French Grammar: The Verb [FAIRE] – Basics

Posted by on Monday, February 24, 2014 · Leave a Comment 

French Grammar: The Verb [FAIRE] - Basics

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French Grammar: The Verb [FAIRE] – Basics
la grammaire française: le verbe [faire] – les rudiments

The verb FAIRE means to do or to make. (I do, you do, he/she does…, etc.).  It is an irregular verb, but one which is used very often in French.

Study:

The verb FAIRE means to do or to make. (I do, you do, he/she does…, etc. / I make, you make, he/she makes…, etc.).  It is an irregular verb, but one which is used very often in French.

Here are the conjugations of FAIRE in the simple present tense:

Je FAIS

Tu FAIS

Il/Elle/On FAIT

Nous FAISONS

Vous FAITES

Ils/Elles FONT

The verb FAIRE also is used in a variety of idiomatic expressions.

Je FAIS mes devoirs.
I do my homework.

Nous FAISONS un gâteau.
We make a cake.

A form of FAIRE can also be used for weather expressions.  When used in this way, it is only the “Il” form that is used.

Il FAIT froid dehors.
It’s cold outside.

Il FAIT mauvais aujourd’hui.
The weather is bad today.

In spoken French, ÇA FAIT is often used to tell how long something has been going on.

ÇA FAIT longtemps qu’il pleut.
It’s been raining for a long time.

ÇA FAIT deux ans.
It’s been two years.

Adapt: 

Qu’est-ce que tu fais?
What are you (informal) doing?

Je fais le dîner.
I make (am making) dinner.

Comment faire une pizza?
How do you make a pizza?

Quel temps fait-il dehors?
What is the weather (what weather does it make) outside?

Il fait frais aujourd’hui.
It is chilly (fresh) today.

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