French conjugation explanation

Causative agreement

<p>In the

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/81/" target="_blank">Compound Past</a>

(<span style="font-style: italic;">Passé composé</span>) and other compound tenses, the past participle usually agrees with the direct object if it precedes the verb. However, there is a major exception known as the <strong>causative construction</strong>.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Faire + Infinitive</div>

<p>When the past participle of

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/faire/" title="Click to see conjugations for faire" target="_blank">faire</a>

(<span style="font-style: italic;">fait</span>) is immediately followed by an infinitive, the past participle is <strong>invariable</strong>. It never takes agreement markers (e, s, es), even if there is a preceding direct object.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">C'est la maison que j&rsquo;ai <span class="green_emphasis">fait</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">construire</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">This is the house I had built.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">(The direct object "la maison" is feminine and precedes the verb, but "fait" does not agree because it is followed by the infinitive

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/construire/" title="Click to see conjugations for construire" target="_blank">construire</a>

.)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Ces chaises ? Je les ai <span class="green_emphasis">fait</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">réparer</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">These chairs? I had them repaired.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Elle s'est <span class="green_emphasis">fait</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">couper</span> les cheveux. (<span style="font-style: italic;">She got her hair cut.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">(Even with the reflexive pronoun "se" referring to "Elle", there is no agreement.)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Laisser + Infinitive</div>

<p>Traditionally,

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/laisser/" title="Click to see conjugations for laisser" target="_blank">laisser</a>

followed a complex rule where agreement depended on whether the object performed the action of the infinitive. However, the <strong>1990 orthography reform</strong> simplified this. It is now standard to treat

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/laisser/" title="Click to see conjugations for laisser" target="_blank">laisser</a>

exactly like

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/faire/" title="Click to see conjugations for faire" target="_blank">faire</a>

: no agreement when followed by an infinitive.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Elle nous a <span class="green_emphasis">laissé</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">continuer</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">She let us continue.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Les oiseaux se sont <span class="green_emphasis">laissé</span> <span class="brown_emphasis">attraper</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">The birds let themselves be caught.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Compare with standard usage</div>

<p>If

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/faire/" title="Click to see conjugations for faire" target="_blank">faire</a>

or

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/laisser/" title="Click to see conjugations for laisser" target="_blank">laisser</a>

are <strong>not</strong> followed by an infinitive, the standard rules of agreement apply (agreement with the preceding direct object).</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Je veux <span class="brown_emphasis">tenir</span> les promesses que j'ai <span class="green_emphasis">faites</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I want to keep the promises I made.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">(No infinitive follows, so "faites" agrees with feminine plural "promesses".)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">La paysanne s'est <span class="green_emphasis">faite</span> au luxe. (<span style="font-style: italic;">The peasant woman got used to luxury.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Je l'ai <span class="green_emphasis">laissée</span> sur la table. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I left it on the table.</span>)</div>