How to Use the French Causative Construction

The French causative construction, known as "la construction causative" or "le causatif," is a powerful grammatical tool.

It allows you to express the idea of "making something happen" or "having something done" in French.

This structure is essential for describing situations where someone causes or arranges for an action to be performed by someone else.

How to Form the Causative in French

The French causative consists of three main components:

1. The verb "faire" conjugated according to the subject
2. The main action verb in the infinitive form
3. The agent and/or recipient of the action

Let's break down these elements and explore the different constructions.

1. Agent-Only Construction

Use this structure when you want to express that the subject is making the agent do something:

Subject + faire + infinitive + agent (direct object)

Examples:

• Je fais étudier mes enfants chaque soir. (I make my children study every evening.)
• Elle fait courir son chien tous les matins. (She makes her dog run every morning.)

2. Recipient-Only Construction

This structure is used when the subject is having something done to the recipient:

Subject + faire + infinitive + recipient (direct object)

Examples:

• Nous faisons repeindre la maison. (We're having the house repainted.)
• Il fait réparer sa voiture. (He's having his car repaired.)

3. Agent and Recipient Construction

When both the agent and recipient are present, use this structure:

Subject + faire + infinitive + recipient + par/à + agent (indirect object)

Examples:

• Je fais laver la voiture par mon fils. (I have my son wash the car.)
• Elle fait garder ses enfants à sa voisine. (She has her neighbor watch her children.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Forgetting to conjugate "faire": Incorrect: Je faire étudier mes enfants. Correct: Je fais étudier mes enfants.

2. Using the wrong preposition with agent and recipient: Incorrect: Je fais laver la voiture de mon fils. Correct: Je fais laver la voiture par mon fils.

3. Conjugating the main verb instead of using the infinitive: Incorrect: Je fais étudie mes enfants. Correct: Je fais étudier mes enfants.

Practice Exercises

Try translating these sentences into French using the causative construction:

1. I'm having my hair cut tomorrow.
2. She made her students read three books.
3. We're going to have the house cleaned by a professional.
4. They had their car repaired at the garage.
5. He's making his daughter practice piano every day.

Answers:

1. Je me fais couper les cheveux demain.
2. Elle a fait lire trois livres à ses élèves.
3. Nous allons faire nettoyer la maison par un professionnel.
4. Ils ont fait réparer leur voiture au garage.
5. Il fait pratiquer le piano à sa fille tous les jours.)