Learn French: Je fais attention dans la rue. - I am careful in the street.

Je fais attention dans la rue.

I am careful in the street.

Breakdown of Je fais attention dans la rue.

to pay attention, to be careful

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Questions & Answers about Je fais attention dans la rue.

Why does the French sentence use fais (make/do) instead of a word for 'am' or 'paying'?

In French, you don't 'pay' attention or 'be' careful. Instead, you 'make' attention using the verb faire (to do/make). The phrase faire attention is the standard way to say 'to be careful' or 'to pay attention'.

Since we are learning pouvoir (can), how would I change this to say 'I can be careful in the street'?

You use the conjugated form of pouvoir followed by the dictionary form (infinitive) of the action verb. It becomes Je peux faire attention dans la rue. Notice that fais changes back to its infinitive form, faire.

Why use dans (in) here? Shouldn't it be 'on the street'?

English speakers often say 'on the street', but French uses dans (in) because a street is thought of as a three-dimensional space bordered by buildings. You are physically 'inside' the street space: dans la rue.

Does fais follow a regular verb conjugation pattern?

No, faire (to do/make) is a very irregular verb. Here it is conjugated for the je (I) form as je fais. Because it is used in dozens of everyday expressions like faire attention, its forms simply have to be memorized!