Question 1

Why does it translate to "he got trapped" when faire means "to make" or "to do"?

Accepted Answer

The construction se faire followed by an infinitive (like piéger) is used to express that something happened to the subject. While it looks literally like "he made himself trap," it is the standard French way to express the passive idea of "getting" something done to you. It is very common for negative events, like getting tricked, caught, or hurt.

Question 2

Could I use the regular passive voice and say Il a été piégé instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes, il a été piégé (he was trapped) is grammatically correct and means the same thing. However, using se faire + infinitive is the most natural way in everyday spoken French to translate "he got trapped", especially for an action where you are the victim of someone or something else.

Question 3

If this sentence were about a woman, would fait agree with the subject and become elle s'est faite piéger?

Accepted Answer

No, it stays exactly the same: elle s'est fait piéger. There is a special rule in French grammar that the past participle fait never changes its spelling to agree with the subject or object when it is immediately followed by an infinitive verb.

Question 4

Is the word arnaque considered slang?

Accepted Answer

It is informal, but extremely common in everyday conversation and even in the media. It translates perfectly to "scam" or "rip-off" in English. You can also use it as a verb: arnaquer (to scam someone).

Il s'est fait piéger par cette arnaque.

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