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### The Verb "faire" (To do / To make)

The verb **faire** is one of the most common and versatile verbs in French, meaning "to do," "to make," or even "to play." It is highly irregular in the present tense:

| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| je | fais |
| tu | fais |
| il / elle / on | fait |
| nous | faisons |
| vous | faites |
| ils / elles | font |

Notice that **vous faites** does not end in *-ez*, and **ils/elles font** ends in *-ont*.

Use **faire** for many everyday activities, including household chores like **le ménage** (housework):

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### Daily Chores and Errands

**Faire** pairs with specific nouns for other common chores, like **la vaisselle** (the dishes) and **la lessive** (the laundry):

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To talk about running errands or grocery shopping, use **les courses** (or **des courses** for general errands):

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### Work, Sports, and Naps

**Faire** is also used for schoolwork, hobbies, and resting. Use **un devoir** for a homework assignment:

{{item:864655}}

For playing sports or exercising, use **faire du sport**:

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In French, you don't take a nap, you "do" a nap (**faire une sieste**):

{{item:864663}}

### Making Things

Because **faire** also means "to make," use it for creating things like **un gâteau** (a cake) or making noise (**le bruit**). It's also the verb used for gardening (**faire le jardin**):

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The verb to do/make (faire)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and elision (le, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, une)

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Knowing facts vs. familiarity (savoir, connaître)

Question	Answer
the housework / the cleaning	le ménage
to do the housework	faire le ménage
I often do the housework.	Je fais souvent le ménage.
Does he do the housework on the weekend?	Est-ce qu'il fait le ménage le week-end ?
the dishes / the washing up	la vaisselle
to do the dishes	faire la vaisselle
We are doing the dishes together.	Nous faisons la vaisselle ensemble.
You don't do the dishes.	Tu ne fais pas la vaisselle.
the laundry	la lessive
She is doing the laundry tonight.	Elle fait la lessive ce soir.
Who does the laundry at home?	Qui fait la lessive à la maison ?
the errand (les courses = shopping)	la course
to do the shopping	faire les courses
You do the shopping at the supermarket.	Vous faites les courses au supermarché.
They are running errands in town.	Ils font des courses en ville.
the duty / the assignment / the homework	le devoir
The students are doing a difficult assignment.	Les étudiants font un devoir difficile.
I am doing an important assignment.	Je fais un devoir important.
some (partitive, masculine)	du
the sport / the exercise	le sport
to do sport, to exercise	faire du sport
Do you play sports?	Est-ce que tu fais du sport ?
We play sports in the park.	Nous faisons du sport dans le parc.
the nap	la sieste
You always take a nap on the weekend.	Vous faites toujours une sieste le week-end.
The baby is taking a short nap.	Le bébé fait une petite sieste.
the cake	le gâteau
She is making a cake for the party.	Elle fait un gâteau pour la fête.
We are making an apple cake.	Nous faisons un gâteau aux pommes.
the garden (faire le jardin = to garden)	le jardin
My grandfather does the gardening.	Mon grand-père fait le jardin.
They are gardening behind the house.	Ils font le jardin derrière la maison.
the noise	le bruit
The dog makes a lot of noise.	Le chien fait beaucoup de bruit.
The boys are making noise here.	Les garçons font du bruit ici.
the weather is nice	il fait beau
I do the shopping at the market.	Je fais les courses au marché.
We do the shopping on the weekend.	Nous faisons les courses le week-end.
The weather is nice, we are going to the park.	Il fait beau, nous allons au parc.
The weather is nice in Rome.	Il fait beau à Rome.
it is hot (weather)	il fait chaud
It is hot in the car.	Il fait chaud dans la voiture.
It is hot, I am going to the swimming pool.	Il fait chaud, je vais à la piscine.
it is cold (weather)	il fait froid
It is cold in the garden.	Il fait froid dans le jardin.
It is very cold in France.	Il fait très froid en France.
to queue, to stand in line	faire la queue
We are queuing at the bakery.	Nous faisons la queue à la boulangerie.
I am queuing at the supermarket.	Je fais la queue au supermarché.
to make progress	faire des progrès
You are making progress in French.	Tu fais des progrès en français.
She is making progress with the teacher.	Elle fait des progrès avec le professeur.
to party	faire la fête
We are partying tonight.	Nous faisons la fête ce soir.
They are partying in the garden.	Ils font la fête dans le jardin.

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