Passif pronominal : se faire + infinitif

In a normal sentence, you are the hero. You do the action. For example: Je mange la pomme (I eat the apple). But life isn't always about you doing things. Sometimes, things happen to you. When you use se faire + infinitif, you shift the focus. You are still the subject of the sentence, but you are receiving the action. The verb faire acts as a helper, and the second verb (the infinitive) tells us what exactly happened. It is like saying you "made yourself be [somethinged]." Even if you didn't actually want it to happen (like getting a cold), French uses this structure to show that the action landed on you. It is a bit like being the goalie in a soccer match; you are there, but the ball is coming at you!

1. 1Building this structure is like putting together a very simple sandwich. You only need four ingredients:
2. 2The Subject: Je, Tu, Il/Elle, Nous, Vous, Ils/Elles.
3. 3The Reflexive Pronoun: me, te, se, nous, vous, se.
4. 4The Verb faire: Conjugate this in the present tense (or whichever tense you need).
5. 5The Infinitive: Any action verb in its original -er, -ir, or -re form.
6. 6For example, if you want to say "I get invited," you take Je + me + fais + inviter. Put it all together: Je me fais inviter. If you are talking about your friend Marc getting scolded, it is Marc se fait gronder. Notice that the second verb never changes its ending. It stays in the infinitive, which makes your life much easier! No tricky agreements to worry about here.

You will want to pull this grammar tool out of your pocket in three main scenarios. First, use it for "The Ouch Moments." These are things you didn't want to happen, like Je me fais mordre par un chien (I get bitten by a dog). Second, use it for "The Service Moments." This is when you pay someone to do something for you, like Je me fais couper les cheveux (I am getting my hair cut). You aren't cutting them yourself (hopefully!), so you use se faire. Third, use it for "The Social Moments." This includes getting invited to parties, getting looked at, or getting helped. If you are at a job interview and the boss says, "You are being recorded," they might say Vous vous faites enregistrer. It sounds modern and keeps the conversation flowing.

Don't use this if you are the one doing the action to someone else. If you are the one biting the dog (please don't!), you just say Je mords le chien. Also, avoid using it with verbs that are already reflexive, like se laver. You wouldn't say Je me fais me laver. That is just too many pronouns for one sentence! Finally, don't use it for general states of being. If you are just tired, say Je suis fatigué. Only use se faire when there is an action being performed by someone or something else on you. It is about the *action*, not just the feeling. Think of it like a movie: if there is no "actor" doing the thing to you, you probably don't need se faire.

The biggest mistake is forgetting the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, etc.). If you say Je fais couper les cheveux, it sounds like you are the hairdresser cutting someone else's hair! You must include the me to show the hair being cut is yours. Another common slip-up is trying to conjugate the second verb. Remember: the second verb is always an infinitive. It is Je me fais aider, not Je me fais aide. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes when they are typing quickly, but in speaking, the infinitive is king. Lastly, watch your word order with negatives. It is Je ne me fais pas gronder. The ne...pas hugs the pronoun and the verb faire like a warm scarf.

You might wonder: "Why not just use être + past participle?" For example, Je suis invité vs. Je me fais inviter. Both are correct! However, Je suis invité sounds a bit like a finished state—you are already on the guest list. Je me fais inviter sounds more like the process or the action of getting that invitation. It is more dynamic. Also, se faire is much more common in spoken French. If you use être all the time, you might sound a bit like a 19th-century poet. While that is cool, se faire will help you blend in at a café or a party. It is the difference between wearing a tuxedo and wearing a stylish leather jacket.