{"id":118257,"date":"2024-02-19T14:16:35","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T19:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/french-expressions-with-faire\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T00:42:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T05:42:59","slug":"french-expressions-with-faire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/french-expressions-with-faire\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Key French Expressions with Faire"},"content":{"rendered":"

In French, as in every language, there are certain expressions which crop up time and again.\u00a0<\/span>If you really want to speak French like a local<\/a>, you should probably think about committing these to memory. <\/span><\/p>\n

The verb <\/span>faire <\/i><\/strong>(to make\/to do) is certainly featured in many expressions. Used in relation to everyday life, illness, social interactions and the weather, there\u2019s rarely a conversation that goes by in which you don\u2019t need to use the verb. <\/span><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Faire la f\u00eate<\/em><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do the party<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To party<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going out with friends in France or are invited to a French party, it\u2019s likely that you’ll hear the expression on va faire la f\u00eate<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(we’re going to party). <\/span>As with many English language expressions, there’s no direct equivalent in French so in this case, they use <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>colloquially <\/span>to describe an action that they\u2019re going to do or are doing. <\/span><\/p>\n

J\u2019ai beaucoup fait la f\u00eate<\/strong> la semaine derni\u00e8re et je suis fatigu\u00e9.
\n<\/span><\/i>(I partied a lot last week and I am tired.)<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Faire attention<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do attention<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0 To pay attention, to be careful<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re ever amongst parents and young children, it\u2019s likely that you’ll hear this expression being passed around a lot. If someone warns you to <\/span>fais attention, <\/span><\/i>they\u2019re telling you to watch out, or to be careful with what you\u2019re doing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to warn someone to <\/span>faire attention <\/span><\/i>to something in particular, you can follow it with <\/span>\u00e0, \u00e0 la <\/span><\/i>or <\/span>aux, <\/span><\/i>depending on the thing you\u2019re describing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fais attention\u00a0<\/strong>aux voitures dans la rue !
\n<\/span><\/i>(Be careful of the cars on the street!)<\/p>\n

3. Faire le m\u00e9nage<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation: <\/strong>To do the household<\/p>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>To do the housework, to do the cleaning\u00a0<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re first learning French, this is a particularly good expression to remember and use and is also one of the most common in the language<\/span>\u00a0used to describe doing the housework or the cleaning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C\u2019est pas juste ! Chaque jour, je dois faire le m\u00e9nage<\/strong> tout seul !
\n<\/span><\/i>(It\u2019s not fair! Everyday I have to do the housework on my own!)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many processes around the house are also used alongside <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>and can be constructed in the same way such as:.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faire la lessive <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>to do the laundry)<\/span><\/p>\n

Faire le repassage <\/span><\/i>(to do the ironing)<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Faire la grasse matin\u00e9e<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do the fat morning<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To sleep in, to lay around in the morning<\/p>\n

Having a fat morning might equate to being lazy or lazing around the house, something that seems lacking in energy. You might hear French natives using the slang expression <\/span>faire la grasse mat’, <\/span><\/i>which is used to express the same thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ce week-end, je vais faire la grasse <\/b>matin\u00e9e<\/b>, <\/b>c\u2019\u00e9tait fatigant cette semaine.
\n<\/span><\/i>(This weekend, I will lay around, this week was tiring.)<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Faire la t\u00eate<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do the head<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To be in a bad mood<\/p>\n

While you might have guessed the literal meaning of this expression, the reality that it expresses might not be so clear at first.\u00a0<\/span>If you hear this expression, someone is probably describing being in a bad mood or describing someone else who’s sulking. If you hear it in relation to yourself, watch out!<\/span><\/p>\n

Il \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s malpoli aujourd\u2019hui. Je pense qu\u2019il fait la t\u00eate<\/strong>.
\n<\/span><\/i>(He was very rude today. I think he is in a bad mood.)<\/p>\n

6. Faire beau \/ Faire mauvais<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> It makes beautiful\/It makes bad<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> The weather is good\/The weather is bad<\/p>\n

