Ch 26 · Lesson 10French · Chapter 26 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
Elle s'est fait couper les cheveux: fait never agrees
before an infinitive never agrees ( ), and is something done to you or arranged for you.
The short version
.
Why?Hide
plus an infinitive breaks the agreement rule you learned with . , never '': the participle is welded to the infinitive behind it, so it stays bare whatever object comes before. ? . Write or there and a French reader stops.
: done to you, or done for you
.
Why?Hide
+ an infinitive puts the person it happens to in the subject slot. Sometimes it is bad luck ( ), sometimes something you arranged ( ). The verb tells you which, and never agrees.
fait never agrees
With , a past participle normally agrees with a direct object placed before it. followed by an infinitive never does: no e, no s.
| Before the verb | French | English |
|---|---|---|
. | The car I had repaired. | |
. | I showed them in. | |
| () | . | She had her hair cut. |
and the infinitive work as one verb, so the word in front is never the object of alone, and the agreement is cancelled. This rule has no exceptions.
se faire + infinitive: done to you, or for you
With , the subject is the person the action happens to. Avoiding the passive uses it for bad luck, but it is just as often something you arranged. The verb tells you which.
| Meaning | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| bad luck | . | He had his wallet stolen. |
| bad luck | . | She was knocked down by a bike. |
| arranged | . | She had her hair cut. |
| arranged | . | He has his shopping delivered. |
takes in the , like every reflexive, and still does not agree: , never .
Even is correct: . - She had a dress made.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| . | nothing inside the block |
| . | pronoun in front of |
| . | two objects: |
| . | never agrees |
| . | adjective: |
Going further: Making someone do it, having it done and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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