3pl font belongs to the same -ont set as ont, sont, vont.
Qu'est-ce que tu fais ce soir ?
What are you doing tonight?
Vous faites une erreur, je vous assure.
You're making a mistake, I assure you.
Imparfait
Built on the stem fais- (from nous faisons), pronounced with the schwa /fəz-/ throughout, plus the regular imparfait endings.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | faisais | /fəzɛ/ |
| tu | faisais | /fəzɛ/ |
| il / elle / on | faisait | /fəzɛ/ |
| nous | faisions | /fəzjɔ̃/ |
| vous | faisiez | /fəzje/ |
| ils / elles | faisaient | /fəzɛ/ |
The pronunciation /fəz-/ is consistent across the entire imparfait, the present participle (faisant /fəzɑ̃/), and the nous form of the present (nous faisons /fəzɔ̃/). This irregular pronunciation is one of the most famous gotchas in French and a common shibboleth — saying /fɛzɔ̃/ instantly marks a learner.
Quand j'étais petit, on faisait souvent des pique-niques au bord de la Loire.
When I was little, we often used to have picnics by the Loire.
Tu faisais quoi quand je t'ai appelé ?
What were you doing when I called you?
Passé simple (literary)
Stem fi-. The endings are the irregular pattern shared by other irregular verbs (je fis, tu fis, il fit, nous fîmes, vous fîtes, ils firent). Used in literary writing and historical narration; absent from speech.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | fis |
| tu | fis |
| il / elle / on | fit |
| nous | fîmes |
| vous | fîtes |
| ils / elles | firent |
The circumflex on fîmes and fîtes is obligatory and historically marks a lost -s- (the same -s- you can still see in the Latin ancestor fec-i-stis). It is a writing-system relic — silent in pronunciation but mandatory in spelling.
Il fit signe au serveur de leur apporter l'addition.
He motioned to the waiter to bring them the bill. (literary)
Nous fîmes ensuite le tour du jardin avant de rentrer.
We then took a turn around the garden before going inside. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem fer- (irregular — does not derive from the infinitive). Endings are the regular futur endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ferai |
| tu | feras |
| il / elle / on | fera |
| nous | ferons |
| vous | ferez |
| ils / elles | feront |
The fer- stem is the same one that underlies the conditionnel. Both forms are pronounced with /fəʁ-/ in casual speech (je ferai /ʒə fʁe/ or /ʒə fəʁe/) — the e is famously elidable in fast French.
On fera ça demain matin, d'accord ?
We'll do that tomorrow morning, okay?
Conditionnel présent
Same fer- stem as the futur, with the imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ferais |
| tu | ferais |
| il / elle / on | ferait |
| nous | ferions |
| vous | feriez |
| ils / elles | feraient |
À ta place, je ferais autrement.
If I were you, I'd do it differently.
Tu ferais bien de te reposer un peu.
You'd do well to rest a little.
Subjonctif présent
Stem fass- — completely irregular and unrelated to any indicative form. The subjunctive of faire is one of the most-used subjunctives in French, because it appears constantly with il faut que (il faut que tu fasses…).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) je | fasse |
| (que) tu | fasses |
| (qu')il / elle / on | fasse |
| (que) nous | fassions |
| (que) vous | fassiez |
| (qu')ils / elles | fassent |
Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs avant de sortir.
You have to do your homework before going out.
Je veux qu'on fasse les choses bien cette fois.
I want us to do things properly this time.
Impératif
Three forms, taken from the indicative present. Note that the vous form is faites, like the indicative.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | fais |
| (nous) | faisons |
| (vous) | faites |
Fais attention à la marche.
Watch the step.
Faites comme chez vous.
Make yourselves at home.
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: fait (agrees with preceding direct object when avoir is auxiliary)
- Participe présent: faisant (pronounced /fəzɑ̃/)
- Gérondif: en faisant
En faisant la queue, j'ai eu le temps de finir mon livre.
While standing in line, I had time to finish my book.
Faisant preuve de patience, elle a fini par convaincre tout le monde.
Showing patience, she eventually convinced everyone.
A subtle agreement rule: when fait is followed by an infinitive (the causative faire faire construction), the participle is invariable — it does not agree even when there is a preceding direct object. Les robes que je me suis fait coudre (the dresses I had sewn for myself) — fait stays singular masculine. This was officially formalized by the Académie française in 1990.
The compound tenses
Faire uses avoir as its auxiliary in compound tenses.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + fait
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | ai fait | I did / I've done |
| tu | as fait | you did |
| il / elle / on | a fait | he/she/we did |
| nous | avons fait | we did |
| vous | avez fait | you did |
| ils / elles | ont fait | they did |
J'ai fait une tarte aux pommes hier soir.
I made an apple tart last night.
On a fait le tour du quartier après le déjeuner.
We went around the neighborhood after lunch.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + fait
J'avais fait toutes les courses avant qu'il ne rentre.
I'd done all the shopping before he got home.
