Faire causatif: having things done

Put an infinitive after faire and it stops meaning do. It means cause to happen: someone else does the work, or you make someone do it. Here is the whole construction on one screen.

One word separates doing it from having it done:

• Je répare la voiture. - I repair the car. (my hands)
• Je fais réparer la voiture. - I'm having the car repaired. (someone else's hands)

Making someone do it, having it done

English needs have, get and make for this. French uses one pattern, and the difference is only whether the person doing the action is named.

With nobody named, it means have it done. With a named doer, it means make or get someone to do it. French is happy to leave the doer out, which is why the pattern is so common.

A few pairs are worth learning as set phrases:

• Fais voir ! - Show me!
• Je vous ferai savoir la date. - I will let you know the date.

Nothing comes between faire and the infinitive

Faire and its infinitive are one block. A noun object goes after the whole block, never inside it, although English puts it in the middle.

A short adverb can slip in, as with any verb, and so can tout and rien:

• Je fais souvent réparer ma voiture. - I often have my car repaired.
• Il fait tout refaire. - He has everything redone.
• Il ne fait rien réparer. - He doesn't have anything repaired.

faire or rendre: make + verb or make + adjective

English make covers two French verbs. Look at the word after it: a verb takes faire, an adjective takes rendre.

Ça me fait triste is the error, and an audible one. A noun goes with faire: Ça me fait peur. - That frightens me. Ça me fait plaisir. - That pleases me.