Lesson 55C1

Function Verb Constructions: faire/prendre/avoir + Noun

Formal French often prefers a 'light verb' plus a noun over a single simple verb — faire une promesse instead of promettre — and English does exactly the same thing (make a promise, take a decision, have a look, pay attention), so the underlying pattern will already feel familiar, even though the specific verb-noun pairings never translate word for word.

Grammar Comparison

Light verbs carry little meaning of their own

French

faire une promesse (make a promise) ≈ promettre (to promise) / prendre une décision (take a decision) ≈ décider (to decide)

English

to make a promise ≈ to promise / to take a decision ≈ to decide

faire, prendre, and avoir are 'light' or 'function' verbs here — they contribute almost no independent meaning, and the real content sits in the noun. English does the identical thing with make, take, have, and pay (make a promise, take a decision, have a look, pay attention), so the pattern itself needs no new explanation. The trap is assuming the French light verb will match whichever English light verb you'd instinctively reach for: English says 'make a decision,' but French uses prendre ('take'), not faire — the noun stays constant across languages far more reliably than the light verb does.

Common pairings and their single-verb equivalents

French

poser une question (ask a question) = demander / prendre part à (take part in) = participer à / se rendre compte de (realize) = comprendre soudainement

English

to ask a question = to ask / to take part in = to participate in / to realize

Formal and written French favors the light-verb form; everyday speech often prefers the plain verb where one exists — exactly the same register split English has between 'make an inquiry' and 'ask,' or 'conduct an investigation' and 'investigate.' Recognizing the light-verb form as the more formal cousin of the plain verb, not a separate grammar point to master, will make formal texts far less intimidating — though for some, like se rendre compte de, there's no single-verb substitute at all in either language.

Vocabulary

French	Pronunciation	English
faire une promesse	fair ewn prom-ESS	to make a promise
prendre une décision	prahn-druh ewn day-see-ZYOHN	to make a decision
poser une question	poh-ZAY ewn kes-TYOHN	to ask a question
avoir besoin de	ah-VWAHR buh-ZWAHN duh	to need
avoir peur de	ah-VWAHR PUHR duh	to be afraid of
faire attention à	fair ah-tahn-SYOHN ah	to pay attention to
prendre part à	prahn-druh par AH	to take part in
avoir l'intention de	ah-VWAHR lan-tahn-SYOHN duh	to intend to
faire un effort	fair uhn eh-FOR	to make an effort
prendre conscience de	prahn-druh kohn-SYAHNS duh	to become aware of
se rendre compte de	suh rahn-druh KOHNT duh	to realize
avoir recours à	ah-VWAHR ruh-KOOR ah	to resort to / have recourse to

← Double Object Pronouns & Their Order Advanced Discourse Connectors →