27 Ways to Use the Verb Fare in Italian

The verb fare, which in English means to make, do, prepare, execute, or carry out—say, make your bed or do your homework or make pasta—is one of the richest, most versatile verbs in the Italian language. Its used to express a nearly boundless array of actions, from standing in line to making friends, buying oneself a new car, taking a walk, or taking a trip. And, of course, the weather. The Latin derivation of the verb fare—from facere—weighs heavily on the verbs conjugation, making it a most irregular second-conjugation verb. In fact, fare heads up its own model and family of irregular and pesky verbs that derive from fare—a topic all of its own. Here, though, we want to tell you about the myriad purposes of fare. They are more than curious idioms or phrases: They are staple expressions of everyday actions and sentiments—many of them creative and interesting, displaying the full color of the Italian language—that you will want to understand and use. Idioms With Fare Here are some of the most common expressions of actions that use fare in Italian. They are transitive and conjugate with avere: fare il biglietto to purchase a ticket fare la fila/la coda to stand/wait in line fare la spesa to go grocery shopping fare lo shopping/le spese to go shopping fare ginnastica/sport to exercise/do sports fare forca/chiodo to play hookey fare una domanda to ask a question fare una fotografia to take a picture fare una passeggiata to take a walk fare un giro to go for a ride or a stroll fare colazione to have breakfast fare un viaggio to take a trip fare il bagno/la doccia to swim or bathe/to take a shower fare un capello in quattro to split hairs fare castelli in aria to daydream fare finta to pretend fare il possibile/di tutto to do everything possible fare del proprio meglio to do one's best fare amicizia to make friends fare alla romana to split the check fare il pieno to fill up the gas tank fare la pipà ¬/fare i bisogni to tinkle/go to the bathroom fare il callo to get used to something negative fare la bocca to get used to something good fare confusione to make noise/create confusion fare da sà © to handle something on one's own fare danno to cause damage fare festa to take the day off fare lo stupido/il cretino to act stupidly fare il bravo to act nicely fare attenzione to pay attention fare male/fare bene to harm/do good (or act wrongly or rightly) fare fatica to struggle fare tardi/presto to be late/early fare in tempo to manage to do something on time fare fronte a to face something (figuratively) fare bella/brutta figura to look good/bad/make a good or bad impression fare a meno to do without something fare torto a qualcuno to wrong someone fare a botte to brawl fare piacere to please fare schifo to be gross or disgusting fare colpo to impress/make a nice showing fare impressione to shock (negatively) fare buon viso a cattivo gioco to smile or play along with someone's deception or bad intent Expressions With Farsi In these uses, fare is used in reflexive mode or otherwise intransitive mode. You conjugate with essere: farsi la barba to shave farsi i capelli to cut one's hair or get one's hair done farsi coraggio to hearten oneself/give oneself courage farsi in là   to move over farsi in quattro to bend over backwards farsi vivo/a/i/e to get in touch farsi largo to push through a crowd farsi bello/a/i/e to primp farsi un nome to make a name for oneself farsi valere to assert oneself farsi conoscere to make oneself known farsi notare to draw attention farsi il segno della croce to make the sign of the cross farsi capire to make oneself understood farsi pregare to make someone beg farsi vento to fan oneself farsi desiderare to make someone wait farsi gli affari propri to mind one's business farsi la macchina, la casa nuova to buy oneself something (a car, a new house) farsi male to hurt oneself Other Important Uses of Fare Fare has some other important uses in conjunction with other verbs or acting in the place of other verbs: Lasciare fare to let something be/leave something alone Lascia fare; dopo faccio io. Leave it; I will take care of it later. Avere a che fare to have (or not) something to do with something or someone Non ho niente a che fare con Luca. I have nothing to do with Luca. Darsi da fare to work hard at something Mi do da fare ma non trovo lavoro. I am working hard at it but I can't find a job. Saperci fare to know how to do something well Quel ballerino ci sa fare. That dancer knows what he's doing. Far fare qualcosa a qualcuno to make someone do something La mamma mi fa sempre fare le pulizie. Mom always makes me clean. Fare vedere to show someone something Mi fai vedere il tuo vestito nuovo? Will you show me your new dress? Fare sà ¬ che to make it so as to make something happen La mamma ha fatto sà ¬ che non fossi a casa quando hanno portato la macchina nuova. Mom made it so I would not be home when they delivered my new car. Fare (un lavoro) to have/do a profession La Lucia fa la maestra. Lucia is a teacher. Fare (come bastare) to last/to suffice Questa acqua farà   per due giorni. This water will last for two days. Fare (come cogliere/tagliare) to cut or pick La signora à ¨ andata a fare l'erba per i conigli. The woman went to cut grass for her rabbits. Fare (come dire) to say (to go, informally) Ho visto e Andrea e mi fa, "Mi presti dei soldi?" I saw Andrea on the street and he goes, "Would you loan me some money?" Fare passare to let someone by Fammi passare! Let me by! Fare da mangiare to cook Oggi ho fatto da mangiare. Ho fatto una minestra. Today I cooked. I made a soup. The Weather: Il Tempo The verb fare is used in many expressions relating to the weather. The weather—it, third-person singular, spoken or unspoken—is the subject, making cold, hot, or snow. Che tempo fa? How is the weather?Oggi fa bello. Its beautiful today.Domani fa cattivo tempo. Tomorrow its going to be bad weather.Questa settimana ha fatto caldo. Its been hot this week.Qui fa sempre freddo a gennaio. Its always cold here in January.In primavera fa sempre fresco. In spring, its always cool.Domani fa la neve. Tomorrow its going to snow. Proverbs Using Fare Of course, because the verb fare covers so many actions, it is used in a number of proverbs or sayings about everyday life. Tra il dire e il fare cà ¨ di mezzo il mare. There is a big difference between words and actions.Chi non fa non falla. