The French verb faire means “to do” or “to make,” but many set phrases use a different English verb. Some refer to everyday tasks or activities; others have a figurative meaning.

• Faire attention à means to pay attention or be careful. [Literally, “to do attention to.”]
  • Fais attention à la marche. “Watch your step.”
• Faire beau means that the weather is fine. [Literally, “to make beautiful.”]
  • Il fait beau aujourd’hui. “The weather is nice today.”
• Faire confiance à means to trust someone. [Literally, “to make trust in.”]
  • Je fais confiance à mon frère. “I trust my brother.”
• Faire connaissance avec means to meet someone and get to know them. [Literally, “to make acquaintance with.”]
  • Nous avons fait connaissance avec nos voisins. “We met our neighbors.”
• Faire des achats means to go shopping or make purchases. [Literally, “to make purchases.”]
  • Je fais des achats en ville cet après-midi. “I’m going shopping downtown.”
• Faire des affaires means to conduct business, make deals, or trade. [Literally, “to do business.”]
  • Elle fait des affaires avec des clients étrangers. “She does business with foreign clients.”
• Faire des blagues means to joke or tease. [Literally, “to make jokes.”]
  • Ils font des blagues pendant le repas. “They tell jokes during the meal.”
• Faire des cauchemars means to have nightmares. [Literally, “to make nightmares.”]
  • Le petit garçon fait des cauchemars. “The little boy has nightmares.”
• Faire des économies means to save money. [Literally, “to make savings.”]
  • Nous faisons des économies pour partir en voyage. “We are saving money to go on a trip.”
• Faire des études means to study, often at a college or university. [Literally, “to do studies.”]
  • Elle fait des études de médecine. “She is studying medicine.”
• Faire des progrès means to improve. [Literally, “to make progress.”]
  • Il fait des progrès en français. “He is making progress in French.”
• Faire du bien à means to help or benefit someone, or to feel good to them. [Literally, “to do good to.”]
  • Cette promenade me fait du bien. “This walk does me good.”
• Faire du bruit means to be noisy or make a sound. [Literally, “to make noise.”]
  • Les enfants font du bruit dans le jardin. “The children are making noise in the garden.”
• Faire du lèche-vitrine means to browse shop windows without necessarily buying anything. [Literally, “to do some window-licking.”]
  • On va faire du lèche-vitrine samedi. “We’re going window-shopping on Saturday.”
• Faire du mal à means to hurt someone or something. [Literally, “to do harm to.”]
  • Cette remarque lui a fait du mal. “That remark hurt him.”
• Faire du shopping means to go shopping, usually with the aim of buying things. [Literally, “to do shopping.”]
  • Elles font du shopping au centre-ville. “They’re shopping downtown.”
• Faire du sport means to exercise or take part in sports. [Literally, “to do sport.”]
  • Nous faisons du sport deux fois par semaine. “We exercise twice a week.”
• Faire du vélo means to ride a bicycle or go cycling. [Literally, “to do cycling.”]
  • Elles font du vélo après le travail. “They ride their bikes after work.”
• Faire en sorte que means to make sure that something happens. [Literally, “to make it so that.”]
  • Fais en sorte que tout soit prêt à midi. “Make sure everything is ready by noon.”
• Faire exprès means to do something deliberately. [Literally, “to do on purpose.”]
  • Tu as cassé le verre exprès ? “Did you break the glass on purpose?”
• Faire face à means to face or deal with a problem or challenge. [Literally, “to make face toward.”]
  • Nous devons faire face à un problème difficile. “We have to deal with a hard problem.”
• Faire froid means that the weather is cold. [Literally, “to make cold.”]
  • Il fait froid ce matin. “It is cold this morning.”
• Faire gaffe is an informal way to say “be careful” or “watch out.” [Literally, “to make care.”]
  • Fais gaffe en traversant la rue. “Watch out when you cross the street.”
• Faire la bise means to greet someone with cheek kisses. The custom varies by place and social setting. [Literally, “to do the cheek-kiss.”]
