In French, faire means “to do” or “to make” and is one of the most common and frequently used verbs of French grammar, like être, avoir, aller, vouloir, pouvoir, falloir, etc.

Faire- To do/ To make
je fais | nous faisons |
tu fais | vous faites |
il/elle fait | ils/elles font |
In most of the cases, it is used exactly in the same sense as it translates. For example,
- je fais mes devoirs. (I am doing my homework).
- Elle fait le gâteau chocolat. (She is making the chocolate cake).
- Nous faisons des projets. (We are making plans).
- Il fait la lessive. (He is doing the laundry).
But when it is to be more clear about something “to make” then the French verbs need to be more specific while communicating which means faire is being replaced by other verbs like prendre, rendre, préparer, etc. For example,
- Elle prend une décision. (She is making the decision).
- Ça me rend heureux. (That makes me happy).
- Les oeufs m’ont rendu malade. (The eggs made me feel sick)
- Je prépare un repas. (I am making a meal).
Remark: When to use faire and when to use rendre? Well, if the verb is followed by a noun use “faire” and when the verb is followed by an adjective use “rendre”.
Conjugation of “Prendre” & “Rendre“
Je prends | Je rends |
Tu prends | Tu rends |
Il/Elle prend | Il/Elle rend |
Nous prenons | Nous rendons |
Vous prenez | Vous rendez |
Ils/Elles prennent | Ils/Elles rendent |

The verb faire is used mainly in terms of expressing: the weather, sports, mathematics, or some regular phrases. For example,
- Il fait beau/chaud/froid. – It is beautiful/hot/cold.
- Il fait soleil/du vent/du brouillard. – It is sunny/windy/foggy.
- Il fait jour/nuit. – It is light/dark.
- Il/Elle fait du shopping/des achats/des courses. – He/She goes for shopping/purchasing.
- Il/Elle fait le ménage. – He/She is doing the housework.
- Il/Elle fait une promenade. – He/She is going for a walk.
- Il/Elle fait la queue. – He/She standing up in a line.
- Il/Elle fait un voyage. – He/She is going on a trip.
- Il/Elle fait ses adieux. – He/She is saying goodbye.
- Je fais du sport/du ski/du football/du golf. – I play sports/I ski/football/golf.
- Je fais du violon/du théâtre/du piano. – I play violin/I do acting/I play piano.
- Je vais faire 2 kilomètres. – I going to walk 2kms.
- Cinq et cinq font dix. – Five plus five equals ten.
- Quel temps fait-il? – How is the weather?
- Elle fait un crêpe. – She is making pancake.