Knowing the everyday meanings of faire won't always help you understand an idiom. You may recognize every word and still miss what the expression means.
Learn these idiomatic expressions as complete phrases, then use the examples to see how they work in context.
For all tenses, see the conjugation of faire.
Faire d'une pierre deux coups
Literally, faire d'une pierre deux coups means "to make two strikes with one stone." You use it when one action achieves two things at the same time.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais faire les courses en allant chercher Paul. Je ferai d'une pierre deux coups. | I'm going shopping on my way to pick up Paul. I'll kill two birds with one stone. |
| En prenant le vélo, elle fait du sport et économise de l'argent. Elle fait d'une pierre deux coups. | By cycling, she gets some exercise and saves money. She kills two birds with one stone. |
The English idiom uses two birds. French uses two strikes with one stone, but the idea is the same: one action produces two results.
Faire tout un fromage de quelque chose
Literally, this expression means "to make a whole cheese out of something." You use it when someone makes a situation seem much more important or serious than it is.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ce n'est qu'une petite erreur. N'en fais pas tout un fromage. | It's only a small mistake. Don't make such a big deal out of it. |
| Il a fait tout un fromage de ce changement. | He made a big deal out of the change. |
The cheese is what makes this expression memorable. English has no cheese at all: make a big deal out of something is usually the closest equivalent.
Faire des pieds et des mains
You use faire des pieds et des mains when someone makes a great effort or does everything possible to achieve something.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Elle a fait des pieds et des mains pour obtenir une place. | She did everything she could to get a place. |
| Nous avons fait des pieds et des mains pour terminer à temps. | We went to great lengths to finish on time. |
A word-for-word translation won't help much here. Learn faire des pieds et des mains as a complete expression for making an unusually strong effort.
Faire la sourde oreille
Literally, faire la sourde oreille means "to make the deaf ear." You use it when someone deliberately ignores what another person says or asks.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je lui ai demandé de m'aider, mais il a fait la sourde oreille. | I asked him to help me, but he turned a deaf ear. |
| Elle fait la sourde oreille quand on lui parle du problème. | She ignores us when we talk to her about the problem. |
English has the similar expression turn a deaf ear, so this one may be easier to remember if you already know the English idiom.
Faire la pluie et le beau temps
Literally, faire la pluie et le beau temps means "to make the rain and the good weather." You use it for someone who has enough power or influence to control what happens.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Dans cette entreprise, c'est elle qui fait la pluie et le beau temps. | In this company, she's the one who calls the shots. |
| Pendant des années, il a fait la pluie et le beau temps dans le village. | For years, he had a great deal of influence in the village. |
The expression doesn't usually have anything to do with actual weather. The rain and good weather represent someone's power to determine how things go.
N'en faire qu'à sa tête
You use n'en faire qu'à sa tête for someone who does what they want instead of listening to advice or instructions.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Tu peux lui donner des conseils, mais il n'en fait qu'à sa tête. | You can give him advice, but he always does whatever he wants. |
| Elle n'en fait qu'à sa tête et refuse de nous écouter. | She does whatever she wants and refuses to listen to us. |
Don't try to translate à sa tête word by word. The complete expression describes someone who insists on following their own ideas.
Faire exprès (de)
You use faire exprès when someone does something intentionally or on purpose. When you say what the person intended to do, use faire exprès de followed by an infinitive.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Tu as fait exprès ? | Did you do it on purpose? |
| Il a fait exprès de ne pas répondre à la question. | He deliberately didn't answer the question. |
Faire exprès is common in everyday conversation, especially when asking whether someone's action was intentional.
Faire la tête
You use faire la tête when someone is sulking, upset, or noticeably in a bad mood.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Pourquoi tu fais la tête ? | Why are you sulking? / What's wrong? |
| Elle fait la tête parce qu'elle n'a pas été invitée. | She's sulking because she wasn't invited. |
The closest English translation depends on the situation. Someone who fait la tête shows through their behavior that they are unhappy or annoyed.
Before you go
Idioms are different from the everyday uses of faire. Knowing the verb itself may not tell you what the whole expression means.
Learn the expression as a unit, pay attention to the situation where you hear it, and use the context to connect the words with the figurative meaning.