{"id":2206,"date":"2026-11-04T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/?p=2206"},"modified":"2026-10-24T01:58:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T01:58:55","slug":"faire-conjugation-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunpo.app\/blog\/french\/faire-conjugation-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Faire Conjugation in French: A Practical Guide for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you learn only a handful of French verbs at first, faire<\/strong> should be one of them.<\/p>\n

It usually means \u201cto do\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cto make,\u201d<\/strong> but French speakers also use it to talk about weather, sports, chores, activities, and many everyday expressions.<\/p>\n

The challenge is that faire is irregular<\/strong>, so you cannot conjugate it by following the usual patterns. The good news is that a few key forms appear again and again.<\/p>\n

Here is a practical guide to the faire conjugations you are most likely to need.<\/p>\n

Faire Conjugation at a Glance<\/h2>\n

Before looking at each tense, here are some important forms to recognize:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Present:<\/strong> je fais<\/li>\n
  • Past participle:<\/strong> fait<\/li>\n
  • Imperfect:<\/strong> je faisais<\/li>\n
  • Future:<\/strong> je ferai<\/li>\n
  • Conditional:<\/strong> je ferais<\/li>\n
  • Subjunctive:<\/strong> que je fasse<\/li>\n
  • Imperative:<\/strong> fais<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Notice two useful patterns: the future and conditional use fer-<\/strong>, while the past participle is simply fait<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Faire in the Present Tense<\/h2>\n

    The present tense is the best place to start because you will hear it constantly.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • je fais<\/strong> \u2014 I do \/ make<\/li>\n
    • tu fais<\/strong> \u2014 you do \/ make<\/li>\n
    • il \/ elle \/ on fait<\/strong> \u2014 he \/ she \/ one does<\/li>\n
    • nous faisons<\/strong> \u2014 we do \/ make<\/li>\n
    • vous faites<\/strong> \u2014 you do \/ make<\/li>\n
    • ils \/ elles font<\/strong> \u2014 they do \/ make<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Examples:<\/p>\n

      Je fais la cuisine.<\/strong>
      \nI\u2019m cooking.<\/p>\n

      Tu fais quoi ce soir ?<\/strong>
      \nWhat are you doing tonight?<\/p>\n

      Il fait beau aujourd\u2019hui.<\/strong>
      \nThe weather is nice today.<\/p>\n

      That last example shows why faire is so useful: French uses faire<\/strong> in many expressions where English would not use \u201cdo\u201d or \u201cmake\u201d at all.<\/p>\n

      Faire in the Pass\u00e9 Compos\u00e9<\/h2>\n

      To talk about a completed action in the past, French commonly uses the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Faire uses avoir + fait<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • j\u2019ai fait<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • tu as fait<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • il \/ elle \/ on a fait<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • nous avons fait<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • vous avez fait<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • ils \/ elles ont fait<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Examples:<\/p>\n

        J\u2019ai fait mes devoirs.<\/strong>
        \nI did my homework.<\/p>\n

        Qu\u2019est-ce que tu as fait hier ?<\/strong>
        \nWhat did you do yesterday?<\/p>\n

        The past participle fait<\/strong> stays the same in these examples.<\/p>\n

        Faire in the Imperfect<\/h2>\n

        Use the imparfait<\/strong> for past habits, repeated actions, descriptions, or actions that were in progress.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • je faisais<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • tu faisais<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • il \/ elle \/ on faisait<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • nous faisions<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • vous faisiez<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • ils \/ elles faisaient<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          For example:<\/p>\n

          Quand j\u2019\u00e9tais petit, je faisais du v\u00e9lo tous les jours.<\/strong>
          \nWhen I was little, I used to ride my bike every day.<\/p>\n

          Compare this with the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9:<\/p>\n

          J\u2019ai fait du v\u00e9lo hier.<\/strong>
          \nI rode my bike yesterday.<\/p>\n

          The first describes a past habit; the second refers to a completed event.<\/p>\n

          Faire in the Near Future<\/h2>\n

          For plans and things that are going to happen soon, French often uses aller + faire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

            \n
          • je vais faire<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • tu vas faire<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • il \/ elle \/ on va faire<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • nous allons faire<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • vous allez faire<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • ils \/ elles vont faire<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Examples:<\/p>\n

            Je vais faire les courses.<\/strong>
            \nI\u2019m going to go shopping.<\/p>\n

            Qu\u2019est-ce que vous allez faire ce week-end ?<\/strong>
            \nWhat are you going to do this weekend?<\/p>\n

            This structure is extremely useful in everyday conversation.<\/p>\n

            Faire in the Simple Future<\/h2>\n

            For the futur simple<\/strong>, faire changes to the stem fer-<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

              \n
            • je ferai<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • tu feras<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • il \/ elle \/ on fera<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • nous ferons<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • vous ferez<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • ils \/ elles feront<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Examples:<\/p>\n

              Je le ferai demain.<\/strong>
              \nI\u2019ll do it tomorrow.<\/p>\n

              Nous ferons de notre mieux.<\/strong>
              \nWe\u2019ll do our best.<\/p>\n

