By the end of this lesson you'll be able to use faire (to do, to make) and aller (to go) with every pronoun, talk about jobs around the house, and say where you're going and how you are.
Two verbs you can't avoid
Faire and aller are two of the most common verbs in French. Neither follows the pattern from the lesson on regular -er verbs. Aller ends in -er, but it's irregular. The only way is to learn the forms, and because you'll use them constantly, they'll stick quickly.
Faire: to do, to make
Faire covers both "do" and "make" in English. So Je fais un gâteau means "I'm making a cake", and Je fais la vaisselle means "I'm doing the dishes".
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| faire | fehr | to do, to make |
| je fais | zhuh FEH | I do, I make |
| tu fais | tew FEH | you do, you make (informal) |
| il fait / elle fait | eel FEH / el FEH | he does, she does |
| on fait | ohn FEH | we do (casual) |
| nous faisons | noo fuh-ZOHN | we do, we make |
| vous faites | voo FET | you do, you make (formal or plural) |
| ils font / elles font | eel FOHN / el FOHN | they do, they make |
Look out for two forms:
- Nous faisons is spelled with ai, but that ai is pronounced like the e of le.
- Vous faites has its own ending. Don't use the normal -ez.
Using faire around the house
French uses faire for many everyday tasks. These are useful in the form of whole phrases. The article is part of the phrase, so learn it too.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| faire les courses | fehr lay KOORSS | to do the food shopping |
| faire la cuisine | fehr lah kwee-ZEEN | to do the cooking |
| faire le ménage | fehr luh may-NAHZH | to do the housework |
| faire la vaisselle | fehr lah veh-SEL | to do the dishes |
| un gâteau | uhn gah-TOH | a cake |
| Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? | kess-kuh tew FEH | What are you doing?Fixed phrase for now. |
Je fais le ménage le samedi.
I do the housework on Saturdays.
Tu fais les courses aujourd'hui ?
Are you doing the food shopping today?
Ils font la cuisine le soir.
They do the cooking in the evening.
Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? is a very common question, and it's a fixed phrase for now. You'll see how French question words work in the lesson on question words.
Aller: to go
Aller is the verb for going somewhere.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| aller | ah-LAY | to go |
| je vais | zhuh VEH | I go, I'm going |
| tu vas | tew VAH | you go (informal) |
| il va / elle va | eel VAH / el VAH | he goes / she goes |
| on va | ohn VAH | we go (casual) |
| nous allons | noo-zah-LOHN | we go |
| vous allez | voo-zah-LAY | you go (formal or plural) |
| ils vont / elles vont | eel VOHN / el VOHN | they go |
Notice that the nous and vous forms start with all-, but the others start with v-. Nous allons and vous allez link with a z sound.
To go to a town or city, use à:
Je vais à Toulouse.
I'm going to Toulouse.
Elles vont à Bruxelles.
They're going to Brussels.
When you want to say you're going to a place like the cinema or the park, you'll need a small change to à. That comes in the next lesson, so for now, stick to towns and cities.
Aller: how you are
French also uses aller for how someone is feeling. You've been using it since the greetings lesson: Ça va ? is literally "it goes?"
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Comment allez-vous ? | koh-mahn-tah-lay VOO | How are you? (formal)Fixed phrase. |
| Je vais bien. | zhuh veh BYAN | I'm well. |
| Ça va ? | sah VAH | How's it going? / Are you OK? |
Comment allez-vous, madame ? — Je vais bien, merci.
How are you, madam? — I'm well, thank you.
So "how are you?" is a question about how you're going, a bit like the English "how's it going?" Use Comment allez-vous ? in formal situations, and Ça va ? with friends.
Putting it together
Here's a short exchange between two neighbours. Notice how each verb does its own job.
- Bonjour, ça va ? (Hello, how are you?)
- Oui, je vais bien. Et vous ? Qu'est-ce que vous faites ? (Yes, I'm well. And you? What are you doing?)
- Je fais les courses, et je vais à Nantes. (I'm doing the food shopping, and I'm going to Nantes.)
Be careful with translating. "I'm going" is simply je vais, and "I'm making" is simply je fais, with no extra word for "am".
What's next
Next, the lesson on à and de with articles shows how to say you're going to the cinema, the park or the pool. The lesson on weather and seasons gives faire a new job. And the lesson on the near future gives aller a new job, too.