Sometimes, <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>is used to describe things in the environment and if you want to understand the weather<\/a>, it\u2019s worth paying closer attention to the verb. If someone exclaims that il fait beau aujourd\u2019hui<\/em><\/span>, <\/span><\/i>they\u2019re probably talking about the good weather that you\u2019re having. The expressions <\/span>faire beau <\/span><\/i>or <\/span>faire mauvais <\/span><\/i>are used to express having good or bad weather during the day. <\/span><\/p>\n

Je suis super content aujourd\u2019hui\u2014il fait<\/strong> vraiment beau<\/strong> !
\n<\/span><\/i>(I am really happy today\u2014the weather is really beautiful!)<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Faire froid \/ Faire chaud<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make cold \/ To make hot<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To be cold \/ To be hot (when talking about the weather)<\/p>\n

Like the expressions above, faire froid<\/em> and faire chaud<\/em> are also important expressions that you’ll come across in everyday life when talking about the weather.<\/p>\n

Il fait froid<\/strong> dans les Trois Vall\u00e9es en hiver.
\n<\/em>(It’s cold in the Three Valleys in winter.)<\/p>\n

Il fait <\/strong>plus chaud<\/strong> que d’habitude \u00e0 Paris.
\n<\/em>(It\u2019s hotter than usual in Paris.)<\/p>\n

8. Faire la sourde oreille<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make a deaf ear<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To turn a deaf ear<\/p>\n

This French expression is a little more unusual and unless you\u2019re well accustomed to the language, it\u2019s unlikely that you’ll have heard it before. Once you pick it up, however, you can really begin to show off your French! <\/span><\/p>\n

If you fais la sourde oreille<\/em><\/span>, <\/span><\/i>it means that you\u2019re not listening to someone else\u2019s advice or conversation when they\u2019re trying to get through to you. As in English countries, doing so is very rude, so be careful not to have this expression used against you!<\/span><\/p>\n

Je lui ai t\u00e9l\u00e9phon\u00e9 ce matin, mais il a fait la sourde oreille<\/strong>.
\n<\/span><\/i>(I called him this morning, but he turned a deaf ear.)<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Faire de la peine \u00e0 quelqu\u2019un<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do the pain to someone<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To hurt someone, to make someone feel sad<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been learning French for a little while, you might be able to determine what is being said by this expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/em><\/span>aire de la peine \u00e0 quelqu\u2019un <\/span><\/i>is<\/span> used to describe hurting someone, or making them feel sad. Like its English language equivalent\u2014it saddens me\u2014the expression is rarely used in colloquial conversation and might be more commonly found in formal French or French literature<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Il m\u2019a boud\u00e9 toute la journ\u00e9e, \u00e7a me fait de la peine<\/strong>.
\n<\/span><\/i>(He ignored me all day, it makes me sad.)<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Faire des \u00e9conomies<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do the savings<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To save\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a student in France, it\u2019s likely that you’ll want to take this expression and use it to your advantage, especially if you\u2019re living in one of the bigger cities! <\/span><\/p>\n

Faire des \u00e9conomies <\/span><\/i>isn’t just applicable to financial issues. If you want to save on your water, energy or shopping habit, you can use this expression to share your intentions with others. If you\u2019re worried about money and want to seek financial advice, this expression might come in particularly useful!<\/span><\/p>\n

Je voudrais aller en vacances donc je dois faire des \u00e9conomies<\/strong>.
\n<\/span><\/i>(I would like to go on holiday, so I must save.)<\/span><\/p>\n

11. Faire la bise<\/i><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make the kiss<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To greet someone with a kiss on both cheeks<\/p>\n

Non-French people usually cringe at the thought of the <\/span>bise<\/span><\/i> and unless you\u2019ve grown up kissing strangers, doing so can feel like a really strange habit. F<\/em><\/span>aire la bise <\/span><\/i>literally means “to make the kiss,”\u00a0<\/span>but is used to describe the specific cheek kissing greeting that French natives will do to one another when they meet and part. <\/span><\/p>\n

