# faire conjugation

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Updated 2026-11-02 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/french/conjugations/faire

> *Faire* means "to do" or "to make". The present is *je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font*. The passé composé is *j'ai fait*, the imparfait *je faisais*, the future *je ferai* and the subjunctive *que je fasse*. It's also the weather verb: *il fait beau*, it's nice out.

**Diagram.** The present mostly follows the -re pattern on the stem fais-, until vous faites and ils font. The future swaps the stem for fer-, then takes the normal endings.
> The conjugation of faire as two grids, singular on the left and plural on the right. Present: je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font, with faites and font marked as irregular. Future: je ferai, tu feras, il fera, nous ferons, vous ferez, ils feront, with the stem fer- marked.
- faire, present: fais, fais, fait, faisons, **faites**, **font**.
- faire, future: **fer**ai, **fer**as, **fer**a, **fer**ons, **fer**ez, **fer**ont.
- Bold marks the letters that break the pattern.
- **Red pencil** is what breaks the pattern, **graphite** is the normal endings.
- *Faisons* is said *fuh-ZOHN*, not *fay-ZOHN*.

**faire** — to do, to make. *Je fais*.

## Present (présent)

*The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.*


| Pronoun | faire | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je | fais | zhuh FEH |
| tu | fais | tew FEH |
| il / elle / on | fait | eel FEH |
| nous | faisons | noo fuh-ZOHN |
| vous | faites | voo FET |
| ils / elles | font | eel FOHN |

*Fais*, *fais* and *fait* all sound the same. Watch two things: *faisons* is said *fuh-ZOHN*, and *vous faites* is one of only three *vous* forms in French that don't end in *-ez* (with *vous êtes* and *vous dites*). *Vous faisez* is a classic beginner mistake.

## Past (passé composé)

*The everyday past, for things that happened: "I was", "I had". It's avoir or être plus the past participle.*


| Pronoun | faire | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je (j') | ai fait | zhay FEH |
| tu | as fait | tew ah FEH |
| il / elle / on | a fait | eel ah FEH |
| nous | avons fait | noo za-vohn FEH |
| vous | avez fait | voo za-vay FEH |
| ils / elles | ont fait | eel zohn FEH |

*Avoir* plus *fait*. *Qu'est-ce que tu as fait ce week-end?* is "what did you do this weekend?"

## Imperfect (imparfait)

*The past for how things were or used to be: "I was tired", "we used to have a dog".*


| Pronoun | faire | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je | faisais | zhuh fuh-ZEH |
| tu | faisais | tew fuh-ZEH |
| il / elle / on | faisait | eel fuh-ZEH |
| nous | faisions | noo fuh-ZYOHN |
| vous | faisiez | voo fuh-ZYAY |
| ils / elles | faisaient | eel fuh-ZEH |

Built on *fais-*, and the *ai* is said *uh* here too. *Il faisait froid* is "it was cold".

## Future, conditional and subjunctive

*"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form French uses after il faut que, je veux que and other wishes and doubts.*


| Pronoun | Futur | Conditionnel | Subjonctif |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| je | ferai | ferais | fasse |
| tu | feras | ferais | fasses |
| il / elle / on | fera | ferait | fasse |
| nous | ferons | ferions | fassions |
| vous | ferez | feriez | fassiez |
| ils / elles | feront | feraient | fassent |

The future and conditional are built on *fer-*: *je le ferai demain* (I'll do it tomorrow). The subjunctive has its own stem, *fass-*: *il faut que je fasse les courses*, I have to do the shopping.

## Participles

*The "-ing" form (étant, being) and the past participle that makes the passé composé (été, been).*


| Form | faire | In a sentence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| present participle | faisant | *En faisant la cuisine* (while cooking) |
| past participle | fait | *C'est bien fait* (it's well made) |

## Imperative (impératif)

*Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.*


| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tu | fais | ne fais pas |
| nous | faisons | ne faisons pas |
| vous | faites | ne faites pas |

*Fais attention!* is "be careful!", and *faites comme chez vous* is "make yourself at home".

## What faire does

*Where English uses another verb*

| French | Means |
| --- | --- |
| il fait beau / chaud / froid | it's nice / hot / cold out |
| faire du sport, faire du vélo | to play sports, to go cycling |
| faire la cuisine, faire les courses | to cook, to do the shopping |
| faire attention | to be careful, to pay attention |
| ça fait trois ans | it's been three years |
| je fais réparer ma voiture | I'm getting my car fixed |

**Weather is faire, not être.** *Il fait chaud* is "it's hot out", and for how you feel it's *j'ai chaud*. *Je suis chaud* means something else entirely. [Why](https://learnwithkin.com/french/embarrassing-words).

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## Questions

### Is it vous faites or vous faisez?

*Vous faites*. *Faisez* doesn't exist. Only three *vous* forms skip *-ez*: *vous êtes*, *vous faites* and *vous dites*.

### What is the passé composé of faire?

*J'ai fait, tu as fait, il a fait, nous avons fait, vous avez fait, ils ont fait*. It takes *avoir*.

### What is the future of faire?

*Je ferai, tu feras, il fera, nous ferons, vous ferez, ils feront*. The stem is *fer-*.

### What is the subjunctive of faire?

*Que je fasse, que tu fasses, qu'il fasse, que nous fassions, que vous fassiez, qu'ils fassent*.

### How do you pronounce nous faisons?

*Noo fuh-ZOHN*. The *ai* is said like the *e* in *le*, the same as in *je faisais*.

## Related

- [aller conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/french/conjugations/aller.md)
- [avoir conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/french/conjugations/avoir.md)
- [French words that will get you laughed at](https://learnwithkin.com/french/embarrassing-words.md)

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