Ne faites pas de bêtises avec votre frère !

Questions & Answers about Ne faites pas de bêtises avec votre frère !

Why is it de bêtises instead of des bêtises if it's plural?
In French, the plural article des changes to de when it comes directly after a negative verb. If you were telling them to do silly things, you would say Faites des bêtises !, but since it's a negative command (ne ... pas), the des becomes de.
The lesson is about reflexive verbs. Is faire reflexive here?
No, it isn't. Faire is just a standard verb here. If you were using a reflexive verb like se disputer (to argue), you would see a reflexive pronoun tucked between the ne and the verb, like this: Ne vous disputez pas ! (Don't argue!).
What exactly is a bêtise?
Une bêtise is a silly thing, a stupid mistake, or a piece of nonsense. The phrase faire des bêtises is a very common expression (especially used with children) that means to misbehave or to do silly things.
Why is the verb spelled faites instead of faisez?
Faire (to do/make) is a highly irregular verb. Its vous form is vous faites, which breaks the usual -ez rule. When giving a command to a group (or someone you address as vous), you use this exact same irregular form.

Learn Ne faites pas de bêtises avec votre frère and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free