faire confiance
/fɛʁ kɔ̃.fjɑ̃s/
To trust is faire confiance in French.
The phrase faire confiance is used to express being confident. It is related to the noun confiance, which means confidence in or reliance on some person or quality. Note that the English word trust can also be used as a noun to describe a group of businessmen or traders.
Meaning: to be confident (verb)
Which one should you use?
While faire confiance à is used for trusting a person's reliability, avoir confiance en is often used for having faith in an abstract quality or a person's abilities.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing whom you trust, you must use the preposition 'à' before the person or entity, forming the structure faire confiance à quelqu'un.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛʁ kɔ̃.fjɑ̃s/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to use the verb confier to mean 'to trust a person', but confier actually means 'to entrust something to someone'.
Did you know?
- The noun confiance is historically linked to the word 'fiancé' through the concept of a 'promise' or 'trust' being placed between people.
- Because trust is expressed as faire confiance, French speakers can use the phrase trahir la confiance to describe a betrayal. This literally means 'to betray the confidence' that was 'made'.
Examples in context
- Tu dois me faire confiance.You have to trust me.This example shows how to use faire confiance.Tatoeba #1445216 by sacredceltic, translation #1444839 by Spamster
- Je veux te faire confiance.I want to trust you.Tatoeba #2475381 by sacredceltic, translation #2011498 by CK
- Tu peux lui faire confiance.You can trust him.Tatoeba #181022 by Aiji, translation #490921 by adjusting
- J'ai confiance en toi.I trust you.
- Je compte sur toi.I trust you/rely on you.
- J'ai une totale confiance en toi.I have complete trust in you.
- Je te fais confiance pour prendre les bonnes décisions.I trust you to make the right decisions.
- J'ai foi en toi pour surmonter les obstacles.I trust in you to overcome the obstacles.
- Je compte sur toi pour m'aider avec cette tâche.I trust/rely on you to help me with this task.
- 182 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are discussing a new business partner.
- NathanEst-ce qu'on peut lui faire confiance ?Can we trust him?
- ManonOui, il est très honnête, Manon.Yes, he is very honest, Manon.
- NathanJe vais essayer de lui faire confiance.I will try to trust him.
- ManonC'est la bonne décision, Nathan.It is the right decision, Nathan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trust” translations and entries faire confiance, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries confiance, faire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
