The French causative construction, known as faire causatif, is a grammatical structure used to express that someone causes another person or thing to perform an action. Examples in English are phrases like “I’ll have him do that” or “She’s getting her dress dry cleaned.” It is formed using the verb faire (to make or to have) followed by an infinitive verb. The person or thing performing the action is introduced by à or par in some cases, while the agent causing the action is the subject of faire.

Basic Structure

The typical structure is:

Subject + faire + infinitive + (optional agent introduced by à or par)

Examples

1. Without an expressed agent:

• Je fais réparer ma voiture. (I am having my car repaired.)
• Elle fait cuire le pain. (She is baking the bread.)

2. With an agent introduced by à (for people):

• Je fais lire le livre à mon fils. (I make my son read the book.)
• Il fait écrire une lettre à sa secrétaire. (He has his secretary write a letter.)

3. With an agent introduced by par (for things or in passive-like constructions):

• Elle fait nettoyer la maison par le service de ménage. (She has the house cleaned by the cleaning service.)
• Nous faisons vérifier les documents par un expert. (We have the documents checked by an expert.)

Pronoun Placement

When using pronouns, they precede faire:

• Je le fais réparer. (I am having it repaired.)
• Il la fait manger à son chien. (He makes his dog eat it.)

Reflexive Verbs

With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun agrees with the agent:

• Elle se fait couper les cheveux. (She is having her hair cut.)
• Je me fais aider par mes amis. (I have my friends help me.)

Common Fixed Expressions

1. Faire venir (to have someone come, to summon)

This means to make someone come or to arrange for someone’s arrival.

• Je fais venir le médecin. (I am calling the doctor.)
• Elle a fait venir un spécialiste de Paris. (She had a specialist come from Paris.)
• Faites venir le directeur ! (Have the manager come!)

2. Faire faire (to have something done, to make someone do something)

This is used when someone arranges for an action to be performed by another person.

• Je fais faire une robe sur mesure. (I am having a dress made to order.)
• Il fait faire ses devoirs à son frère. (He makes his brother do his homework.)
• Nous faisons faire une enquête. (We are having an investigation conducted.)

3. Faire savoir (to let someone know, to inform)

This means to communicate information to someone.

• Je te ferai savoir. (I’ll let you know.)
• Je vais te faire savoir. (I’m going to let you know.)
• Elle a fait savoir sa décision. (She made her decision known.)
• Je leur ai fait savoir que la réunion était annulée. (I informed them that the meeting was canceled.)
• Fais-le-moi savoir. (Let me know.)

Fais-le-moi savoir can sound a bit formal or old-fashioned in casual spoken French. While grammatically correct, native speakers often use more natural alternatives in everyday conversation. Here’s how the faire causatif is realistically used (or avoided) in modern spoken French:

“Faire savoir” in everyday speech

• Formal/Professional:
  Veuillez me faire savoir votre décision. (Please inform me of your decision.) → Still used in emails/business.
  Faites-moi savoir si vous êtes disponible. (Let me know if you’re available.) → Polite but slightly stiff.
• Everyday Alternatives:
  • Dis-moi / Dites-moi (Tell me)
    Dis-moi si tu viens. (Tell me if you’re coming.)
  • Tiens-moi au courant (Keep me posted)
    Tiens-moi au courant pour la soirée. (Keep me posted about the party.)
  • Préviens-moi (Give me a heads-up)
    Préviens-moi avant de partir. (Let me know before you leave.)

4. Fais voir ! / Faites voir ! (Let me see! / Show me!)

This is an informal expression used to ask someone to show something.

• Fais voir ! (Let me see!)
• Fais voir ton nouveau téléphone. (Let me see your new phone.)
• Faites voir vos billets, s’il vous plaît. (Show me your tickets, please.)
• Fais voir si tu as compris. (Let me see if you understood.)

Differences from English

Unlike English, where “have,” “make” or “get” are used similarly, French always employs faire in causative constructions. The word order and pronoun placement differ significantly.