Lecture 6 (The Factitive)

Question 1

The owner has the grass cut (the owner does not cut the grass himself)

Answer 1

Le propriétaire fait couper son gazon.

Question 2

I make the children learn grammar.

Answer 2

Je fais apprendre la grammaire aux enfants.

Question 3

I am having two trees planted.

Answer 3

Je fais planter deux arbres.

Question 4

I have (make) the children read.

Answer 4

Je fais lire les enfants

Question 5

If one mentions both the subject and the object of the

infinitive…

Answer 5

…the direct object follows immediately the
infinitive and the subject is placed after the DO and is
preceded by the preposition “à” or “par”

e.g
• Il fait apprendre la grammaire (DO) aux étudiants
(subject)
• Je fais lire un livre (DO) aux enfants (subject)

Question 6

Je fais lire un livre aux enfants.

English

Answer 6

the preposition ‘à’ is more ambiguous than ‘par’ so this sentence could be interpreted as both:
I make the children read a book
or
I’m making someone read to the children

Question 7

Replace nouns with personal pronouns:

Je fais travailler la grammaire aux enfants

Answer 7

Je la leur fais travailler

Question 8

Replace nouns with personal pronouns:

Faites travailler la grammaire aux enfants

Answer 8

Faites-la-leur travailler.

Question 9

Replace nouns with personal pronouns:

Je fais réparer mon auto par le garagiste.

Answer 9

Je lui fais réparer mon auto

When a noun, subject of the infinitive introduced by “à”
or “par”, is represented by a personal pronoun, this
pronoun takes the form of an indirect object pronoun (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur).

Question 10

Je fais réparer deux autos.

Answer 10

J’en fais réparer deux.

When the noun object is introduced by partitive articles
(du, de la, des), by the indefinite plural (des) or by a
number, it is represented by the pronoun “en” instead.

Question 11

Il fait photocopier des documents.

Answer 11

Il en fait photocopier.

Question 12

He is having a house built (for himself)

Answer 12

Il se fait construire une maison.

When one wants to insists on the fact that the
action of the infinitive directly benefits the subject
of the verb “faire”, we use the reflexive pronoun
“se” in se faire + infinitive.

Cf. • Il a fait construire une maison. He is having a house built (maybe for someone else).

Question 13

I have the lesson explained to me.

Answer 13

Je me fais expliquer la leçon.

Question 14

I had them done

I did them.

Answer 14

Je les ai fait faire
Je les ai faits

The past participle of the verb “faire” used in
the construction “faire + infinitive” stays
invariable and does agree

Question 15

Replace the underlined substantives by pronouns.

• 1. Marie fait faire la cuisine à son mari.

Answer 15

Marie la lui fait faire

Question 16

Replace the underlined substantives by pronouns.

Nous faisons abattre un arbre.

Answer 16

Nous en faisons

abattre un.

Question 17

He has his students discuss. 
He lets (allows) the students (to) discuss. (idea of acceptance, passivity)

Answer 17

Il fait discuter ses élèves

Il laisse discuter ses élèves.

Question 18

The driver was made to get out of the car.

Answer 18

On a fait sortir le conducteur de la voiture.

Question 19

The choir was made to rehearse for one hour.

Answer 19

On a fait répéter la chorale pendant une heure.

Question 20

Why were we made to leave so early?

Answer 20

Pourquoi nous a-t-on fait partir si tôt?

Question 21

We were made to wait 45 minutes.

Answer 21

On nous a fait attendre 45 minutes.

Question 22

He is making his house into a museum (il transforme sa maison en musée).

Answer 22

Il fait de sa maison un musée
To mark the transformation of a substance (a noun or pronoun) into
another substance, we use the verb “faire” and the structure “faire
de quelque chose quelque chose”.

Question 23

Snow makes the streets slippery

Answer 23

– La neige rend les rues glissantes.
If the idea of transformation affects the quality (adjective), we do
not use the verb “faire” but the verb “rendre”.

Question 24

He got himself thrown out of school. I

Answer 24

Il s’est fait expulser/renvoyer de l’école.

Question 25

He got himself elected.

Answer 25

Il s’est fait élire.