ELONIO
Log inSign up

Marie fait asseoir les invités dans la salle.

Marie fait asseoir les invités dans la salle.
Marie has the guests sit in the room.
FromLesson 23inHardcore French

Breakdown of Marie fait asseoir les invités dans la salle.

Marie
Marie
dans
in
l'invité
the guest
la salle
the room
faire asseoir
to have someone sit

Questions & Answers about Marie fait asseoir les invités dans la salle.

What grammar construction is fait asseoir, and what nuance does it add?
It’s the causative construction faire + infinitif, which means “to have/make someone do something.” Here, Marie fait asseoir les invités = Marie has the guests sit (down). It implies she causes the action (by inviting, telling, guiding), not necessarily that she physically seats them herself.
Why is it asseoir and not s’asseoir after fait?
With the causative, French generally uses the non‑pronominal infinitive when there’s an explicit person you’re making do the action: faire asseoir quelqu’un. So the standard is Marie les fait asseoir. You may hear les fait s’asseoir, but in careful French the version without se is preferred here. (You need se with causatives only when the verb exists essentially in pronominal form, e.g., les faire se dépêcher.)
Could I simply say Marie assoit/assied les invités?
Yes. Both Marie assoit les invités and Marie assied les invités are accepted. They mean “Marie seats the guests” and can suggest a more direct act of seating or assigning seats. Marie fait asseoir… focuses more on having them sit (e.g., by inviting them to take a seat).
How do I replace les invités with a pronoun?
Use les before fait: Marie les fait asseoir (dans la salle). Don’t place the pronoun after fait.
Can I insert the noun between fait and asseoir (e.g., Marie fait les invités asseoir)?
No. A full noun phrase does not go between faire and its infinitive. Either keep the noun after the infinitive (Marie fait asseoir les invités) or replace it with a pronoun before fait (Marie les fait asseoir).
How do I replace dans la salle with a pronoun?

Use y for “in the room”:

  • One replacement: Marie y fait asseoir les invités.
  • Two replacements: Marie les y fait asseoir.
    Pronoun order before a simple verb: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en.
How do I make it negative or form a yes/no question?
How do I say it in the past, and what about agreement?

Use passé composé: Marie a fait asseoir les invités (dans la salle).
With a preceding direct‑object pronoun there’s no agreement on fait in the causative: Elle les a fait asseoir (not faits).

Can I use a passive form like Les invités sont fait asseoir?
That passive is not idiomatic. Say On fait asseoir les invités, or use a polite formula: Les invités sont priés de s’asseoir.
Why dans la salle and not à la salle?
Dans locates something inside a place: dans la salle = “in the room/hall.” À la salle is uncommon unless it’s part of a set phrase like à la salle de sport (“at the gym”). Alternatives depend on the room: au salon, dans le salon, dans la salle à manger, etc.
What’s the difference among salle, pièce, and salon?
  • salle: a room with a function (classroom, hall, dining room), or a hall/venue.
  • pièce: any room (neutral word for a room in a dwelling).
  • salon: living room/lounge.
    Choose based on context: dans le salon (living room), dans la salle (hall/venue/classroom), dans la salle à manger (dining room).
Why the definite article les invités? Could I say des invités or ses invités?
  • les invités: specific, known set of guests.
  • des invités: some/unspecified guests.
  • ses invités: her guests.
    All are grammatically fine; pick the one that matches what you mean.
Any pronunciation tips?
  • fait asseoir is usually pronounced without liaison: roughly “fè a‑swar.”
  • les invités has a liaison: “lé‑zɛ̃‑vi‑té.”
  • dans la salle: “dɑ̃ la sal.”
    Don’t worry if you hear a very careful liaison in fait asseoir; most speakers don’t make one.
Is there a spelling variant for asseoir?
Yes. asseoir and assoir are both accepted spellings. The past participle is assis/assise (e.g., Ils se sont assis).
If all the guests are women, do I have to mark feminine?
As a noun, yes in writing: les invitées. With mixed or unknown gender, les invités is standard.
How would I give a polite instruction?

Use the imperative: Faites asseoir les invités dans la salle, s’il vous plaît.
With pronouns: Faites‑les y asseoir, s’il vous plaît.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“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.).

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning French

Master French — from Marie fait asseoir les invités dans la salle to fluency

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

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning French→