Faire (to do, to make) and dire (to say, to tell) are two of the most-used verbs in French, and they're grouped together here because they share a famous irregularity: neither one has a vous form ending in the expected -ez.
1. Faire: to do, to make
| Je fais mes devoirs. | I'm doing my homework. |
| Tu fais la cuisine ? | Are you cooking? |
| Il fait du sport. | He plays sports. |
| Nous faisons les courses. | We're grocery shopping. |
| Vous faites attention. | You're paying attention. |
| Ils font le ménage. | They're cleaning house. |
Faire is also how French talks about the weather: il fait beau (it's nice out), il fait chaud / froid (it's hot / cold).
2. Dire: to say, to tell
| Je dis bonjour. | I'm saying hello. |
| Tu dis la vérité ? | Are you telling the truth? |
| Elle dit que c'est facile. | She says it's easy. |
| Nous disons au revoir. | We're saying goodbye. |
| Vous dites la même chose. | You're saying the same thing. |
| Ils disent merci. | They're saying thank you. |
3. Watch out: the "vous" trap
Not "faisez" or "disez": faire and dire are two of only three common verbs whose vous form doesn't end in -ez; it ends in -tes instead: vous faites, vous dites. The third is a verb you already know: vous êtes, see our être lesson.
4. Conjugation: present tense
| Pronoun | Faire | Dire |
|---|---|---|
| je / j' | fais | dis |
| tu | fais | dis |
| il / elle / on | fait | dit |
| nous | faisons | disons |
| vous | faites | dites |
| ils / elles | font | disent |