Futur antérieur
avoir (futur) + fait
Quand tu reviendras, j'aurai fait le ménage.
When you come back, I'll have done the cleaning.
Conditionnel passé
avoir (conditionnel) + fait
Subjonctif passé
avoir (subjonctif) + fait
Je suis content que tu aies fait connaissance avec mes parents.
I'm glad you got to meet my parents.
The five core uses
1. To do / to make: the literal meaning
The most general use. Faire corresponds to both English do and make, with no distinction in French.
Qu'est-ce que tu fais comme métier ?
What do you do for a living?
J'ai fait un gâteau pour son anniversaire.
I made a cake for her birthday.
On a beaucoup de choses à faire ce week-end.
We have a lot of things to do this weekend.
2. Weather: il fait + adjective/noun
French expresses weather with the impersonal il fait + adjective or noun. The subject il is a dummy subject — like English it in "it's raining."
| French | English |
|---|---|
| il fait beau | the weather is nice |
| il fait mauvais | the weather is bad |
| il fait chaud | it's hot |
| il fait froid | it's cold |
| il fait frais | it's cool |
| il fait doux | it's mild |
| il fait jour / nuit | it's daytime / nighttime |
| il fait du soleil / du vent / du brouillard | it's sunny / windy / foggy |
Il fait beau ce matin, on en profite ?
The weather's nice this morning, shall we make the most of it?
Il faisait un froid de canard à Paris la semaine dernière.
It was bitterly cold in Paris last week. (literally: a duck-cold)
Il a fait très chaud cet été.
It was very hot this summer.
A critical contrast for English speakers: il fait chaud = "it's hot (the weather)," but j'ai chaud = "I'm hot (I personally feel hot)." Different subjects, different verbs. Je suis chaud is wrong for both — and in colloquial register can be heard as a sexual remark.
3. Causative: faire + infinitive
Faire + infinitive expresses causing someone (or something) to do something. The construction has no clean English single-word equivalent — English uses "have," "make," "get," or "cause to" depending on context.
Je vais faire réparer ma voiture cette semaine.
I'm going to have my car fixed this week.
Cette chanson me fait toujours pleurer.
That song always makes me cry.
Le médecin a fait sortir tout le monde de la chambre.
The doctor had everyone leave the room.
The causative faire faire is one of French's most distinctive constructions — it is treated in detail on the faire-causative page. The key takeaway here: faire + bare infinitive (no preposition between them).
4. Distance and duration: ça fait + measure
Faire serves as a measuring verb for distances, areas, weights, prices, and (with que) durations.
Ça fait combien, en tout ?
How much is it, in total?
Le trajet fait à peu près trois cents kilomètres.
The trip is about three hundred kilometers.
Ça fait deux ans qu'il habite à Berlin.
He's been living in Berlin for two years.
The ça fait + duration + que construction is a major idiom for ongoing situations — equivalent to English "for X time" + present perfect.
5. Activities: faire du / de la / des + activity
For sports, hobbies, school subjects, and many domestic activities, French uses faire + a partitive article (du, de la, des) + the activity.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| faire du sport | to do sports / exercise |
| faire du tennis / du foot / du vélo | to play tennis / football / cycle |
| faire de la natation / de la danse | to swim / dance (regularly) |
| faire de la musique / du piano | to play music / piano |
| faire des maths / du français | to study math / French |
| faire la cuisine | to cook (the cooking) |
| faire le ménage | to do the cleaning |
| faire les courses | to do the shopping |
| faire la vaisselle / la lessive | to do the dishes / laundry |
Je fais du yoga deux fois par semaine.
I do yoga twice a week.
Tu peux faire la vaisselle pendant que je fais les courses ?
Can you do the dishes while I do the shopping?
The pattern faire du/de la + activity is hugely productive. New activities slot in naturally: faire du skate, faire du surf, faire du yoga. Note the contrast with jouer, which is used for instrument-playing in performance contexts (jouer du piano — playing piano on stage) and for ball sports played in matches (jouer au foot — play football, with à). For amateur or habitual practice, faire is the default.
High-frequency faire idioms
- faire attention (à) — to pay attention / be careful (fais attention !)
- faire mal (à) — to hurt (ça me fait mal; il m'a fait mal)
- faire peur (à) — to scare (tu m'as fait peur !)
- faire plaisir (à) — to please (ça me fait plaisir)
- faire semblant (de) — to pretend (il fait semblant de dormir)
- faire la queue — to stand in line
- faire la grasse matinée — to sleep in / have a lie-in
- faire confiance (à) — to trust (je te fais confiance)
- faire connaissance (avec) — to meet / get acquainted
- faire le plein — to fill up (gas/petrol)
- s'en faire — to worry (ne t'en fais pas — don't worry)
- se faire à — to get used to (je me suis fait à mon nouveau boulot)
- faire la tête — to sulk
- faire exprès (de) — to do on purpose (je l'ai pas fait exprès)
Ne t'en fais pas, ça va s'arranger.
