Using faire + infinitive in French (Causative Form)

📝 What does it mean?

In French, when you use faire + infinitif, it means that you are not doing the action yourself, but you are making someone else do it or having something done.

👉 In English, this often translates as:

• to make someone do something

• to have something done

---

📌 The Structure

The construction is very simple:

Subject + faire (conjugated) + infinitive verb + object

Example:

• Je fais réparer ma voiture. 🚗
  = I’m having my car repaired (I don’t repair it myself, the mechanic does).

---

🔑 Examples in Everyday Life

1. With people 👩‍👩‍👦

• Je fais travailler mes élèves.
  = I make my students work.

• Il fait rire ses amis.
  = He makes his friends laugh.

• Elle fait chanter les enfants.
  = She makes the children sing.

---

2. With objects 🛠️

• Nous faisons laver la voiture.
  = We have the car washed.

• Je fais cuire les pâtes.
  = I cook the pasta (literally “I make the pasta cook”).

• Il fait réparer son ordinateur. 💻
  = He has his computer repaired.

---

3. With reflexive pronouns 🤔

Sometimes, you can also see it in reflexive form:

• Je me fais couper les cheveux. 💇‍♂️
  = I get my hair cut (at the hairdresser).

• Elle s’est fait opérer. 🏥
  = She had surgery.

⚠️ Attention: In this structure, the past participle fait never agrees with the subject!

• ✅ Elle s’est fait opérer.

• ❌ Elle s’est faite opérer.

---

🤓 Common Expressions with “faire + infinitif”

• Faire rire quelqu’un = to make someone laugh

• Faire pleurer quelqu’un = to make someone cry

• Faire venir quelqu’un = to have someone come

• Faire attendre quelqu’un = to keep someone waiting

• Faire entrer quelqu’un = to let someone in

---

🎯 Mini Quiz (try it!)

Translate into French:

1. I’m having my car washed.

2. She makes her brother cry.

3. We are going to have our house painted.

4. He had his computer repaired.

👉 Answers:

1. Je fais laver ma voiture.

2. Elle fait pleurer son frère.

3. Nous allons faire peindre notre maison.

4. Il a fait réparer son ordinateur.

---

✅ Voilà ! You now know how to use faire + infinitif in French. It’s super common, and mastering it will make your French sound more natural and advanced ✨.