faire/fɛʁ/
verb · A1 · Frequency 32
verb
Meanings
to do, to carry out an action or task
Most common use; followed by a noun, an infinitive or a clause: faire un travail, faire ses devoirs, faire la cuisine.
to make, to produce, to create
Emphasises producing or creating something concrete or a work: faire un gâteau, faire un film, faire un dessin.
to say, to state (of a person); to read, to show (of a thing, device, etc.)
Used for what someone says, or what a device/indicator shows: Qu’est-ce qu’ils font dire ?; Le thermomètre fait trente degrés.
to make, to cause someone or something to do or be something
Often with faire + infinitive or faire + adjective/noun: faire rire quelqu’un, faire pleurer un enfant, faire propre.
to act like, to pretend to be
Frequently appears as se faire + noun/adjective, meaning “to pretend, to put on a certain appearance”: se faire gentil, se faire une victime.
(of the weather or a situation) to be, to be like
Used in impersonal expressions: Il fait beau / chaud / froid; Il fait jour / nuit.
to have sex (with someone), to sleep with someone
Colloquial slang, often with faire + object pronoun or noun: Il l’a faite; Ils ont fait ensemble. Can sound crude or flippant; context-sensitive.
to defecate; (colloquial) to be scared stiff, to be scared shitless
Used for “to poop” and in expressions like en faire dans son froc / son pantalon, figuratively “to be scared to death”. Informal, often crude.
Examples
Je dois faire mes devoirs avant de sortir.
I have to do my homework before going out.
Nous aimons faire du pain le dimanche matin.
We like making bread on Sunday mornings.
Le thermomètre doit faire vingt degrés à l'intérieur.
The thermometer should read twenty degrees indoors.
Cette histoire va faire rire les enfants.
This story will make the children laugh.
Collocations
- faire un travailto do a job
- faire un gâteauto make a cake
- faire pleurer un enfantto make a child cry
Common mistakes
Vous faisez vos devoirs.
Vous faites vos devoirs.
The second-person plural present form of faire is the irregular form faites, not the regularized form faisez.
Related words
antonymdéfaireto break, break up, unmake
Grammar note
The verb faire forms compound tenses with either auxiliary avoir or être depending on context; it can be used as a transitive verb or as a pronominal verb, with pronominal forms requiring être as auxiliary.
verb
Meanings
to do, to carry out an action or task
Most common use; followed by a noun, an infinitive or a clause: faire un travail, faire ses devoirs, faire la cuisine.
to make, to produce, to create
Emphasises producing or creating something concrete or a work: faire un gâteau, faire un film, faire un dessin.
to say, to state (of a person); to read, to show (of a thing, device, etc.)
Used for what someone says, or what a device/indicator shows: Qu’est-ce qu’ils font dire ?; Le thermomètre fait trente degrés.
to make, to cause someone or something to do or be something
Often with faire + infinitive or faire + adjective/noun: faire rire quelqu’un, faire pleurer un enfant, faire propre.
to act like, to pretend to be
Frequently appears as se faire + noun/adjective, meaning “to pretend, to put on a certain appearance”: se faire gentil, se faire une victime.
(of the weather or a situation) to be, to be like
Used in impersonal expressions: Il fait beau / chaud / froid; Il fait jour / nuit.
to have sex (with someone), to sleep with someone
Colloquial slang, often with faire + object pronoun or noun: Il l’a faite; Ils ont fait ensemble. Can sound crude or flippant; context-sensitive.
to defecate; (colloquial) to be scared stiff, to be scared shitless
Used for “to poop” and in expressions like en faire dans son froc / son pantalon, figuratively “to be scared to death”. Informal, often crude.
Examples
En faisant ses devoirs, elle écoute de la musique douce.
While doing her homework, she listens to soft music.
En faisant un gâteau, il suit attentivement la recette.
While making a cake, he follows the recipe carefully.
En faisant remarquer son erreur, elle reste très polie.
While pointing out his mistake, she remains very polite.
En faisant rire les enfants, le clown détend toute la salle.
By making the children laugh, the clown relaxes the whole room.
Grammar note
The verb faire forms compound tenses with either auxiliary avoir or être depending on context; it can be used as a transitive verb or as a pronominal verb, with pronominal forms requiring être as auxiliary.
verb
Meanings
to do, to carry out an action or task
Most common use; followed by a noun, an infinitive or a clause: faire un travail, faire ses devoirs, faire la cuisine.
to make, to produce, to create
Emphasises producing or creating something concrete or a work: faire un gâteau, faire un film, faire un dessin.
to say, to state (of a person); to read, to show (of a thing, device, etc.)
Used for what someone says, or what a device/indicator shows: Qu’est-ce qu’ils font dire ?; Le thermomètre fait trente degrés.
to make, to cause someone or something to do or be something
Often with faire + infinitive or faire + adjective/noun: faire rire quelqu’un, faire pleurer un enfant, faire propre.
to act like, to pretend to be
Frequently appears as se faire + noun/adjective, meaning “to pretend, to put on a certain appearance”: se faire gentil, se faire une victime.
