“Fare”: A Guide to Italian Conjugation and Usage
When learning Italian, mastering the verb “fare” is essential. It’s one of the most common and versatile verbs you’ll encounter, used to describe everything from actions and jobs to hobbies and the weather.
The “italian verb fare conjugation” is irregular, which means it doesn’t follow the typical patterns. But with a little practice, you can easily master it, significantly improving your ability to speak and understand Italian.
Plus, “fare” doesn’t always translate directly to English. It can mean “to do,” “to make,” “to create,” “to prepare,” “to commit,” or even “to act as,” depending on the context.
This article provides a comprehensive guide to conjugating “fare” in various tenses and moods. We’ll explore its multiple meanings, offer practical usage tips, and look at common idiomatic expressions that use “fare.”
This guide is designed for beginner to intermediate Italian language learners who want to take their conversational skills to the next level.
Understanding the core meanings of “fare”
The Italian verb fare can be roughly translated as “to do” or “to make.” But fare is a tricky verb because its meaning changes so much based on context. Direct translations from English can often lead to mistakes.
Fare is also irregular, so it doesn’t follow the normal conjugation rules for -are verbs. You have to learn the conjugations for fare separately.
Here are some examples of the many ways you can use fare:
- Fare qualcosa – To do something
- Fare un errore – To make a mistake
- Fare colazione – To have breakfast (literally, “to do breakfast”)
“FARE” IN THE PRESENT TENSE (INDICATIVO PRESENTE)
Let’s start with the present tense, which is probably what you’ll use most often. It’s called “Indicativo Presente” in Italian. Here’s how “fare” changes depending on who’s doing the “doing” or “making.”
Conjugation Table:
- Io faccio (I do/make)
- Tu fai (You do/make – singular, informal)
- Lui/Lei/Lei fa (He/She/It does/makes – singular, formal)
- Noi facciamo (We do/make)
- Voi fate (You do/make – plural or formal singular)
- Loro fanno (They do/make)
Common Uses:
You’ll use the present tense of “fare” for all sorts of things:
- Describing what’s happening right now: “Che fai?” (What are you doing?)
- Asking about someone’s job: “Che lavoro fai?” (What do you do?)
- Talking about your routines: “Faccio la spesa oggi.” (I’m going grocery shopping today.)
Avoiding Confusion:
One thing that trips up a lot of learners is that the third-person form of “fare” (fa) sounds exactly the same as the adverb “fa” (ago). Context is key here! You’ll get the hang of it with practice.
PAST TENSES OF “FARE”: PASSATO PROSSIMO AND IMPERFETTO
Now, let’s tackle the past tenses of fare. There are a few, but we’ll focus on two common ones: the passato prossimo and the imperfetto. Think of these as your “I did” and “I was doing” tenses.
Passato Prossimo (Present Perfect/Finished Actions)
The passato prossimo is used for actions that are completed. Think of it like the English present perfect or simple past (“I have done” or “I did”). To form it, you need the auxiliary verb avere (to have) and the past participle of fare, which is fatto.
Here’s how it looks:
- Io ho fatto (I have done/made)
- Tu hai fatto (You have done/made)
- Lui/Lei/Lei ha fatto (He/She/It has done/made)
- Noi abbiamo fatto (We have done/made)
- Voi avete fatto (You have done/made)
- Loro hanno fatto (They have done/made)
Example: “Ho fatto i miei compiti.” (I’ve done my homework.)
Imperfetto (Imperfect/Ongoing or Habitual Actions)
The imperfetto is used for actions that were ongoing or habitual in the past. It’s like saying “I was doing” or “I used to do.”
Here’s the conjugation:
- Io facevo (I was doing/making, I used to do/make)
- Tu facevi (You were doing/making, You used to do/make)
- Lui/Lei/Lei faceva (He/She/It was doing/making, He/She/It used to do/make)
- Noi facevamo (We were doing/making, We used to do/make)
- Voi facevate (You were doing/making, You used to do/make)
- Loro facevano (They were doing/making, They used to do/make)
You can use it to describe:
- Ongoing actions: “Faceva del suo meglio.” (He/she was doing his/her best.)
- Habitual actions: “Da piccola, facevo sempre castelli in aria.” (When I was little, I was always daydreaming.)
- Actions happening while something else was happening: “Mentre facevo la spesa, ho incontrato Lucia.” (While I was doing my grocery shopping, I met Lucia.) – Note the use of “mentre” (while).
OTHER PAST TENSES: PASSATO REMOTO AND TRAPASSATO PROSSIMO
Italian has a rich selection of past tenses. Here are a couple more ways to talk about the past using the verb fare.