              Remembering fer-<\/strong> will also help with the conditional.<\/p>\n

              Faire in the Conditional<\/h2>\n

              The conditional is commonly used for hypothetical situations and polite statements.<\/p>\n

                \n
              • je ferais<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • tu ferais<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • il \/ elle \/ on ferait<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • nous ferions<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • vous feriez<\/strong><\/li>\n
              • ils \/ elles feraient<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                For example:<\/p>\n

                Que ferais-tu \u00e0 ma place ?<\/strong>
                \nWhat would you do in my place?<\/p>\n

                Je ferais plus de sport si j\u2019avais le temps.<\/strong>
                \nI would exercise more if I had time.<\/p>\n

                Notice that the conditional also uses the fer-<\/strong> stem.<\/p>\n

                Faire in the Subjunctive<\/h2>\n

                You will often see the subjunctive after expressions of necessity, emotion, doubt, or desire.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • que je fasse<\/strong><\/li>\n
                • que tu fasses<\/strong><\/li>\n
                • qu\u2019il \/ elle \/ on fasse<\/strong><\/li>\n
                • que nous fassions<\/strong><\/li>\n
                • que vous fassiez<\/strong><\/li>\n
                • qu\u2019ils \/ elles fassent<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Examples:<\/p>\n

                  Il faut que je fasse mes devoirs.<\/strong>
                  \nI need to do my homework.<\/p>\n

                  Je veux que vous fassiez attention.<\/strong>
                  \nI want you to pay attention.<\/p>\n

                  The forms fasse<\/strong> and fassent<\/strong> may look unusual at first, so they are worth memorizing as a group.<\/p>\n

                  Faire in the Imperative<\/h2>\n

                  The imperative is used for commands, instructions, and suggestions.<\/p>\n

                  There are only three forms:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • fais<\/strong> \u2014 do \/ make<\/li>\n
                  • faisons<\/strong> \u2014 let\u2019s do \/ make<\/li>\n
                  • faites<\/strong> \u2014 do \/ make<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    Examples:<\/p>\n

                    Fais attention !<\/strong>
                    \nBe careful!<\/p>\n

                    Faisons une pause.<\/strong>
                    \nLet\u2019s take a break.<\/p>\n

                    Faites comme chez vous.<\/strong>
                    \nMake yourself at home.<\/p>\n

                    For negative commands, place ne…pas<\/strong> around the verb:<\/p>\n

                    Ne fais pas \u00e7a !<\/strong>
                    \nDon\u2019t do that!<\/p>\n

                    Common Expressions with Faire<\/h2>\n

                    Learning conjugations is important, but faire becomes much more useful when you learn it inside common expressions.<\/p>\n

                    Here are a few worth remembering:<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • faire attention<\/strong> \u2014 to pay attention \/ be careful<\/li>\n
                    • faire la cuisine<\/strong> \u2014 to cook<\/li>\n
                    • faire les courses<\/strong> \u2014 to go shopping<\/li>\n
                    • faire du sport<\/strong> \u2014 to exercise \/ play sports<\/li>\n
                    • faire la queue<\/strong> \u2014 to stand in line<\/li>\n
                    • faire de son mieux<\/strong> \u2014 to do one\u2019s best<\/li>\n
                    • faire chaud \/ froid<\/strong> \u2014 to be hot \/ cold, when talking about weather<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      For example:<\/p>\n

                      Il fait froid aujourd\u2019hui.<\/strong>
                      \nIt\u2019s cold today.<\/p>\n

                      Je fais de mon mieux.<\/strong>
                      \nI\u2019m doing my best.<\/p>\n

                      Learning these as complete phrases is often more effective than translating faire as \u201cdo\u201d or \u201cmake\u201d every time.<\/p>\n

                      Which Faire Conjugations Should Beginners Learn First?<\/h2>\n

                      You do not need to memorize every tense at once.<\/p>\n

                      Start with:<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. Present:<\/strong> je fais<\/li>\n
                      2. Pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9:<\/strong> j\u2019ai fait<\/li>\n
                      3. Near future:<\/strong> je vais faire<\/li>\n
                      4. Simple future:<\/strong> je ferai<\/li>\n
                      5. Imperfect:<\/strong> je faisais<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        These forms already allow you to talk about what you do, what you did, what you used to do, and what you are going to do.<\/p>\n

                        Then add the conditional and subjunctive as your French becomes more advanced.<\/p>\n

                        Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

                        Faire<\/strong> is irregular, but its usefulness makes it worth learning early.<\/p>\n

                        Instead of trying to memorize every form in one sitting, focus first on the patterns you will actually use in conversation: je fais, j\u2019ai fait, je vais faire, je faisais,<\/strong> and je ferai<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

                        Then learn common expressions such as faire attention<\/strong>, faire du sport<\/strong>, and faire de son mieux<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

                        Once these forms and phrases become familiar, faire stops feeling like an irregular verb to memorize and starts becoming one of the most useful tools in your French.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        Master faire conjugation in French with this complete guide covering present, past, future, conditional, and subjunctive forms plus example sentences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t