How to use faire (A2 French)

Faire can mean "to do" or "to make" in English. But you’ll use it for much more than that.

English splits those uses across do, make, be, go, and pay. French often keeps faire.

After you recognize these patterns, combinations like faire beau, faire du vélo, and faire attention start to make more sense.

Forms and grammar

Faire is irregular in the present tense. The singular forms are similar, but pay attention to the plural forms:

Singular	Plural
je fais	nous faisons
tu fais	vous faites
il / elle fait	ils / elles font

Notice vous faites. Unlike most French verbs, faire has a vous form ending in -tes. You’ll also need to remember ils font, which looks very different from the infinitive.

For all tenses, see the conjugation of faire.

To use faire in the passé composé, combine avoir with the past participle fait:

French	English
J'ai fait un gâteau.	I made a cake.
Nous avons fait du sport.	We exercised.

How to use faire

You’ll use faire in several everyday situations, from doing or making something to talking about the weather and activities.

Doing or making

You can use faire for actions you carry out and things you create:

French	English
Je fais mes devoirs.	I'm doing my homework.
Elle fait un gâteau.	She's making a cake.
Nous faisons une liste.	We're making a list.

English chooses do or make. French keeps faire for both.

Talking about the weather

You’ll use faire in many common weather expressions, where English usually uses be:

French	English
Il fait beau.	The weather is nice.
Il fait froid.	It's cold.
Il fait chaud aujourd'hui.	It's hot today.

Doing activities

You’ll also use faire for many sports, errands, and everyday activities where English prefers go, do, or a more specific verb:

French	English
Je fais du vélo.	I go cycling. / I bike.
Nous faisons du sport.	We exercise. / We play sports.
Elle fait les courses.	She's doing the shopping.

Verb	English	When to use it
fabriquer	to manufacture or build	When you make or manufacture something from materials
créer	to create	When the idea of creating something new matters
réaliser	to carry out or achieve	When you carry out or complete a project, plan, or piece of work

Fabriquer is more specific than faire. You use fabriquer for something you manufacture or build, such as a table or a piece of furniture. You use faire for broader everyday actions, such as making a cake, doing your homework, or doing the shopping.

Before you go

As you recognize more of these patterns, you'll rely less on translating faire word by word. This becomes important with more advanced uses, where a direct English translation won't always help.

Next, learn the fixed phrases and common errors in Faire - expressions and common errors.