  • Elle fait la bise à ses amis. “She greets her friends with cheek kisses.”
• Faire la cuisine means to cook or prepare a meal. [Literally, “to do the cooking.”]
  • Mon père fait la cuisine ce soir. “My father is cooking tonight.”
• Faire la fête means to celebrate or party. [Literally, “to do the party.”]
  • Ils ont fait la fête jusqu’à minuit. “They partied until midnight.”
• Faire la grasse matinée means to sleep late or stay in bed longer than usual. [Literally, “to make the fat morning.”]
  • Nous faisons la grasse matinée le dimanche. “We sleep in on Sundays.”
• Faire la lessive means to do the laundry. [Literally, “to do the washing.”]
  • Je fais la lessive le samedi. “I do the laundry on Saturdays.”
• Faire la moue means to pout or show displeasure with a look. [Literally, “to make a pout.”]
  • Elle fait la moue quand elle perd. “She pouts when she loses.”
• Faire la navette means to travel back and forth regularly, often between home and work. [Literally, “to do the shuttle.”]
  • Il fait la navette entre Lyon et Paris. “He travels back and forth between Lyon and Paris.”
• Faire la paix avec means to end a quarrel or accept something from the past. [Literally, “to make peace with.”]
  • Elle a fait la paix avec son amie. “She made peace with her friend.”
• Faire la pluie et le beau temps means to hold power or call the shots. [Literally, “to make the rain and the fine weather.”]
  • Dans cette équipe, elle fait la pluie et le beau temps. “She calls the shots on this team.”
• Faire la queue means to stand in line. [Literally, “to make the tail.”]
  • Nous faisons la queue devant le cinéma. “We are standing in line outside the cinema.”
• Faire la sieste means to take a nap. [Literally, “to do the nap.”]
  • Mon grand-père fait la sieste après le déjeuner. “My grandfather takes a nap after lunch.”
• Faire la sourde oreille means to ignore someone or pretend not to hear. [Literally, “to make the deaf ear.”]
  • Il fait la sourde oreille quand on lui demande de l’aide. “He turns a deaf ear when people ask him for help.”
• Faire la tête means to sulk or look cross. [Literally, “to make the head.”]
  • Pourquoi fais-tu la tête ? “Why are you sulking?”
• Faire la vaisselle means to wash the dishes after a meal. [Literally, “to do the dishes.”]
  • Je fais la vaisselle après le dîner. “I do the dishes after dinner.”
• Faire le beau means to show off or act to win praise. It can also describe a dog sitting up to get a treat or attention. [Literally, “to do the handsome.”]
  • Le chien fait le beau pour avoir un biscuit. “The dog sits up to get a biscuit.”
• Faire le bilan de means to review a situation and judge what has been done or achieved. [Literally, “to make the balance sheet of.”]
  • Nous faisons le bilan de l’année. “We are reviewing the year.”
• Faire le malin means to act as if one is clever, often to show off. [Literally, “to make the clever one.”]
  • Arrête de faire le malin. “Stop showing off.”
• Faire le ménage means to clean the home. [Literally, “to do the housework.”]
  • Nous faisons le ménage le samedi. “We clean the house on Saturdays.”
• Faire le mort means to pretend to be dead, or to avoid answering or taking part. [Literally, “to play dead.”]
  • Il fait le mort depuis qu’il a reçu mon message. “He has been avoiding me since he got my message.”
• Faire le plein means to fill a vehicle’s tank with fuel. [Literally, “to make the full.”]
  • Je fais le plein avant de partir. “I’m filling the tank before we leave.”
• Faire le pont means to take a day off between a public holiday and the weekend, making a longer break. [Literally, “to make the bridge.”]
  • Jeudi est férié, alors nous faisons le pont vendredi. “Thursday is a holiday, so we are taking Friday off too.”
• Faire le point means to review a situation or take stock. [Literally, “to make the point.”]
  • Faisons le point après la réunion. “Let’s review where things stand after the meeting.”
• Faire le tour de means to go around, visit, or look over a place or subject. [Literally, “to do the round of.”]
