Breakdown of Elle fait raccourcir sa jupe chez le tailleur.
elle
she
chez
at the home of / at
faire
to do, to make
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
Questions & Answers about Elle fait raccourcir sa jupe chez le tailleur.
Why do we use "fait" here to mean "having"?
In French, to express that you are causing an action to be done by someone else rather than doing it yourself (like having a skirt shortened), you use the causative construction. This is formed with the conjugated verb faire (to make/do) followed by an infinitive verb, which here is raccourcir (to shorten).
Why is the word order "fait raccourcir sa jupe" and not "fait sa jupe raccourcir"?
In English, we put the object in the middle of the verbs: "having (her skirt) shortened". In French, the faire + infinitive structure acts as a single, inseparable block. You must keep fait and raccourcir right next to each other, and place the object (sa jupe) after both verbs.
Why does it say "chez le tailleur" instead of "au tailleur" for "at the tailor's"?
When you are talking about being at or going to a person's home or a professional's place of business (like a tailor, doctor, or hairdresser), French uses the preposition chez followed by the person. So, chez le tailleur translates perfectly to "at the tailor's (shop)".
Does "elle fait" mean she "is having" it shortened right now, or she "has" it shortened generally?
It can mean either! French doesn't have a separate "-ing" tense (present continuous) like English does. The simple present tense elle fait covers both "she is having" (happening right now) and "she has" (a general habit). You rely on the context to know which is meant.