While it\u2019s common to give two kisses (one on each cheek), some people will go in for three or four, so it\u2019s worth paying attention to! Failure to do the <\/span>bise <\/span><\/i>can also result in a French person believing you to be really rude so it\u2019s always worth using it to say both hello and goodbye to someone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Il \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s malpoli ! Il n’a pas fait la bise<\/strong>.
\n<\/span><\/i>(He was very rude! He didn\u2019t greet me by kissing.)<\/span><\/p>\n

12. Faire le pont<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make the bridge<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To take a long weekend<\/p>\n

While this exact translation doesn\u2019t exist in English, if you speak any other Romantic languages, you might recognize this expression. In Italian, it is translated as fare il ponte, <\/em>and in Spanish, hacer puente<\/em>, both literally translating into English as \u201cto make the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faire le pont<\/em> is used when someone takes a day off alongside a public holiday to therefore \u201cmake a bridge\u201d to the weekend. In English, we would say that someone is taking a long weekend.<\/p>\n

Comme le mardi \u00e9tait un jour f\u00e9ri\u00e9, j’ai d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de faire le pont<\/strong> et de ne pas travailler le lundi.
\n<\/em>(As Tuesday was a public holiday, I decided to take a long weekend and not work on Monday.)<\/p>\n

13. Faire dodo<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do sleep, to do beddy-byes<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To go beddy-byes, to go to sleep<\/p>\n

In this French expression, the verb dormir<\/em>\u00a0(to sleep) is shortened to become dodo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Faire dodo<\/em> is used in the same way as \u201cto go beddy-byes\u201d in English, and while it’s most commonly used by parents to their children<\/a>, you may also hear some adults use this expression.<\/p>\n

C\u2019est l\u2019heure de faire dodo<\/strong>.<\/em>
\n(It\u2019s time to go beddy-byes.)<\/p>\n

14. Faire le mur<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make the wall<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To sneak out, to go out without permission<\/p>\n

This expression refers to someone sneaking out or going somewhere without permission.<\/p>\n

When translated literally, faire le mur<\/em> makes us think of someone trying to jump over a wall in an attempt to sneak out or escape without others knowing.<\/p>\n

Il a fait le mur<\/strong> pour aller au parc avec ses amis au lieu de faire ses devoirs.<\/em>
\n(He sneaked out to go to the park with his friends instead of doing his homework.)<\/p>\n

15. Faire du cin\u00e9ma<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do\/make cinema<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To make a scene, to put on an act<\/p>\n

The expression\u00a0faire du cin\u00e9ma<\/em> is often used negatively in French when someone is making a scene or exaggerating.<\/p>\n

For example, you might believe that the person you are talking to is overreacting to something or creating problems for attention.<\/p>\n

La femme \u00e9tait contrari\u00e9e et a fait du cin\u00e9ma<\/strong> parce que le magasin n’avait pas son produit pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 en stock.
\n<\/em>(The woman was upset and made a scene because the store didn’t have her favorite product in stock.)<\/p>\n

16. Faire du stop<\/em><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do\/make the stop<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To hitchhike<\/p>\n

The literal translation of the expression faire du stop\u00a0<\/em>is “to do\/make the stop,” which means “to hitchhike.”<\/p>\n

If you’re planning on backpacking through France or another French-speaking country<\/a>, this expression is useful to learn!<\/p>\n

En raison de la temp\u00eate, tous les bus ont \u00e9t\u00e9 annul\u00e9s et les touristes n’avaient d’autre choix que de faire du stop<\/strong> pour retourner en ville.
\n<\/em>(Due to the storm, all buses were canceled, and the tourists had no other option but to hitchhike back to the city.)<\/p>\n

17. Faire son beurre<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make your butter<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To make money\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In English we say that we make “dough” (money), in French, however, they “make butter.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

This faire <\/em>expression is often used to refer to someone making a living (earning money) or being successful in terms of their career.<\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s des ann\u00e9es d’auditions, le jeune homme a enfin pu abandonner son ancien travail et faire son beurre<\/strong> en tant qu’acteur \u00e0 Paris.<\/em>
\n(After years of auditions, the young man could finally give up his old job and make a living as an actor in Paris.)<\/p>\n

