Causative Construction

In French, the causative construction is used to express situations where one person causes, forces, or asks another person to do something. This construction involves using the verb "faire" (to make or to do) followed by an infinitive verb.

Structure

To form the causative construction in French, you need to follow this structure:

Subject + faire + verb (infinitive) + object

Let's break down the different components:

• Subject: The person who is causing or making someone else do something.
• faire: The causative verb that indicates the action of causing or making.
• Verb (infinitive): The action that the subject is causing or making the object do.
• Object: The person or thing that is being made to do the action.

Examples

Here are some examples to help you understand how the causative construction works in French:

1. "I make him eat vegetables."

   • Je fais manger des légumes.
   • Subject: Je (I)
   • Faire: fais (make)
   • Verb (infinitive): manger (to eat)
   • Object: des légumes (vegetables)

2. "She asked us to clean the room."

   • Elle nous fait nettoyer la chambre.
   • Subject: Elle (She)
   • Faire: fait (asked/made)
   • Verb (infinitive): nettoyer (to clean)
   • Object: la chambre (the room)

3. "They are forcing him to apologize."

   • Ils le font s'excuser.
   • Subject: Ils (They)
   • Faire: font (force)
   • Verb (infinitive): s'excuser (to apologize)
   • Object: le (him)

Important Notes

• The causative construction with "faire" is commonly used in spoken French to describe situations where one person makes or causes another person to do something.
• When the direct object is a pronoun, it goes before the verb "faire." For example: "Je le fais manger" (I make him eat).
• Remember that the verb after "faire" should always be in the infinitive form.

Now that you have familiarized yourself with the causative construction in French, you can confidently describe situations where one person makes another person do something. Practice using this construction in your conversations to improve your communication skills in French.