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Je fais la queue au supermarché.

Je fais la queue au supermarché.
I am queuing at the supermarket.
From Lesson 38:The verb to do/make (faire)·French

Questions & Answers about Je fais la queue au supermarché.

Why is the verb fais used here instead of a specific verb for "queue"?
In French, the verb faire (to do/make) is used in many common expressions where English uses entirely different verbs. The phrase faire la queue is the standard way to say "to wait in line" or "to queue."
What does la queue mean on its own?
It means "the line" of people, but its original literal meaning is "the tail" (like on an animal). When you wait in line in French, you are literally "making the tail"!
The translation says "I am queuing." How do we know it means that instead of "I queue"?
French does not have an "-ing" tense like English does. The present tense Je fais translates to both "I queue" (a habit) and "I am queuing" (happening right now). You just rely on the context to know which one it is.
Why does the sentence use au supermarché instead of à le supermarché?
In French, you can never say à le. When the preposition à (at/to) meets the masculine word le (the), they must combine to form the single word au. Since supermarché is masculine, we say au supermarché.

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