18. Faire la une<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do\/make the front page<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To make the headlines\/to be on the front page<\/p>\n

In French,\u00a0la une<\/em> means “front page,” and so\u00a0faire la une<\/em> refers to something making the headlines or front page of a newspaper.<\/p>\n

This verb could be used to talk about anything making it to the front page of a newspaper, such as an important news story or even a feature about a successful movie or person.<\/p>\n

While this verb is mostly used to refer to the front page, it can also be used for other stories that have gained attention from the media.<\/p>\n

L’incroyable histoire du sauvetage du pompier a fait la une<\/strong> des journaux nationaux et internationaux pendant des semaines.<\/em>
\n(The firefighter’s incredible rescue story made headlines in both national and international news for weeks.)<\/p>\n

19. Faire le grand saut<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To do the big jump<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To take the plunge<\/p>\n

If you’re making an important (and potentially risky) decision and decide to give it a chance, then you faire le grand saut<\/em>, which literally means “to do the big jump.”<\/p>\n

A similar expression in English would be “to take the plunge.”<\/p>\n

This can be used to talk about any significant change, such as changing jobs, moving, starting a business, etc.<\/p>\n

Elle a d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de faire le grand saut<\/strong> et de dem\u00e9nager \u00e0 l’\u00e9tranger pour \u00e9tudier le fran\u00e7ais.
\n<\/em>(She decided to take the plunge and move abroad to study French.)<\/p>\n

20. Faire un tabac<\/em><\/h2>\n

Literal translation:<\/strong> To make\/do tobacco<\/p>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To be successful, to be a hit<\/p>\n

Faire un tabac\u00a0<\/em>is a popular French expression used to say that something is successful, like the English phrase “to be a hit.”<\/p>\n

For example, this expression is commonly used when talking about the success of a movie or an album.<\/p>\n

L’adaptation cin\u00e9matographique a fait un tabac<\/strong> gr\u00e2ce au travail du r\u00e9alisateur et de l’auteur du livre.<\/em>
\n(The movie adaptation was a hit thanks to the work of the director and the author of the book.)<\/p>\n

Why Learn Expressions with Faire?<\/em><\/h2>\n

Faire<\/em> is one of the most common verbs<\/b><\/h3>\n

Out of all of the verbs, <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>is one of the ones that you’ll use in most forms of conversation. Describing a whole variety of different activities, it’s normally one that beginners learn<\/a> fairly early on, opening up the door to a whole load of useful expressions and sayings. Getting to know a few less common expressions using <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>can really help you in your language comprehension and will show just how flexible the verb can be.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s conjugated irregularly<\/b><\/h3>\n

Unlike other verbs ending in \u201cre,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>is conjugated in a slightly different way and it pays to learn the differences. As you’ll use it so often, it’s easy to get a hold of and will soon become second nature to you! Using the verb in the present tense is the first step you’ll take, and it can be conjugated in the following way.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pronoun<\/strong><\/th>Faire<\/em> conjugation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Je<\/em><\/td> fais <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu<\/em><\/td> fais <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il\/Elle\/On<\/em><\/td> fait <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nous<\/em><\/td> faisons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vous<\/em><\/td> faites <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ils\/Elles<\/em><\/td> font <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Its meaning can vary<\/b><\/h3>\n

Unlike other verbs whose meanings are fixed in place, <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>can change according to how and when it’s used. While it’s commonly used to express either \u201cto do\u201d or \u201cto make,\u201d the circumstances in which these verbs can be used varies a lot between French and English. While you might use <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>to describe doing the food shopping\u2014<\/span>je fais les courses\u2014<\/span><\/i>you might also use it to say that you’re riding a bike\u2014<\/span>je fais du v\u00e9lo. <\/span><\/i>Seeing a number of different expressions used with <\/span>faire <\/span><\/i>will help you to begin to understand exactly how it might be used.<\/span><\/p>\n

You could try immersing yourself in French media to see how this verb is used in context by native speakers. For example, you could look for the verb in French news<\/a>, or you could use an immersion program like FluentU<\/a> to search for the verb and see it used in videos and example sentences.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p> \r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

\r\n