fait
/fɛ/
In French, "does" is translated as fait.
fait is used to describe performing an action or task.
Which one should you use?
The first and second-person singular forms are fais.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form fait is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb faire.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use fait to form questions like "Does he eat?", whereas in French one would use the verb manger directly.
Did you know?
- The word fait is a key part of the phrase fait accompli, which has been borrowed directly into English. It refers to a decision or action that has already happened and cannot be undone.
- While fait means 'does', the French use it to describe the weather in a way that English doesn't. For example, saying il fait beau literally means 'it does beautiful' to say 'the weather is nice'.
- The English word 'fact' and the French verb fait share the same ancestor, the Latin word factum, which means 'a thing done'.
Examples in context
- Qui fait ça ?Who does that?This example shows how to ask who is performing an action using fait.Tatoeba #8619973 by Micsmithel, translation #2254716 by CK
- Ça fait quoi ?How does it feel?This example demonstrates how fait can be used to ask about the effect or feeling of something.Tatoeba #1652372 by sacredceltic, translation #1652290 by Spamster
- Que fait Tony ?What does Tony do?This example shows how to ask what a specific person is doing using fait.Tatoeba #135961 by Aiji, translation #37710 by CN
- Le directeur fait tout son possible pour améliorer l'efficacité de l'entreprise.The director does everything in his power to improve the company's efficiency.
- La société effectue une étude de marché approfondie avant de lancer le produit.The company does thorough market research before launching the product.
- Comment faire pour lancer une entreprise en France ?How do you start a business in France?
- Nous effectuons les réparations rapidement et efficacement.We do the repairs quickly and efficiently.
- 382 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are discussing their brother's chores.
- HugoQu'est-ce que ton frère fait ?What is your brother doing?
- ChloéIl fait le ménage.He does the cleaning.
- HugoIl fait ça tous les samedis ?Does he do that every Saturday?
- ChloéOui, il fait toujours ses tâches.Yes, he always does his chores.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry fait, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fait, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
