Causative Construction in French

Overview

The causative construction, known as faire causatif, uses the verb faire followed by an infinitive to express having something done or making someone do something. When you say je fais reparer ma voiture, you mean "I'm having my car repaired" -- you are not doing the repairing yourself, but causing it to happen.

This is a B1 construction that appears constantly in everyday French. From getting a haircut (se faire couper les cheveux) to having a house built (faire construire une maison), the causative lets you talk about actions performed on your behalf or actions you cause others to perform.

The structure is compact and elegant compared to English, which often needs phrases like "have something done" or "get something done." Once you master the faire + infinitive pattern, you gain access to a very common and natural-sounding way of expressing these ideas.

How It Works

Basic structure

faire + infinitive

Pattern	Example	Meaning
faire + infinitive + object	faire reparer la voiture	to have the car repaired
faire + infinitive + a + person	faire manger les enfants	to make the children eat
se faire + infinitive	se faire couper les cheveux	to get one's hair cut

Subject, agent, and object

Element	Example	Role
Je	fais reparer	I cause the repair (subject)
le mecanicien	(implied agent)	does the repairing
ma voiture	(direct object)	gets repaired

When both the agent and the object are expressed:

• faire + infinitive + object + a/par + agent
• Je fais reparer ma voiture par le mecanicien. (I have my car repaired by the mechanic.)

Se faire + infinitive

This reflexive form means something is done to the subject:

French	English	Nuance
se faire couper les cheveux	to get a haircut	Neutral
se faire voler	to get robbed	Unintentional
se faire remarquer	to get noticed	Can be positive or negative
se faire gronder	to get told off	Negative experience

Pronoun placement

Object pronouns go before faire, not before the infinitive:

• Je la fais reparer. (I'm having it repaired.) -- not Je fais la reparer.
• Il me fait rire. (He makes me laugh.)

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Je fais reparer ma voiture.	I'm having my car repaired.	Having something done
Elle fait construire une maison.	She's having a house built.	Major project
Il s'est fait couper les cheveux.	He got his hair cut.	Se faire + infinitive
Je me suis fait voler.	I got robbed.	Unintentional event
Ce film m'a fait pleurer.	This movie made me cry.	Causing an emotion
Il fait travailler ses employes.	He makes his employees work.	Making someone do something
Je vais faire livrer le colis.	I'm going to have the package delivered.	With futur proche
Elle s'est fait remarquer.	She got herself noticed.	Reflexive causative
Fais-moi voir!	Let me see! / Show me!	Command form
Il nous a fait attendre.	He made us wait.	Causing inconvenience
Je fais nettoyer la maison.	I have the house cleaned.	Household service
Ca fait reflechir.	That makes you think.	Abstract causation

Common Mistakes

Placing the object pronoun before the infinitive instead of faire

• Wrong: Je fais la reparer.
• Right: Je la fais reparer.
• Why: In the causative construction, object pronouns always go before faire, not before the infinitive.

Confusing faire + infinitive with just using the verb

• Confusing: Je repare ma voiture. (I'm repairing my car -- you are doing it yourself)
• Correct causative: Je fais reparer ma voiture. (I'm having my car repaired -- someone else does it)
• Why: Without faire, you are the one performing the action. With faire, you are causing someone else to do it.

Forgetting to use se faire for things done to yourself

• Wrong: J'ai fait couper mes cheveux. (implies you made someone cut their hair)
• Right: Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. (I got my hair cut)
• Why: When the action is done to the subject, use the reflexive se faire. Also note: French uses the definite article (les cheveux) rather than the possessive (mes cheveux) with body parts.

Agreement issues with se faire in compound tenses

• Note: Elle s'est fait voler. -- The past participle fait does NOT agree when followed by an infinitive.
• Why: This is a special rule: fait is invariable before an infinitive. You write elle s'est fait couper, never elle s'est faite couper.

Usage Notes

The causative construction is extremely versatile in French:

• Services: faire reparer, faire nettoyer, faire livrer, faire installer -- all describe services you pay for
• Emotions: faire rire (make laugh), faire pleurer (make cry), faire peur (scare), faire plaisir (please)
• Perception: faire voir (show), faire savoir (let know), faire comprendre (make understand)

The se faire construction can carry a nuance of the subject being somewhat passive or even a victim: se faire voler (get robbed), se faire arnaquer (get scammed), se faire renvoyer (get fired). But it is also neutral in many cases: se faire couper les cheveux (get a haircut).

In formal French, laisser + infinitive is a related construction meaning "to let/allow someone do something," contrasted with faire which implies more active causation.

Practice Tips

1. List five services you regularly use (haircut, car repair, house cleaning, food delivery, laundry) and write a French sentence for each using faire + infinitive. This grounds the grammar in real-life situations.
2. Practice the se faire form by describing unfortunate events: se faire voler, se faire arnaquer, se faire gronder. Then practice neutral ones: se faire couper les cheveux, se faire livrer un repas.
3. Drill pronoun placement by replacing nouns with pronouns: Je fais reparer ma voiture becomes Je la fais reparer. Repeat with different objects until the placement before faire becomes instinctive.

Related Concepts

• Faire (to do/make) -- the base verb and its many uses beyond the causative