24 - How to Conjugate "to Do" (Faire) in French (Present Tense)

 
 

Know how to conjugate the French verb "faire" (to do) in the present tense? Listen to this lesson to find out! Plus, I'll give you a common mistake to avoid.

If you’d prefer to listen on the go, listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Links & Cheat Sheet

Transcript

Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!

Salut à tous! Hello everyone! Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! Thanks for joining me today. This is episode number 24, numéro vingt-quatre. In this episode, you'll learn how to conjugate the French verb "faire" (to do, or to make) in the present tense! So first, we'll learn the conjugation of "faire," then we'll see some examples and to finish we’ll do a recap. Sounds good? Great.

But before we start, please make sure you have your cheat sheet in front of you, so you can see how the words are written. You can download it on my website; it's free. As usual, at the end of the episode, make sure you download your exercises, so you can practice what you've learned. It’s also free!

Vous êtes prêts? Are you ready? C'est parti !

In last week's episode, we've seen that there are two types of verbs in French: regular verbs and irregular verbs. 

The verb we are talking about today is the verb "faire" which means "to do or to make," and this one is an irregular verb and very important to learn. 

I know I always say for all verbs that they are super important to learn, but basically you can't live without knowing "être" (to be) "avoir" (to have) "aller" (to go) and "faire." (to do)

OK, maybe you can live without it, I'm a bit extreme. 😆 But you get the point! You should learn it by heart. 

As I said before, "faire" means to do or make, but it's also used in many many French expressions to describe everyday activities such as sports, studies, hobbies, emotions, and household chores. I'll give you some examples in a few minutes. So quite often, it's not the exact translation word for word. Oh, and it's also used for weather expressions, that you can learn in episode 10.

“FAIRE” CONJUGATION

Let's not make you wait any longer, let's see the present tense of "faire" (to do or make):

Répétez après moi, repeat after me. 

  • je fais (I do, I make, or I'm doing, I'm making, same thing)

  • tu fais (you’re doing)

  • il fait (he’s doing)

  • elle fait (she’s doing)

  • on fait (we’re doing, informal)

  • nous faisons (we’re doing)

  • vous faites (you’re doing)

  • ils font (they’re doing)

  • elles font (they’re doing)

Now let's talk briefly about pronunciation because I've seen these mistakes many times with students before. 

First, make sure you say "nous faisons" and not "nous faissons". ❌

There's only one “S” here, not two. "Nous faisons." ✅ It sounds like a "z."

Second, make sure the "S" from "vous faites" is silent. It's not "vous faites" ❌

It's at the end of the word, so it's silent. "Vous faites." ✅

⟶ I explain these two pronunciation rules in my course, French Pronunciation Kickstarter. (now French Pronunciation Made Easy) It's the complete A-Z course for French beginners who struggle with their spoken French and want to communicate clearly and confidently. So if it sounds like you, go on my website and check out if it's the right fit for you. 

OK, parfait. Now, there's another mistake that I want to point out to you here. Many non-native speakers, and unfortunately even native speakers, tend to say "vous faisez" instead of "vous faites." Hm hm. I understand why you would think that, but this is wrong.

So remember that "vous faisez" doesn't exist does not, ever, exists in French. ❌

It's "vous faites." ✅

EXAMPLES

Très bien. Now let's finally see some examples of the French verb "faire" conjugated in the present tense. 

Répétez après moi, repeat after me.

  • Je fais mes devoirs. (I'm doing my homework.)

  • Tu fais quoi? (What are you doing?)

  • Il fait la cuisine. (He's cooking.) 🍳

  • Elle fait du sport. (She's exercising.)  🏃‍♀️

  • On fait le ménage. (We're doing the cleaning.) 🧹

  • Nous faisons attention. (We're careful.)

  • Vous faites les courses aujourd'hui ? (Are you doing the grocery shopping today?) 🛒

  • Ils font de la guitare. (There are playing guitar.) 🎸

  • Elles font du tennis. (They are playing tennis.) 🎾

RECAP

OK super! Now as usual let's recap what we've learned:

The conjugation of "faire" (to do) in the present tense is: 

  • je fais 

  • tu fais 

  • il fait 

  • elle fait 

  • on fait 

  • nous faisons 

  • vous faites 

  • ils font

  • elles font

Alright! On a fini notre leçon ! We've finished our lesson. If you've liked this episode, let me know and leave me a comment over at mathildekien.com. I'd love to hear from you! Now, don't forget to download your lesson's exercises. It's free. Thanks for your time.

Merci beaucoup et à bientôt. 💗

Mathilde Kien16 Comments