🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

What is Causative Faire + Infinitive?

Causative fare + infinitive expresses the idea of having or making someone do an action. The structure 'faire + infinitive' is fundamental to French syntax and appears across formal and informal registers.

Short answer

Faire + infinitive means to cause or have someone do something: 'Je fais manger les enfants' (I make/have the children eat). The infinitive follows directly; object placement depends on whether the infinitive has its own object.

Faire + Infinitive Structure

1
Subject + faire (conjugated)
Je fais... / Il fait... / Nous faisons...
↓
2
+ Infinitive verb
(manger, étudier, partir, etc.)
↓
3
+ Agent (who does it)
Optional: person doing the action (subject or à-phrase)
↓
4
+ Object of infinitive
Optional: direct or indirect object of the infinitive verb

Step-by-step worked examples

Construct: 'I have the children eat dinner.'

Subject: Je
Faire (conjugated): fais
Infinitive: manger
Direct object: les enfants
Result: Je fais manger les enfants.
OR (less common): Je fais manger le dîner aux enfants.

Construct with au/à: 'She has him study French.'

Subject: Elle
Faire: fait
Infinitive: étudier
Agent (à): à + person → lui, à Pierre
Result: Elle lui fait étudier le français.
OR: Elle fait étudier le français à Pierre.

Causative with reflexive: 'He gets himself washed / He washes up.'

Subject: Il
Faire: se fait
Infinitive: laver
Result: Il se fait laver. (He has himself washed.)
OR reflexive infinitive: Il se fait laver. (More formal / passive idea.)

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.Construct: 'I have her sing a song.' ('song' = direct object)

Correct answer: D. Infinitive has direct object (chanson) → agent takes indirect object: à + pronoun = lui.

Q2.'Faire + infinitive' with reflexive: 'They have themselves served.'

Correct answer: B. Reflexive: se + faire (conjugated) + infinitive.

Q3.What is the agent in 'Je fais manger les enfants'?

Correct answer: C. 'Les enfants' are who eat — they are the direct object/agent of faire.

Q4.Difference: 'Je fais partir Pierre' vs 'Je fais partir à Pierre'?

Correct answer: B. First (direct object): I make Pierre leave. Second (à): I make something leave to Pierre (rare/different meaning).

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Common mistakes

✗

Always using à for the agent after faire + infinitive. — Correct: Direct à only if the infinitive has its own direct object.

✗

Placing the object before faire instead of after the infinitive. — Correct: Object follows the infinitive: 'Je fais manger du pain aux enfants.'

✗

Confusing faire de (craft) with faire + inf. (causative). — Correct: Faire + inf. causes; faire de + noun constructs from materials.

✗

Forgetting to conjugate faire. — Correct: Faire conjugates with subject: je fais, tu fais, il fait, etc.

FAQ

What is causative faire + infinitive?

A construction meaning to cause or have someone do an action: 'Je fais manger' (I make/have eat).

How does word order work with faire + infinitive?

Subject + faire (conjugated) + infinitive + agent/object. Object placement shifts if the infinitive has its own object.

When do you use à with faire + infinitive?

Only if the infinitive has a direct object; then the agent takes à: 'Je fais manger du pain à Pierre.'

Can faire + infinitive work with reflexive verbs?

Yes: 'Il se fait laver' (He has himself washed / He washes up).