How to use French causative faire

The French causative construction with "faire" is a powerful tool for expressing actions that one person causes another to do. This structure is widely used in everyday French and is essential for advanced learners to master.

Structure of the Causative Faire

The basic structure of the causative faire is:

Subject + faire + infinitive + object/person

For example:

• Je fais réparer ma voiture. (I'm having my car repaired.)
• Elle fait étudier ses enfants. (She makes her children study.)

Usage and Examples

Direct Objects

When the infinitive has a direct object, it comes after the infinitive:

• Je fais laver la voiture à mon fils. (I'm having my son wash the car.)

Pronouns

With pronoun objects, place them before "faire":

• Je la fais réparer. (I'm having it repaired.)
• Je lui fais laver la voiture. (I'm having him/her wash the car.)

Reflexive Verbs

With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun comes before "faire":

• Je me fais couper les cheveux. (I'm getting my hair cut.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don't use "à" before the infinitive: Incorrect: Je fais à manger le dîner. Correct: Je fais manger le dîner.

2. Remember to use "par" instead of "à" when emphasizing who performs the action:

   • J'ai fait construire ma maison par un architecte. (I had my house built by an architect.)

Practice Exercises

Try translating these sentences:

1. I'm having the doctor examine my child.
2. She's making her students read the book.
3. We're having our house painted.

By mastering the causative faire, you'll add a sophisticated grammatical tool to your French repertoire, allowing you to express complex relationships between actions and actors.