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Breakdown of Je fais venir Paul ce soir pour réparer l'ordinateur.
je
I
Paul
Paul
l'ordinateur
the computer
pour
in order to
réparer
to repair
ce soir
tonight
faire venir
to have someone come
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).
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Questions & Answers about Je fais venir Paul ce soir pour réparer l'ordinateur.
What does the structure faire + infinitive (as in faire venir) mean?
It’s the French causative. Je fais venir Paul means “I have/get Paul to come” (I arrange for him to come). The subject causes someone else to perform the action of the infinitive.
Is Je fais venir Paul the same as J’invite Paul or J’appelle Paul?
Not exactly.
- J’invite Paul = I’m inviting him (socially).
- J’appelle Paul = I’m calling him (by phone) or calling out to him.
- Je fais venir Paul = I’m arranging for him to come (often for a practical purpose like a repair). It’s neutral and practical.
Why is it Je fais venir Paul, not Je fais Paul venir?
With this causative, the idiomatic order is faire + infinitive + person/thing: Je fais venir Paul. The variant Je fais Paul venir is not natural in modern French. With a pronoun: Je le fais venir.
Where can I put ce soir?
Natural options:
- Je fais venir Paul ce soir…
- Ce soir, je fais venir Paul… Avoid unusual splits like Je fais ce soir venir Paul; they sound clunky.
Who is understood to repair the computer here?
Paul. In Je fais venir Paul … pour réparer l’ordinateur, the infinitive of purpose (pour réparer) is understood to have Paul as its subject (object-control).
Could I say pour qu’il répare l’ordinateur instead of pour réparer l’ordinateur?
Yes. Both are correct, with a nuance:
- … pour réparer l’ordinateur. (infinitive; shorter; the subject is implicitly Paul)
- … pour qu’il répare l’ordinateur. (finite clause with subjunctive répare; makes the subject explicit) More formal alternative: afin qu’il répare…
If I replace l’ordinateur with a pronoun, where does it go?
It goes before the infinitive: … pour le réparer. Full sentence: Je fais venir Paul ce soir pour le réparer.
How would I say “I’m having the computer repaired by Paul” more directly?
Use the other causative pattern: Je fais réparer l’ordinateur par Paul ce soir.
- Focuses on the repair of the computer.
- par Paul marks the agent clearly. (You’ll also hear colloquial à Paul; see below.)
How do pronouns work with this causative?
- Replacing Paul (the person you cause to act): Je le fais venir.
- Replacing the thing being repaired: Je la fais réparer.
- With both: Je la lui fais réparer. (la = the computer; lui = Paul). Note the order: direct object pronouns (le/la/les) precede indirect (lui/leur), and both go before fais.
How do I put this in the past, and does fait agree?
Past: J’ai fait venir Paul; Je l’ai fait venir. With direct-object plurals: Je les ai fait venir. Important: in the causative, the past participle fait is invariable—no agreement.
Is à ever used instead of par to mark the agent with the causative?
In everyday speech you’ll hear both:
- Standard/neutral: Je fais réparer l’ordinateur par Paul.
- Colloquial: Je fais réparer l’ordinateur à Paul. In formal writing, prefer par to avoid ambiguity.
How do I negate or ask a question with this structure?
- Negation: Je ne fais pas venir Paul ce soir. / Je ne le fais pas venir ce soir.
- Yes/no question: Est-ce que tu fais venir Paul ce soir ? / Fais-tu venir Paul ce soir ?
Does faire venir sound bossy?
Usually no; it’s neutral when you’re arranging a service or visit. It can sound more authoritative if used about someone under your authority. A softer alternative: Je demande à Paul de venir (I’m asking Paul to come).
Do I need to say where Paul is coming to?
Only if it isn’t obvious. Add a place if needed:
- Je fais venir Paul chez moi ce soir.
- Je fais venir Paul au bureau.
Is réparer the best verb for a computer? What about dépanner?
Both are fine.
- réparer = repair/fix (general).
- dépanner = troubleshoot/fix a fault (very common with appliances/computers). Your sentence works perfectly with réparer; dépanner is also idiomatic: … pour dépanner l’ordinateur.
Can I drop pour and say Je fais venir Paul réparer l’ordinateur?
No—use pour. Without pour, it sounds ungrammatical or at best very awkward. French needs pour (or afin de) to mark that purpose here.
What if both Paul and the computer are replaced by masculine pronouns? Isn’t Je le fais venir pour le réparer ambiguous?
It can be. Context usually resolves it, but to avoid confusion keep one noun explicit or rephrase:
- Je le fais venir pour réparer l’ordinateur.
- Je fais venir Paul pour le réparer.
- Or use the other causative: Je fais réparer l’ordinateur par Paul.
How can I talk about the future plan?
French often uses the present with a time expression: Je fais venir Paul ce soir. You can also say:
- Near future: Je vais faire venir Paul ce soir.
- Simple future: Je ferai venir Paul ce soir. (a bit more formal/planned)
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- fais = [fɛ] (like “feh”), the final -s is silent.
- Final consonants in Paul and ce soir are pronounced: [pɔl], [sə swar].
- Elision: l’ordinateur starts with a vowel sound; link smoothly after réparer: … ré-pa-ré l’or-di-na-teur.