Pronoun position with "faire" causative

The verb faire acts as the trigger. It starts the whole process. When you add another verb in the infinitive, it creates a chain. The pronoun represents the person or thing receiving the action. In most French sentences, pronouns hug the verb they belong to. If you say "I want to see it," you say Je veux le voir. The le stays near voir. But faire is greedy. It is a jealous boss. It pulls the pronoun all the way to the front. The pronoun must stand before faire. This is a huge rule. It applies even if the pronoun "belongs" to the second verb. It’s like a grammar magnet. The faire verb is just too strong to resist.

1. 1Building this sentence follows a strict 1-2-3 step process. Do not skip a step!
2. 2Start with your subject: Je, Tu, Il...
3. 3Place your object pronoun next: le, la, les, lui, leur...
4. 4Add your conjugated form of faire: fais, fait, faisons...
5. 5Finish with the action verb in the infinitive: manger, partir, réparer...
6. 6Example: Je le fais travailler (I make him work).
7. 7Notice the le is before fais. In English, we say "I make him..." In French, it is "I him make..." It feels like Yoda-speak at first. Just remember: Pronoun + Faire + Infinitive.

Use this pattern when you are the mastermind. You aren't getting your hands dirty. Use it for professional services. Je lui fais réparer ma voiture (I have him fix my car). Use it for parenting or teaching. Elle les fait lire (She makes them read). It is also great for social situations. If you are a bit of a jokester, you might make your friends laugh. Tu me fais rire! (You make me laugh!). Use it when you are the reason something happens. Maybe you made a cake disappear? No, that’s just eating. But if you made someone else eat it, that’s the causative! Use it anytime there is a "cause and effect" relationship between people.

Don't use this if you are doing the action yourself. If you are washing your own hair, just use se laver. If you are helping someone, use aider. The causative is specifically for *causing* the action. Also, watch out for other verbs like laisser (to let). They follow similar rules, but they mean something different. Don't use the faire causative for simple desires. Je veux le manger (I want to eat it) is not causative. The pronoun stays with manger there. Only move the pronoun to the front when faire is the boss. If faire is just a normal verb meaning "to do," the rules change back to normal.

The "English Trap" is the biggest hurdle. In English, we put the person in the middle. Learners often say Je fais lui chanter. Wrong! This sounds very clunky to a native ear. The pronoun belongs before faire. Another mistake is forgetting to use the infinitive. Some people try to conjugate both verbs. Je le fais mange. Wrong! The second verb must always be the infinitive. Think of it like a train. Faire is the engine, and the infinitive is the carriage. The pronoun is the headlights at the very front. Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired, but usually, it is a hallmark of a beginner mistake. Don't let the distance between the pronoun and its action verb scare you. They are still connected in spirit!

Compare this to modal verbs like vouloir or pouvoir.

Modal: Je veux le faire (I want to do it). The le stays with faire because you are the one doing the doing.

Causative: Je le fais faire (I have it done). The first faire is the boss. The second faire is the action. The le moves to the front of the boss.

It looks weird to see two faires together, right? But it’s very common! Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Green means go to the front. Red means stay with the infinitive. With faire, the light is always green for pronouns to move forward.