Passato Remoto (Remote Past)
Here’s how to conjugate fare in the passato remoto:
- Io feci (I did/made)
- Tu facesti (You did/made)
- Lui/Lei/Lei fece (He/She/Formal You did/made)
- Noi facemmo (We did/made)
- Voi faceste (You all did/made)
- Loro fecero (They did/made)
You’ll use the passato remoto to describe actions that were completed way back in the distant past. You’ll often see it used in formal writing, especially historical texts. It’s not as common in everyday speech, especially if you’re in Northern Italy.
For example: La battaglia di Poitiers fece perdere la guerra alla Francia. (The battle of Poitiers made France lose the war.)
Trapassato Prossimo (Past Perfect)
To form the trapassato prossimo, you’ll use the auxiliary verb avere in the imperfetto tense plus the past participle of fare (fatto).
This tense describes something that happened before something else in the past.
For example: Avevo già fatto i compiti quando mi hai chiamato. (I had already done my homework when you called me.)
“FARE” IN THE FUTURE TENSE (FUTURO SEMPLICE)
Here’s how to conjugate “fare” in the simple future tense. You’ll use these forms to talk about things you will do or make.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Io | farò | I will do/make |
| Tu | farai | You will do/make |
| Lui/Lei/Lei | farà | He/She/It will do/make |
| Noi | faremo | We will do/make |
| Voi | farete | You will do/make |
| Loro | faranno | They will do/make |
Common Uses:
- Expressing future actions: “Farò i compiti domani.” (I’ll do my homework tomorrow.)
- Making predictions: “Farai la pasta oggi?” (Will you make the pasta today?)
Note: Many Italians use the present tense to talk about the near future. For example, you might hear “Faccio i compiti domani” to mean “I’ll do my homework tomorrow.”
The Imperative Mood (Imperativo)
You use the imperative to give commands or instructions.
Here’s how to conjugate fare in the imperative mood:
- (Tu) Fa’! (Do! Make!) – informal
- (Lei) Faccia! (Do! Make!) – formal
- (Noi) Facciamo! (Let’s do! Let’s make!)
- (Voi) Fate! (Do! Make!)
Examples:
- Fa’ silenzio! (Be quiet!)
- Fate attenzione! (Pay attention!)
Gerundio and other non-finite forms
Beyond the tenses we’ve covered, there are a few other important forms of “fare” to know.
Gerundio
The gerundio form of “fare” is “facendo,” which translates to “doing” or “making.” You’ll use it to describe an action in progress. For example: “Sta facendo la presentazione da solo” (He’s making the presentation alone).
Infinitive
The infinitive form is simply “fare” (to do/make).
Past Participle
The past participle is “fatto” (done/made).
USEFUL PHRASES AND IDIOMS WITH “FARE”
The verb “fare” is incredibly versatile, so it appears in a ton of common phrases. Here’s a list to get you started.
Daily Life:
- Fare colazione – to have breakfast
- Fare la spesa – to do the shopping
- Fare un errore – to make a mistake
Travel:
- Fare un viaggio – to go on a trip
- Fare il biglietto – to buy a ticket
- Fare la valigia – to pack your suitcase
Weather:
- Che tempo fa? – what’s the weather like?
- Fa freddo – it’s cold
- Fa caldo – it’s hot
Leisure:
- Fare una passeggiata – to go for a walk
- Fare un giro – to go for a stroll
- Fare giardinaggio – to garden
Work/Studies:
- Fare un lavoro – To do a job
- Fare una domanda – to ask a question
- Fare i compiti – to do homework
Memorizing these phrases will really help you sound like a native speaker. “Fare” is used in so many contexts that it will quickly become one of your go-to verbs!
Common Mistakes to Avoid with “Fare”
Even if you’ve mastered the conjugations of fare, you can still stumble if you’re not careful. Here are a few common mistakes to watch out for:
- Literal translations: Don’t automatically translate English phrases using “do” or “make” directly into Italian with fare. Context matters!
- Confusing fare with essere: Fare describes actions or professions as something done. Essere defines a static state.
- Incorrect tense usage: Make sure you’re using the correct tense based on when the action happened (or will happen!).
The Bottom Line
Fare is one of the most versatile and essential verbs in Italian. It has many meanings and gets used in all sorts of contexts.
Mastering fare‘s conjugation and the many idiomatic expressions that use it will seriously improve your Italian fluency and your ability to understand spoken and written Italian.
Keep practicing and immersing yourself in the language to really nail down the nuances of fare and all the ways you can use it.