Expressions with Faire - Weather and Activities

In English, we say "It is sunny" or "I play tennis." French takes a different approach. When talking about the weather, French uses an impersonal construction. This means the subject il doesn't refer to a person. It’s like saying "It makes beautiful" instead of "It is beautiful." For activities, French often uses faire followed by a partitive article like du, de la, or des. This structure indicates that you are engaging in an activity rather than just playing a specific game. It’s a subtle shift in perspective. You aren't just a player; you are a "doer" of the activity. This logic applies to everything from sports to creative hobbies. It’s like a grammar traffic light—once you see the activity, you know to go with faire.

1. 1Using faire follows a very specific recipe. Follow these steps to get it right every time:
2. 2Start with the subject. For weather, this is always il.
3. 3Conjugate the verb faire in the present tense:
4. 4Je fais (I do/make)
5. 5Tu fais (You do/make)
6. 6Il/Elle/On fait (He/She/One does/makes)
7. 7Nous faisons (We do/make)
8. 8Vous faites (You do/make)
9. 9Ils/Elles font (They do/make)
10. 10For weather, add an adjective or noun: Il fait + beau / froid / du soleil.
11. 11For activities, add the partitive article: du (masculine), de la (feminine), de l' (vowel), or des (plural).
12. 12Add your activity or hobby: Je fais + du vélo.

You will reach for faire in three main situations. First, use it for general weather conditions. If you are looking out the window in Paris and see a blue sky, you say Il fait beau. If you are shivering in Montreal, it’s Il fait froid. Second, use it for individual sports and hobbies. This includes things like la natation (swimming), le ski (skiing), or du théâtre (acting). Third, use it for daily chores and routines. When you are washing dishes or doing the grocery shopping, faire is your best friend. Even native speakers mess this up sometimes by trying to use être, so stay sharp! Use it when you want to sound active and engaged with the world around you.

Don't let faire become a hammer that sees everything as a nail. Avoid using it for specific weather events like rain or snow. For those, French has dedicated verbs: pleuvoir (to rain) and neiger (to snow). You wouldn't say Il fait pluie; you say Il pleut. Also, avoid faire for team sports that involve a ball and a net, like football or basketball. For those, the verb jouer (to play) is much more natural. Finally, don't use it for physical sensations like hunger or thirst. In French, you "have" hunger (avoir faim), you don't "make" it. Using faire there would make you sound like you're creating hunger in a lab!

The most common trap is using être for weather. English speakers love to say Il est chaud, but in French, that sounds very strange and can even have unintended meanings! Always stick to Il fait chaud. Another classic slip-up is forgetting the partitive article. You cannot say Je fais vélo. It must be Je fais du vélo. Think of the du as the glue that holds the sentence together. Also, watch out for the plural form vous faites. Many learners try to say vous faisiez or vous font, but faites is the only correct way. It’s a bit of an oddball, like that one cousin at a wedding who insists on wearing a tuxedo to a beach party.

How do you choose between faire and jouer? It’s simpler than it looks. Use jouer for games, team sports, and musical instruments. If it has a score or a winner, or if you're holding a violin, use jouer. Use faire for everything else: general exercise, hobbies, and artistic pursuits. For example, Je joue au foot (I play soccer) vs. Je fais du yoga (I do yoga). Another contrast is Il fait vs. Il y a. Use Il fait for the general feel of the day (hot, cold, nice). Use Il y a for specific things you can see, like Il y a des nuages (There are clouds) or Il y a du soleil (There is sun).