6.3 The Verb Faire
The verb faire (to do or to make) is an irregular verb, used both literally, meaning to do or to make, and in many expressions. For example, as you have just learned, for certain weather expressions we use faire. When we talk about sports, we can also use faire:
Faire as a “substitute” verb
You can use the verb faire to ask a question: “Qu’est-ce que vous faites?” (“What are you doing?”). Usually you will reply not with the verb faire itself, but with the verb that describes the activity you are doing.
Q: Charles, que fais-tu? (Charles, what are you doing?)
R: Je mange un sandwich. (I’m eating a sandwich.)
Conjugation of Faire
| Person | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | Je fais | I do/make |
| 2nd person singular | Tu fais | You do/make |
| 3rd Person singular | Il/elle/on fait | He/she does/makes |
| 1st person plural | Nous faisons | We do/make |
| 2nd person plural | Vous faites | You do/make (formal or plural) |
| 3rd person plural | Ils/elles font | They make |
Important Notes
- The singular forms are all pronounced the same
- The vous form does not finish in “ez”
Exercice 4: Faire
Write the proper form of the verb faire in each blank. Then write an English translation for each sentence. If you do not know what a word means, make your best guess.
Fill in the Blanks
- Mon frère ne [Blank 1] pas de sport.
- Elles [Blank 2] des cours ensemble (together).
- Est-ce que tu [Blank 3] tes devoirs?
- Je ne [Blank 4] rien!
- Fiona, vous [Blank 5] une promenade (walk)?
- Je [Blank 6] du ski au Mont Tremblant.
- Bob, il ne [Blank 7] pas ses devoirs!
- Est-ce que vous [Blank 8] à Conestoga?
- Nous [Blank 9] du vélo (bicycle).
Exercice 5: Qu’est-ce que vous faites ?
Conjugate the verb faire in the question and the regular “er” verb in the answer.
Fill in the Blanks
Question: Charles, que [Blank 1 – faire]-tu?
Response: Je [Blank 2 – manger] un sandwich.
Question: Alors, les amis, qu’est-ce que nous [Blank 3 – faire] ce soir?
Response: Nous [Blank 4 – rencontrer] Paul et Stéphane au cinéma, bien sûr!
Question: Que [Blank 5 – faire] Marie?
Response: Elle [Blank 6 – étudier] pour l’examen.
Question: Monsieur, qu’est-ce que vous [Blank 7 – faire]?
Response: Je [Blank 8 – chercher] mes clés.
Question: Qu’est-ce qu’ils [Blank 9 – faire], les enfants?
Response: Ils [Blank 10 – jouer] au foot.
Question: Madame, qu’est-ce que je [Blank 11 – faire] après l’exercice?
Response: Vous [Blank 12 – continuer] vos devoirs, Marthe.
This section includes content derived from Liberté, originally released under CC BY-NC-SA
