Matching game
Faire état de: mentioning a claim is not the same as verifying it
Distinguish faire état de, établir and faire l’objet de in French reports by tracking what is mentioned, established or subjected to a process.
- C1
- 7 pairs
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In short
Faire état de reports or mentions information; it does not by itself certify it. Établir que presents a finding as established, so examine the evidence offered. Faire l’objet de means being the subject of something: its complement can name an ongoing check, a proposal or a decision with an actual outcome.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
Track what follows de
| Construction | Example | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| faire état de + information | La note fait état de plusieurs demandes. | The note mentions the requests. |
| établir que + proposition | Le registre établit que le colis est arrivé mardi. | The record establishes the stated arrival fact. |
| faire l’objet de + processus ou traitement | Le colis fait l’objet d’une inspection. | The parcel undergoes an inspection. |
A report can faire état de a well-supported fact or an unverified allegation. The expression itself does not force either status. Keep any attribution or qualification that follows. Conversely, a writer saying établit is making a stronger claim, but that wording alone is not a substitute for adequate evidence.
The complement can carry the outcome
Fait l’objet d’un examen en cours reports an ongoing process. Fait l’objet d’un refus motivé reports a stated refusal. It would be wrong to teach faire l’objet de as always meaning “still pending”: the noun phrase after de supplies the relevant treatment or decision.
A concise summary can use mentionne, établit or est soumis à when those replacements fit the complete sentence. Simplifying the verb does not authorise changing the status of the information being relayed.