(of the weather or a situation) to be, to be like
Used in impersonal expressions: Il fait beau / chaud / froid; Il fait jour / nuit.
to have sex (with someone), to sleep with someone
Colloquial slang, often with faire + object pronoun or noun: Il l’a faite; Ils ont fait ensemble. Can sound crude or flippant; context-sensitive.
to defecate; (colloquial) to be scared stiff, to be scared shitless
Used for “to poop” and in expressions like en faire dans son froc / son pantalon, figuratively “to be scared to death”. Informal, often crude.
Examples
Elle fait ses devoirs avant de dîner.
She does her homework before dinner.
Mon frère fait une maquette en carton pour son projet scolaire.
My brother is making a cardboard model for his school project.
Le compteur fait déjà deux cents kilomètres.
The odometer already reads two hundred kilometres.
Cette musique fait danser les enfants.
This music makes the children dance.
Collocations
- faire un travailto do a job
- faire un gâteauto make a cake
- faire pleurer un enfantto make a child cry
Common mistakes
Vous faisez vos devoirs.
Vous faites vos devoirs.
The second-person plural present form of faire is the irregular form faites, not the regularized form faisez.
Related words
antonymdéfaireto break, break up, unmake
Grammar note
The verb faire forms compound tenses with either auxiliary avoir or être depending on context; it can be used as a transitive verb or as a pronominal verb, with pronominal forms requiring être as auxiliary.
verb
Meanings
to do, to carry out an action or task
Most common use; followed by a noun, an infinitive or a clause: faire un travail, faire ses devoirs, faire la cuisine.
to make, to produce, to create
Emphasises producing or creating something concrete or a work: faire un gâteau, faire un film, faire un dessin.
to say, to state (of a person); to read, to show (of a thing, device, etc.)
Used for what someone says, or what a device/indicator shows: Qu’est-ce qu’ils font dire ?; Le thermomètre fait trente degrés.
to make, to cause someone or something to do or be something
Often with faire + infinitive or faire + adjective/noun: faire rire quelqu’un, faire pleurer un enfant, faire propre.
to act like, to pretend to be
Frequently appears as se faire + noun/adjective, meaning “to pretend, to put on a certain appearance”: se faire gentil, se faire une victime.
(of the weather or a situation) to be, to be like
Used in impersonal expressions: Il fait beau / chaud / froid; Il fait jour / nuit.
to have sex (with someone), to sleep with someone
Colloquial slang, often with faire + object pronoun or noun: Il l’a faite; Ils ont fait ensemble. Can sound crude or flippant; context-sensitive.
to defecate; (colloquial) to be scared stiff, to be scared shitless
Used for “to poop” and in expressions like en faire dans son froc / son pantalon, figuratively “to be scared to death”. Informal, often crude.
Examples
Fais tes devoirs avant de sortir.
Do your homework before going out.
Tu fais du vélo tous les matins avant le travail.
You ride your bike every morning before work.
Tu fais un gâteau pour l'anniversaire de ta sœur.
You are making a cake for your sister's birthday.
Tu fais remarquer que la porte est restée ouverte.
You point out that the door has been left open.
Collocations
- faire un travailto do a job
- faire un gâteauto make a cake
- faire pleurer un enfantto make a child cry
Common mistakes
Vous faisez vos devoirs.
Vous faites vos devoirs.
The second-person plural present form of faire is the irregular form faites, not the regularized form faisez.
Related words
antonymdéfaireto break, break up, unmake
Grammar note
The verb faire forms compound tenses with either auxiliary avoir or être depending on context; it can be used as a transitive verb or as a pronominal verb, with pronominal forms requiring être as auxiliary.
verb
Meanings
to do, to carry out an action or task
Most common use; followed by a noun, an infinitive or a clause: faire un travail, faire ses devoirs, faire la cuisine.
to make, to produce, to create
Emphasises producing or creating something concrete or a work: faire un gâteau, faire un film, faire un dessin.
to say, to state (of a person); to read, to show (of a thing, device, etc.)
Used for what someone says, or what a device/indicator shows: Qu’est-ce qu’ils font dire ?; Le thermomètre fait trente degrés.
to make, to cause someone or something to do or be something
Often with faire + infinitive or faire + adjective/noun: faire rire quelqu’un, faire pleurer un enfant, faire propre.
to act like, to pretend to be
Frequently appears as se faire + noun/adjective, meaning “to pretend, to put on a certain appearance”: se faire gentil, se faire une victime.
(of the weather or a situation) to be, to be like
Used in impersonal expressions: Il fait beau / chaud / froid; Il fait jour / nuit.
to have sex (with someone), to sleep with someone
Colloquial slang, often with faire + object pronoun or noun: Il l’a faite; Ils ont fait ensemble. Can sound crude or flippant; context-sensitive.
to defecate; (colloquial) to be scared stiff, to be scared shitless
Used for “to poop” and in expressions like en faire dans son froc / son pantalon, figuratively “to be scared to death”. Informal, often crude.
Examples
Nous faisons le point sur le projet chaque lundi.
We review the project's progress every Monday.
Nous faisons une pause après deux heures de travail.
We take a break after two hours of work.
Nous faisons du pain maison le dimanche.
We make homemade bread on Sundays.
Nous faisons remarquer que les chiffres ont changé.
We point out that the figures have changed.
Grammar note
The verb faire forms compound tenses with either auxiliary avoir or être depending on context; it can be used as a transitive verb or as a pronominal verb, with pronominal forms requiring être as auxiliary.