se faire
Se faire is a pronominal construction built on the verb faire. Its core function is to express that the subject causes an action to happen to themselves, or that something happens to the subject as a result of an external agent. In many contexts, English uses a passive construction, a causative structure, or an idiomatic expression rather than a reflexive verb.
Grammatically, the pattern is:
- Se faire + infinitive
- Conjugated faire agrees with the subject
- The infinitive does not agree
- The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject
Causative meaning: arranging for something to be done
This is the most frequent and neutral use. The subject arranges or causes someone else to perform an action for them.
Examples:
- Je me fais couper les cheveux.
I get my hair cut. - Elle s’est fait réparer le vélo.
She had the bike repaired. - Nous nous faisons livrer le repas.
We have the meal delivered. - Il se fait construire une maison.
He is having a house built. - Tu te feras envoyer les documents.
You will have the documents sent to you.
Common alternatives:
- Faire + infinitive with an explicit object
Je fais réparer le vélo. - Passive voice in formal registers
Le vélo est réparé.
Unwanted or negative events affecting the subject
Se faire is very common for events that happen to the subject, often unexpectedly or against their will. English usually prefers a passive or an idiomatic verb.
Examples:
- Il s’est fait voler son portefeuille.
He had his wallet stolen. - Elle s’est fait arnaquer.
She got scammed. - Ils se sont fait refuser l’entrée.
They were refused entry. - Je me suis fait réveiller trop tôt.
I got woken up too early. - On s’est fait interrompre.
We were interrupted.
Common alternatives:
- Passive voice
Son portefeuille a été volé. - Active voice with an impersonal subject
On lui a volé son portefeuille.
Physical or verbal harm
This category overlaps with the previous one but is especially common with verbs of violence, punishment, or reprimand.
Examples:
- Il s’est fait frapper.
He got hit. - Elle s’est fait insulter.
She was insulted. - Je me suis fait gronder.
I got told off. - Ils se sont fait expulser.
They were expelled. - Tu vas te faire punir.
You are going to get punished.
Common alternatives:
- Passive constructions
Il a été frappé. - Lexical verbs where available
Il a été agressé.
Resulting state or transformation
Se faire can describe a change that the subject undergoes, sometimes deliberately, sometimes progressively.
Examples:
- Il s’est fait discret.
He kept a low profile. - Elle se fait rare.
She is becoming hard to find. - Il s’est fait célèbre.
He became famous. - Ils se sont fait invisibles.
They made themselves inconspicuous.
Common alternatives:
- Devenir
Il est devenu célèbre. - Lexical verbs expressing change
Il s’est effacé.
Social identity, reputation, or role
This use focuses on how the subject positions themselves socially or how they are perceived.
Examples:
- Il s’est fait des amis rapidement.
He made friends quickly. - Elle s’est fait un nom dans le milieu.
She made a name for herself in the field. - Il se fait passer pour un expert.
He passes himself off as an expert. - Ils se sont fait une réputation.
They built a reputation.
Common alternatives:
- Devenir + noun
Il est devenu une référence. - Fixed expressions
Se bâtir une réputation.
Informal and idiomatic uses
Some se faire expressions are idiomatic and must be learned as fixed units.
Examples:
- Je me fais chier.
I am bored stiff. - Il se fait vieux.
He is getting old. - On va se faire un café.
Let’s have a coffee. - Elle se fait plaisir.
She treats herself.
Alternatives depend on register and context and often involve completely different verbs.
Agreement and word order notes
- The past participle fait is invariable when followed by an infinitive
Elle s’est fait couper les cheveux. - Object placement follows standard pronominal verb rules
Il se la fait envoyer. - With body parts, French often keeps the noun explicit
Je me suis fait mal au dos.
I hurt my back.
Summary
- Se faire commonly expresses causation, experience, or impact on the subject.
- English often translates it using passive voice, idiomatic verbs, or causative structures.
- It is frequent with negative or uncontrolled events.
- Past participle agreement follows the rules of causative faire.
- Many uses are idiomatic and must be learned as set expressions.
Se faire vs Faire causatif
The difference is not about meaning alone but about grammatical focus.
- Faire causatif presents the subject as causing an action to be done to someone or something.
- Se faire presents the subject as the person affected by the action, whether deliberately or not.
Both often translate into similar English structures, but French chooses between them based on where the speaker places the subject in the event.
Faire causatif: the subject causes the action
Structure:
- Faire + infinitive
- Optional explicit agent
The subject initiates or orders the action. The subject is not the recipient.
Examples:
- Je fais réparer la voiture.
I have the car repaired. - Elle fait nettoyer le bureau par un employé.
She has the office cleaned by an employee. - Ils feront construire la maison.
They will have the house built. - Le professeur a fait répéter la phrase aux élèves.
The teacher made the students repeat the sentence.
Typical focus:
- Control, decision, authority.
- The action as something the subject brings about.
Se faire: the subject is the one affected
Structure:
- Se faire + infinitive
- The subject and the affected person are the same.
The subject experiences the result of the action, sometimes by choice, sometimes passively.
Examples:
- Je me fais réparer la voiture.
I get my car repaired. - Elle s’est fait couper les cheveux.
She got her hair cut. - Il s’est fait arrêter.
He got arrested. - On s’est fait interrompre.
We were interrupted.
Typical focus:
- What happens to the subject.
- The outcome for the subject rather than the agent.
Same situation, different framing
Both constructions can describe the same real-world event, but the viewpoint differs.
Examples:
- Je fais réparer la voiture.
Focus on arranging the repair. - Je me fais réparer la voiture.
Focus on me as the customer receiving the service. - Il a fait arrêter le voleur.
He caused the thief to be arrested. - Il s’est fait arrêter.
He himself was arrested.
Control versus exposure
A useful way to separate them in practice:
- Faire causatif implies initiative or authority.
- Se faire implies exposure to the action’s effects.
This is especially clear with negative events:
Examples:
- Il s’est fait voler son sac.
He had his bag stolen.
Not il a fait voler son sac, which would mean he arranged the theft.
Summary
- Faire causatif answers “who causes the action?”
- Se faire answers “who undergoes the action?”
- Both use faire + infinitive, but only se faire makes the subject the affected party.
- Choice depends on perspective, not on tense or register.
This distinction explains why many English translations look similar even when the French structures differ.
