6 The Verb Faire and Using Prepositions

MUST KNOW

Y a-t-il takes two hyphens.

We use faire to talk about the weather.

Faire + infinitive is the causative form.

Put in the time to memorize each verb and its corresponding preposition.

Changing a verb’s preposition can change its meaning.

Faire is one of the most versatile verbs in the French language. With just one verb, you can talk about cooking, chores, hobbies, travel plans, and the weather. Almost as important as faire, prepositions are the glue that holds the language together. And if you want to pass as a native French speaker, you’ll have to use the right prepositions at the right times —otherwise, you might blow your cover!

Il y a

Il y a (there is, there are) is an adverbial expression that states the existence of people and things. While in English we distinguish between there is and there are, il y a encompasses both the singular and plural form.

Faire

The verb faire is another essential part of the French language. Its literal translation is to do or to make, though it is used in countless idiomatic expressions. For example, faire allows us to both articulate the weather (Quel temps fait-il?) and get others’ attention (Faites attention!). But for now, let’s start with its present-tense conjugation.

Weather Expressions

Whether it’s the winter or the summer, being able to talk about the weather will certainly serve you throughout your language endeavors.

As we know from earlier chapters, the conjugated verb’s final consonant in the first-, second-, and third-person singular is usually silent. The important thing to note about faire, however, is that the nous form has a tricky pronunciation. The “fai” of nous faisons is pronounced as a feh sound, and the s takes on a z sound.

A lot of weather expressions use faire, but not all do. Here are some examples:

Climatologists and geologists are constantly on the lookout for powerful seismic and weather events. Let’s take a look at some of the vocab they commonly come across in this realm:

But, unfortunately, many events are caused or exacerbated by humans, and these are the issues that keep many up at night:

Idiomatic Expressions with Faire

Faire is also used in expressions related to chores, activites, and sports, among other things.

Note that faire plaisir and plaire are often confused. Faire plaisir implies someone is happy to do something for somebody. Plaire means to like, to enjoy, to please. Make a mental note of these two verbs, as you’ll come across them again in this book. Let’s look at a few examples:

Faire + Infinitive: La forme causative

When the conjugated verb faire is followed by an infinitive (e.g., faire signer), it is expressing the idea that one person causes another person to act. Often, this action is delegated or prompted by the main subject, who is having something done for him or her. For this reason, the preposition par may be used to emphasize the new actor stepping in for the main subject.

Verbs with Prepositions

In French, you’ll often want to link two verbs together, and to do this, you’ll want to use prepositions. While not all verbs need a preposition to connect to an infinitive, many do, and so you’ll want to memorize their corresponding prepositions; unfortunately, there is no secret recipe for this.

Verbs Followed by the Preposition à + a Verb in the Infinitive

Let’s take a look at the first set of verbs that are followed by à.

Verbs Followed by the Preposition de + a Verb in the Infinitive

Now that we’ve seen some of the verbs followed by the preposition à, let’s look at those followed by the preposition de.

Verbs that Are Followed by Multiple Prepositions

Some verbs can stand on their own without a preposition, and can still be followed by different prepositions. Note, however, that each variation carries a different meaning. For example:

Let’s look at another example:

Other verbs can follow the same pattern:

■   finir

■   parler

■   penser

■   jouer

Verbs that Don’t Need Prepositions in French

After learning about all these prepositions, it might be tempting to think that all verbs require a preposition. But remember that some verbs can be used directly before the infinitive without à, de, par, etc.

In French, when a conjugated verb is followed by another verb in the same clause, the second verb must be in the infinitive; this follows from the rule that two conjugated verbs cannot be directly next to each other.

As you’ve probably noticed, the subject of the first verb is the same as the one of the second verb; that’s why the infinitive form is used. When the subjects are different, a dependent clause introduced by que is needed.

When the infinitive clause is in the negative, the negation stays combined in front of the infinitive.

In some cases, a French verb does not need a preposition when its English counterpart requires one, and vice versa. You will notice this confusion the next time you hear a French person forget to use the correct preposition when speaking English—and this is a common problem among language learners.

DIALOGUE Le réchauffement climatique te fait peur? Does climate change scare you?