  • Nous faisons le tour du village à pied. “We are walking around the village.”
• Faire les bagages means to pack for a trip. Faire ses bagages is also common. [Literally, “to do the luggage.”]
  • Nous faisons les bagages avant le dîner. “We are packing before dinner.”
• Faire les courses usually means to shop for food or everyday goods. [Literally, “to do the errands.”]
  • Elle fait les courses avant le dîner. “She does the grocery shopping before dinner.”
• Faire les devoirs means to do one’s schoolwork. [Literally, “to do the homework.”]
  • Les enfants font leurs devoirs après l’école. “The children do their homework after school.”
• Faire les magasins means to go from shop to shop, usually to browse or buy things. [Literally, “to do the shops.”]
  • Elles font les magasins en ville. “They are shopping in town.”
• Faire les valises means to pack one’s bags for a trip. [Literally, “to do the suitcases.”]
  • Je fais les valises pour notre départ demain. “I’m packing our bags for our departure tomorrow.”
• Faire mauvais means that the weather is bad. [Literally, “to make bad.”]
  • Il fait mauvais depuis ce matin. “The weather has been bad since this morning.”
• Faire nuit means that it is night or getting dark. [Literally, “to make night.”]
  • Il fait nuit quand nous rentrons. “It is dark when we get home.”
• Faire peur à means to frighten someone. [Literally, “to make fear in.”]
  • Ce bruit me fait peur. “That noise frightens me.”
• Faire plaisir à means to please someone or make them happy. [Literally, “to do pleasure to.”]
  • Ce cadeau lui fait plaisir. “This gift makes her happy.”
• Faire semblant de means to pretend to do something. [Literally, “to make a show of.”]
  • Il fait semblant de dormir. “He is pretending to sleep.”
• Faire ses adieux à means to say goodbye to someone, often for the last time. This is the usual form, rather than faire les adieux à. [Literally, “to make one’s farewells to.”]
  • Elle a fait ses adieux à sa famille. “She said goodbye to her family.”
• Faire son possible means to do all one can. [Literally, “to do one’s possible.”]
  • Je fais mon possible pour vous aider. “I’m doing all I can to help you.”
• Faire un choix means to choose between options. [Literally, “to make a choice.”]
  • Nous devons faire un choix aujourd’hui. “We have to make a choice today.”
• Faire un effort means to try hard or put in effort. [Literally, “to make an effort.”]
  • Il fait un effort pour parler français. “He is making an effort to speak French.”
• Faire un tabac means to be a great success or hit. [Literally, “to make a tobacco.”]
  • Le nouveau film a fait un tabac. “The new film was a hit.”
• Faire un tour means to take a short walk, go for a ride, or look around, depending on context. [Literally, “to do a turn.”]
  • On fait un tour en ville ? “Shall we take a look around town?”
• Faire un voyage means to take a trip. [Literally, “to make a journey.”]
  • Ils font un voyage en Italie cet été. “They are taking a trip to Italy this summer.”
• Faire une erreur means to make a mistake. [Literally, “to make an error.”]
  • J’ai fait une erreur dans le calcul. “I made a mistake in the calculation.”
• Faire une pause means to take a break. [Literally, “to make a pause.”]
  • Nous faisons une pause après deux heures de travail. “We are taking a break after two hours of work.”
• Faire une promenade means to go for a walk or stroll. [Literally, “to do a walk.”]
  • Après le déjeuner, nous faisons une promenade. “After lunch, we are going for a walk.”
• Faire une randonnée means to go hiking. [Literally, “to do a hike.”]
  • Ils font une randonnée dans les Alpes. “They are hiking in the Alps.”
• Faire une sieste means to take a nap, much like faire la sieste. [Literally, “to do a nap.”]
  • Je fais une sieste après le déjeuner. “I take a nap after lunch.”

Summary

Faire can mean “do” or “make,” but its meaning often changes in common phrases. These expressions cover daily tasks, shopping, travel, weather, exercise, social life, and figurative speech. Faire du lèche-vitrine means to browse shop windows; faire du shopping means to go shopping.