faire

faire

1. Obsolete spelling of fair.

faire (plural faires)

1. Obsolete spelling of fair.

Sometimes used deliberately to convey an archaic feeling, e.g. "Renaissance faire"

• Arfie, Feria, Freia, afire, feria, rafie

From Middle French faire, from Old French faire, from Latin facere. The past historic and imperfect subjunctive stem fi- (fis, fis, fit...) originated in the Latin form fēcī, with metaphony (*/ˈfed͡zi/ > */ˈfit͡s/).

• IPA^(key): /fɛʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: fer, fers

faire

1. (transitive) to do

   faire la vaisselle ― to do the washing-up.

   Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? ― What are you doing?

   Fais pas ça. ― Don't do that.

2. (transitive) to make

   faire une erreur ― to make a mistake.

   faire un voyage ― to take a trip

3. (transitive) to say (of a person), to go (of an animal or device)

   "Je t’aime," fit-il. ― "I love you," he said.

   Le chat fait "miaou". ― The cat goes "meow".

4. (transitive) to make (cause someone or something to do something)

   Tu me fais rire. ― You make me laugh.

   La chanson me fait pleurer. ― The song makes me cry.

   • 2021, Zaz, Tout là-haut:

     Si on s’en allait tout là-haut pour mieux s’imprégner des couleurs, saurions-nous faire taire notre égo ?

     If we went all the way up there to soak up the colours better, could we silence [make silent] our ego?

5. (transitive) to act like (something)

   Fais pas ton innocent avec moi.

   Don't act like you're so innocent around me./Don't give me that innocent act.

6. (impersonal) to be (of the weather or various situations)

   Il fait chaud/froid/noir/beau dehors.

   It is hot/cold/dark/nice outside.

   Ça fait dix ans que nous nous connaissons.

   We have known each other for ten years.

   Ça fait bizarre.

   That seems/looks bizarre; that gives a bizarre effect/appearance/result.

   Ça fait très monsieur, ta cravate.

   Your tie makes you look like a real gentleman.

7. (reflexive) to do, to make (oneself)

   Elle se fait les ongles. ― She is doing her nails.

8. (reflexive, followed by an infinitive) to be, to get (used for a passive action)

   se faire piquer ― to be stung

   Je me suis fait avoir. ― I got screwed.

   Est-ce que tu t’es fait couper les cheveux ?

   Did you get your hair cut?

9. (reflexive) to ripen (of fruit), to mature
10. (reflexive, ~ à) to become used to, to get used to

    Synonyms: s’adapter à, s’habituer à

    Je ne m’y suis toujours pas fait. ― I still haven't got used to it.

    • 2002, Jean-Mariee Bessette, Fernand Meyssonnier, Paroles de bourreau : témoignage unique d'un exécuteur des arrets criminêls:

      Maintenant je pense que, si certains condamnés ont du courage, c’est parce qu’ils se sont faits à l’idée de mourir.

      Now I think that, if some convicts are brave, it is because they have got used to the idea of dying.

11. (slang, reflexive, transitive) to do (to have sex with)
12. (informal, intransitive) to defecate; (metaphorically) to shit oneself (to be terrified)

    L’enfant a fait dans son pantalon.

    The child soiled his trousers.

    Ils viennent d’entendre les nouvelles et ils font dans leur culotte.

    They've just heard the news and they're shitting themselves.

13. (reflexive) to become, to get
14. to set a price, put a price tag (on), sell

    Et à combien le feriez vous ce plumeau?

    And how much for this feather duster?

    (literally, “And how much would you sell this feather duster?”)

• When it is followed by an infinitive, the past participle fait is invariable.

  Elle s'est fait comprendre, not *elle s'est faite comprendre.

French terms starting with “faire”

French terms starting with “se_faire”

• “faire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• ferai, féria, fiera, fraie

• Audio:

  (file)

faire

1. inflection of fair:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

• IPA^(key): /ˈfˠaɾʲə/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈfˠæɾʲə/^[1]

faire f (genitive singular faire, nominative plural fairí)

1. verbal noun of fair
2. watch (act of guarding)
3. wake (period after death)

   Synonym: tórramh

• faireog (“gland”)
• túr faire (“watch-tower”)

faire

1. analytic present subjunctive of fair

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “faire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “faire”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “faire”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

• fair

From Old English fæger

faire

1. fair; handsome; beautiful; attractive

• English: fair

• fayre, feire, fere

From Old French faire.

faire

1. to do
2. to make
3. to choose; to elect
   • 15th century, Rustichello da Pisa (original author), Mazarine Master (scribe), The Travels of Marco Polo, page 7, lines 8–9:

     entre tant que on fera un pappe nous pourrons bien aler en Venisse

     while they are electing a Pope, we could well go to Venice

• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

• French: faire

• faith (Jersey)

From Old French faire, from Latin facere.

faire (Guernsey)

1. to make
2. to do
   • 1903, Edgar MacCulloch, “Proverbs, Weather Sayings, etc.”, in Guernsey Folk Lore‎^[1], pages 535-536:

     De la St. Michel à Noué un pllante ne sait pas chu que nou li fait.

     From Michaelmas to Christmas a plant does not know what you do to it.

• faire câod (“to be warm (out)”)

• far, fer
• hèser, har (Gascony)

Inherited from Latin facere.

faire

1. to do
2. to make

• fere, feire

Inherited from Latin facere.

• (classical) IPA^(key): /ˈfai̯ɾə/

faire

1. to do
2. to make

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has irregularities in its conjugation. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

• Middle French: faire
  • French: faire
• Norman: faire, faithe
• Walloon: fé

Verbal noun from fair (“to watch”), for which see aire (“care, heed, attention”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈfaɾʲə/

faire f (genitive singular faire, plural fairean)

1. watch (the act or period of watching or guarding)

• facal-faire
• faireil
• taigh-faire