Margot attended the One Planet summit on climate change in Paris with her high school classmates and her geography teacher. Her friend Noah wants to know all about it.

You buy your tickets à l’avance (early/in advance), and if you pay the rent in advance, vous payez le loyer à l’avance. However, if you arrive early for an appointment, vous arrivez en avance, not à l’heure (on time), or en retard (late). Make a note of the difference between à l’avance and en avance.

While the United States uses the English system of measurement, most countries, including France, use the metric system. It’s the system that uses meters for length, kilograms for mass, liters for liquid measurements, and Celsius for temperature. So when you follow a French recipe, you might have to preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius, measure 150 grams of flour, or pour half a liter of milk. And when getting directions, you might be told to walk 500 meters or to drive 50 kilometers. Can you convert between the two systems?

EXERCISES

EXERCISE 6.1

Translate the following sentences into French. When asking a question, use inversion.

1. There is a skating rink in our town.

2. Is there soap in the kitchen?

3. There is water on the table.

4. There are no tickets for tonight.

5. There are vegetables in the refrigerator.

EXERCISE 6.2

Answer the following questions using the natural disaster words above.

1. Quelle catastrophe naturelle a dévasté la Louisiane en 2005?

2. Quelle catastrophe naturelle a eu lieu à Agadir, au Maroc, en 1960?

3. Quelles catastrophes ont eu lieu en Indonésie en 2004?

4. Quelle catastrophe naturelle a eu lieu à Londres en 1666?

5. Quelle catastrophe naturelle a eu lieu en Martinique en 1902?

EXERCISE 6.3

Conjugate the verb faire in the present tense.

1. Nous (faire) _______________ une randonnée dans les Alpes-Maritimes.

2. En juillet, il (faire) _______________ froid au Chili.

3. (faire) _______________ -vous partie d’une association écologique?

4. Les fermiers bio (faire) _______________ des progrès en matières environnementales.

5. Certains (faire) _______________ semblant d’ignorer le réchauffement climatique.

6. Est-ce que tu (faire) _______________ du vélo dans les Landes?

7. Je (faire) _______________ des économies pour financer mon voyage en Antarctique.

8. Élisabeth ne (faire) _______________ pas assez attention à sa consommation d’énergie.

9. Les scientifiques (faire) _______________ un voyage au Groenland pour étudier le mouvement des glaciers.

10. —Qu’est-ce que tu (faire) _______________ dans la vie? —Je suis climatologue.

EXERCISE 6.4

Match the items in the two columns. Choose the most logical answers.

EXERCISE 6.5

Translate the following sentences using the verb faire. When asking a question, use the inversion form.

1. They are hiking in the Alps.

2. I like to bike in Martinique.

3. He pretends not to see me.

4. She is a member of an environmental association.

5. Climate change scares me.

6. What’s the weather like this morning?

7. It is cold, and it is misty.

8. We are saving to go to France next year.

9. You exercise every day. (vous)

10. Aloïse Sauvage’s new album is a big hit.

EXERCISE 6.6

Using the causative form, rewrite the following statements.

1. Il répare la moto. (par le mécanicien)

2. Je repeins mon appartement. (par mon frère)

3. Nous faisons un gâteau. (par le pâtissier)

4. Vous préparez le dossier. (par votre collègue)

5. Est-ce que tu laves ta voiture? (par ton neveu)

6. Ils envoient les paquets. (par leur stagiaire)

7. Elle tape le rapport. (par son assistant)

8. Thomas fait le ménage. (par un étudiant)

9. Je fais mes robes moi-même. (par un couturier)

10. Carole se coupe les cheveux elle-même. (par le coiffeur)

EXERCISE 6.7

Fill each blank with the appropriate preposition.

1. Elle s’intéresse ______ cette nouvelle source d’énergie.

2. Margot essaie ______ sensibiliser Noah à sa cause.

3. Nous vous invitons ______ devenir membre.

4. Il menace ______ quitter l’organisation.

5. Ils nous aident ______ planter des arbres.

6. Elle apprend ______ fabriquer son propre shampooing solide.

7. Je me souviens ______ l’ouragan de 2005.

8. Penses-tu que tu vas réussir ______ le convaincre?

9. Il n’arrive pas ______ se faire ______ nouveau travail.

10. Ils ont l’intention ______ faire le tour du monde en voilier.

EXERCISE 6.8

Translate the following sentences using the vous form when applicable. When asking a question, use inversion.

