Is faire met être of avoir?

The Quirky Case of “Faire”: Auxiliary Verb Adventures in French

French grammar, with its elegant complexities, often presents learners with intriguing choices. One such choice arises when constructing compound tenses: which auxiliary verb do you use, avoir (to have) or être (to be)? While many verbs comfortably align with one or the other, the versatile verb faire (to do/make) presents a unique situation. It largely prefers avoir, but let’s delve into why, and touch upon the rare instances where être might even rear its head.

The general rule of thumb for faire is straightforward: it uses avoir in compound tenses. You’ll see this in action when conjugating in the passé composé (past perfect), plus-que-parfait (pluperfect), futur antérieur (future perfect), and so on.

For example:

• J’ai fait mes devoirs. (I did my homework.)
• Elle avait fait un gâteau. (She had made a cake.)
• Nous aurons fait le ménage avant leur arrivée. (We will have done the cleaning before their arrival.)

In each of these examples, avoir acts as the auxiliary verb, diligently assisting faire in expressing completed actions.

So, why avoir most of the time? The choice of auxiliary often hinges on the transitivity of the verb. Transitive verbs, those that take a direct object (something receiving the action), typically pair with avoir. Faire, in its most common usage, is highly transitive. You make something, you do something – there’s usually an object involved.

However, language, particularly French, is rarely absolute. While incredibly rare in modern usage, there’s a nuanced historical and grammatical justification where one could theoretically argue for être in certain, very specific, and often archaic, circumstances. This would primarily be when faire is used in a reflexive or passive construction, or in very specific idiomatic expressions emphasizing a state of being caused by the action of “faire.”

Consider a hyper-specific, highly contrived, and honestly rarely (if ever) used example, meant purely for illustrative purposes:

• (Archaising) La porte s’est faite ouvrir. (The door was made to open itself, or the door was caused to open by itself.)

This construction, using s’est faite (reflexive with être), emphasizes the state of the door being open as a result of a previous action. However, this form is not only uncommon but also considered stylistically awkward in modern French. You’d almost certainly see this rephrased using a fait: “La porte a été faite pour s’ouvrir.”

In short: forget about using être with faire unless you’re actively trying to write in a highly stylized or archaic way.

The Takeaway:

For all practical purposes, when learning and using French, remember this:

• Faire takes avoir as its auxiliary verb in compound tenses. This is the rule you’ll encounter in 99.99% of situations.

Focusing on this core principle will ensure your French remains accurate and fluent, avoiding unnecessary grammatical detours into linguistic history. Master the avoir + faire construction, and you’ll be well on your way to confidently navigating the intricacies of French verb conjugations. Understanding this seemingly simple rule unlocks a significant key to unlocking fluent and accurate French expression.