The French Causative with Faire: Rules, Usage, and Pronoun Placement

When speaking or writing French, expressing that you arranged for something to be done—or that someone made someone else do something—requires a specific grammatical structure known as the faire causatif (the French causative construction).

Whether you want to say "I am having my car washed" or "She made him apologize," mastering this structure is essential for moving past intermediate French (B1/B2 levels). This guide breaks down how to construct the causative with faire, how to navigate pronoun placement, and how to avoid common grammatical mistakes.

1. What Is the Causative with Faire?

The causative structure is used when the subject of the sentence causes an action to happen rather than performing the action themselves. Depending on the context, it translates to English as:

  • To have / get something done: Delegating a task or service to a professional or third party.
  • To make / cause someone or something to act: Inducing or compelling an action or emotional state.

    • Fundamental Formula

> Subject + [conjugated faire] + [infinitive verb] + (Object)

  • Le professeur fait lire les étudiants. (The teacher makes the students read.)
  • J'ai fait réparer mon ordinateur. (I had my computer repaired.)
  • Cette chanson me fait penser aux vacances. (This song makes me think of vacation.)

    • Examples:

    2. Specifying the Agent (The Doer of the Action)

In linguistics, the person or thing actually performing the action of the infinitive is called the agent. How you introduce this agent depends on whether the infinitive verb already has its own direct object.

Scenario 1: The infinitive has NO direct object

  • Le réalisateur fait pleurer les acteurs. (The director makes the actors cry.)
  • Elle fait entrer les invités. (She lets/makes the guests come in.)

    • If the infinitive verb is intransitive or has no direct object, the agent functions as a Direct Object (COD):

    Scenario 2: The infinitive ALREADY HAS a direct object

  • Le professeur fait apprendre un poème aux enfants. (The teacher makes the children learn a poem.)
  • Nous faisons repeindre le salon par un peintre. (We are having the living room repainted by a painter.)

    • If the infinitive verb takes a direct object, the agent cannot also be a direct object. Therefore, the agent becomes an Indirect Object (COI) and is introduced by à or par:

Note on nuance: À often implies giving an instruction, while par highlights agency or delegation to an external service provider.

3. Placement of Object Pronouns

One of the most common pitfalls for English speakers is deciding where to place object pronouns (le, la, les, lui, leur, etc.).

In standard French verb pairs (such as vouloir, pouvoir, or aimer + infinitive), object pronouns go right before the infinitive (Je veux le faire). However, the causative construction behaves as a single indivisible verbal block.

> Core Rule: In a causative construction, ALL object pronouns must be placed immediately BEFORE the conjugated verb faire.

Single Pronouns:

  • Je fais réparer le vélo. ➔ Je le fais réparer. (I am having it repaired.)
  • Il fait chanter les enfants. ➔ Il les fait chanter. (He makes them sing.)
  • Elle fait goûter le vin au client. ➔ Elle lui fait goûter le vin. (She has him taste the wine.)

    • Double Pronouns:

  • Je fais lire cette lettre (COD) à Pierre (COI).
  • ➔ Je la lui fais lire. (I make him read it.)
  • Ils font livrer les colis (COD) à leurs clients (COI).
  • ➔ Ils les leur font livrer. (They have them delivered to them.)

    • When replacing both the direct object and the agent, apply the standard French pronoun ordering, placed before faire:

    4. The Reflexive Causative: Se faire + Infinitive

When the subject causes an action to be done to themselves, use the reflexive form se faire + infinitive:

1. Voluntary actions (Getting something done for oneself):

  • Je vais me faire couper les cheveux demain. (I'm going to get my hair cut tomorrow.)
  • Elle se fait faire un passeport. (She is having a passport made.)

2. Involuntary actions (Suffering an outcome / passive voice equivalent):

  • Il s'est fait voler son vélo hier soir. (He had his bike stolen last night.)
  • Ils se sont fait gronder par leurs parents. (They got scolded by their parents.)

    • 5. Past Participle Agreement: The Exception You Will Love

In French compound tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait), past participles normally agree in gender and number with a preceding direct object. However, the causative faire follows a straightforward exception:

> The past participle fait followed directly by an infinitive is INVARIABLE. It NEVER agrees.

  • La robe que j'ai fait faire. (NOT: ~~faite faire~~)
  • Les voitures qu'il a fait laver. (NOT: ~~faites laver~~)
  • Ils se sont fait remarquer. (NOT: ~~faits remarquer~~)

    • Examples:

    Quick Reference Summary

  • Structure: Conjugated faire + bare infinitive.
  • Pronoun position: Always before faire (Je le fais faire).
  • Agent marker: Use à or par if the infinitive already has a direct object (Je fais faire un gâteau par le chef).
  • Past participle agreement: None (fait remains invariable before an infinitive).

By practicing these structures with everyday situations—booking appointments, delegating services, and describing reactions—you will integrate faire causatif naturally into your French speech and writing.