1. I need to water the garden.

2. Noah is helping clean the kitchen.

3. He remembers the date of the hurricane.

4. They are afraid of another oil spill.

5. I am interested in this series.

6. Do you feel like hiking in Brittany?

7. We are expecting a major change in our company.

8. I often forget to buy a frozen yogurt for Benoît.

9. She is encouraging me to make progress in French.

10. He always manages to water his garden in one hour.

EXERCISE 6.9

Fill in each blank with the appropriate preposition.

1. Quand vas-tu commencer ______ jouer ______ piano?

2. Elle veut jouer ______ tennis et ______ volleyball.

3. Margot nous parle ______ son nouveau projet.

4. ______ quoi penses-tu? Je pense ______ la mort de Marie-Antoinette.

5. Que pensez-vous ______ dernier film de François Ozon?

6. Nous pensons ______ nos amis qui sont en vacances en France.

7. ______ quoi parlez-vous?

8. Quand allez-vous finir ______ repeindre la maison de Xavier?

9. Je vais commencer ______ le salon et je vais finir ______ le bureau.

10. Ils parlent ______ la pluie et ______ beau temps.

EXERCISE 6.10

Translate the following sentences using the vous form when applicable. When asking a question, use inversion.

1. I don’t like to bike when it rains.

2. I know how to prepare Indian dishes.

3. We must sign the petition.

4. Are you planning to invest in Rwanda?

5. I dare not promise you the moon.

6. They can go to Bruxelles by train.

7. We hope to meet them soon.

8. I must learn how to make solid soap.

9. She claims to be a princess.

10. The Z generation is going to mobilize people.

LE COIN DES CRÉATEURS

DERRIÈRE LA PORTE…

Doors have always been intriguing. You may have seen doors from Greece, from Morocco, or French castle doors. What possibly is there behind this door? Get a postcard of a door on the Internet, or take your own picture of a door, whatever city, whatever country, and imagine what could be behind the door.

Example: Derrière la porte, il y a un chef japonais qui prépare un repas pour un enfant qui est passionné d’astronomie. Le chef… L’enfant…

À votre tour!

Derrière la porte, il y a…

NOTE CULTURELLE

LIBERTY, FRATERNITY, EQUALITY, AND…ECOLOGY?

In France, there is a long tradition of activism on behalf of environmental and ecological issues. For the French, “being green” and “green politics” are based on a political ideology that seeks to create an ecologically sustainable society by promoting environmentalism, nonviolence, and social justice, both on the individual and societal level.

Green political activism dates back to the first Earth Day, or Jour de la Terre, celebrated in the United States on April 22, 1970. An international event by 1990, it has mobilized more than 200 million people in 141 countries and raised awareness of environmental issues throughout the world. These issues are both general and local, and national Green political parties began to develop in many countries as a way of dealing with them. There were several such parties in France, the largest of which were The Greens and Europe Ecology. In November 2010, these two parties decided to join forces and form a single new party, Europe Écologie Les Verts, Europe Ecology—The Greens, abbreviated in French as EELV.

The mobilization of young people has played an important role in the EELV’s spectacular rise, as voters reject traditional political parties and push government leaders to take quick action against climate change and other environmental issues. The party is now the primary political force among 18- to 34-year-old voters, as the results of recent French and European elections have shown. In a country committed to protecting the planet with environment-friendly practices, the EELV has been responsible for pushing France to the forefront in promoting sustainable practices and in combating climate change.

France supports efforts and initiatives by the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations to deal with environmental issues and problems of global concern, including climate change. The Paris Climate Agreement, also referred to as the Paris Climate Accord, is a pact sponsored by the UN. Negotiated in Paris, it brings together a majority of the world’s nations with the goal of combating climate change and creating strategies to adapt to its effects. France has been an enthusiastic supporter of the agreement and was one of the first countries to sign it.

For the French, “being green” isn’t just a color, it’s an ideology. As The Urban Dictionary says: “To be green does not mean to dip yourself in green paint! To be green is to help the environment in every way possible.” In France, people are doing just that.