Don't worry, it'll work out.
Tu m'as fait peur ! Je ne t'ai pas entendu rentrer.
You scared me! I didn't hear you come in.
J'ai fait la grasse matinée jusqu'à onze heures.
I slept in until eleven.
Comparison with English
Three friction points dominate:
- One verb for do and make. English distinguishes do my homework / make a cake; French uses faire for both (faire mes devoirs, faire un gâteau). The distinction simply is not encoded in French.
- Weather uses faire, not être. Il fait chaud (it's hot) — never il est chaud for weather. And critically, il fait chaud (weather) ≠ j'ai chaud (personal sensation) ≠ je suis chaud (rude/wrong).
- The causative construction is unique. Faire
- infinitive ("make/have someone do") has no clean English equivalent — English uses several different verbs depending on context.
The activity idioms also do not transfer: French faire du sport is "to exercise," not literally "to make some sport." Memorize the faire + partitive pattern as a fixed activity-idiom template.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Pronouncing nous faisons with /ɛ/ instead of /ə/.
❌ /fɛzɔ̃/ for nous faisons
Wrong — the ai in unstressed fais- is pronounced /ə/, not /ɛ/. Say /fəzɔ̃/.
✅ /fəzɔ̃/ for nous faisons
Correct pronunciation.
Mistake 2: Saying vous faisez instead of vous faites.
❌ Vous faisez du sport ?
Wrong — faire is one of three verbs with irregular vous form ending in -tes.
✅ Vous faites du sport ?
Do you exercise?
Mistake 3: Using être for weather.
❌ Il est chaud aujourd'hui.
Wrong — weather uses the impersonal il fait.
✅ Il fait chaud aujourd'hui.
It's hot today.
Mistake 4: Confusing personal sensation with weather.
❌ Je fais chaud.
Wrong — personal sensations use avoir: j'ai chaud.
✅ J'ai chaud, peux-tu ouvrir la fenêtre ?
I'm hot, can you open the window?
Mistake 5: Inserting a preposition in the causative.
❌ Je fais à réparer ma voiture.
Wrong — causative faire takes a bare infinitive, no preposition.
✅ Je fais réparer ma voiture.
I'm having my car fixed.
Key takeaways
Faire is the verb to do and to make — and roughly twenty other things. It powers weather (il fait chaud, il fait beau), the causative construction (faire faire — have someone do), distance and duration measurements (ça fait trois kilomètres, ça fait deux ans que…), and activity idioms (faire du sport, faire la cuisine, faire les courses).
The simple-tense paradigms split across multiple stems: present fai-/fais-/font, futur fer-, subjunctive fass-, passé simple fi-. Two famous traps: nous faisons is pronounced /fəzɔ̃/ (the ai is /ə/, not /ɛ/), and vous faites is one of only three verbs with an irregular -tes vous ending (alongside vous êtes and vous dites).
In compound tenses, faire takes avoir as auxiliary: j'ai fait, j'avais fait. The participle fait normally agrees with a preceding direct object, but stays invariable when followed by an infinitive in the causative construction.
Memorize the paradigms cold; reread the activity-idiom list; use the page as a lookup. Faire is a verb you cannot avoid — and it is the engine of an enormous number of fixed expressions that have no clean English equivalent.
Related Topics
- Être: Full Verb ReferenceA1 — Être is the most frequent verb in French — the copula, the auxiliary for compound tenses with motion verbs and reflexives, and the verb behind the passive. This page is the full reference: every paradigm, every compound tense, the core uses, and the idioms you must know.
- Avoir: Full Verb ReferenceA1 — Avoir is the second-most-frequent verb in French — the verb of possession, the auxiliary for the majority of compound tenses, and the engine behind a vast set of fixed sensation idioms (j'ai faim, j'ai chaud, j'ai 25 ans). This page is the full reference: every paradigm, every compound tense, the core uses, and the idioms.
- Le Causatif avec FaireB1 — The causative faire + infinitive lets one verb express English 'have someone do,' 'make someone do,' and 'get something done.' Master the agent marking with à and par, the rigid pronoun ordering, and the invariable past participle.
- Weather Verbs and ExpressionsA1 — How French talks about the weather. The dummy 'il' as subject (il pleut, il neige), three structural patterns (bare verb, faire + adjective, il y a + noun), the highly defective verb pleuvoir (only il-forms exist), and the spelling trap of geler (il gèle, with grave è before silent e). English speakers also need to unlearn the progressive: French has no 'it is raining' vs 'it rains' distinction — il pleut covers both.
- Expressions avec FaireB1 — The dozens of fixed expressions French builds with faire — chores, sports, weather, abstract effort, and idiomatic se faire — explained with cultural context and the article rules that govern them.
- Le Passé Composé: OverviewA1 — The passé composé is French's main spoken past tense — used for completed past events, formed with avoir or être plus a past participle. It does the work that English splits between simple past (I ate) and present perfect (I have eaten).