Se faire + infinitive: get something done or have something happen

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Compare a service you arrange with an event you undergo. Practise se faire in present and past forms, and keep fait unchanged before the infinitive.

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In short

Se faire + infinitive can describe a service you arrange or an event you undergo. Je me fais aider means I get someone to help me; elle s’est fait insulter means she was insulted. The action and context tell you whether it was requested or unwanted.

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A teacher helping an adult learner understand a task, plain book open between them.
Getting help illustrates se faire expliquer. Illustration: Atelier

What does se faire + infinitive mean?

se faire expliquerhave something explained to you

Focus: a requested explanation

Je ne comprends pas cette règle. Je vais me la faire expliquer.
I don’t understand this rule. I’m going to have it explained to me.

Lina se fait expliquer la consigne par son professeur.
Lina has her teacher explain the instruction to her.

se faire insulterbe insulted

Focus: an event affecting the person

Lina s’est fait insulter pendant la réunion.
Lina was insulted during the meeting.

In the first scene, the teacher explains and Lina receives the explanation. In the second, someone insults Lina. The second sentence gives an unwanted experience. Translate the whole event rather than automatically turning se faire into “make someone do something”.

How do you form se faire + infinitive?

Study first: the present pattern
PersonFrenchEnglish
Ije me fais aiderI get help
you, familiar singulartu te fais aideryou get help
sheelle se fait aidershe gets help
wenous nous faisons aiderwe get help
you, formal or pluralvous vous faites aideryou get help
theyils se font aiderthey get help

Elles se sont fait accompagner.

They had someone accompany them.

In this construction, fait stays unchanged before the infinitive, including with feminine plural elles.

  • Elle s’est faite aider.Elle s’est fait aider.

    Before the infinitive aider, fait stays unchanged.

  • Nous nous faisons expliqué la règle.Nous nous faisons expliquer la règle.

    The second verb is the infinitive expliquer, not the participle expliqué.

Choose whose experience leads the sentence

Two ways to describe the same unwanted event
FrenchFocus
Quelqu’un a insulté Lina.Someone performed the action.
Lina s’est fait insulter.Lina experienced the action.

Complete the verb group

Question 1No account needed
Complete faire in the present.Tu te ___ aider.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

fais. Tu takes fais: tu te fais aider.

Question 2No account needed
Complete faire in the present.Nous nous ___ accompagner.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

faisons. Nous takes faisons, and accompagner stays in the infinitive.

Question 3No account needed
Complete faire in the present.Vous vous ___ expliquer la règle.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

faites. Vous takes faites: vous vous faites expliquer la règle.

Question 4No account needed
Complete the past participle.Elles se sont ___ aider.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

fait. Before an infinitive in this construction, fait stays unchanged.

Question 5No account needed
Choose the form of the second verb.Elle se fait ___ la consigne.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

expliquer. Se faire is followed by an infinitive: expliquer.

Question 6No account needed
What does the sentence tell us?Il s’est fait insulter.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

He was insulted.. The sentence presents him as the person who experienced the insult.

Question 7No account needed
Choose the past form before an infinitive.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Elles se sont fait aider.. Fait is unchanged before the following infinitive in this construction.

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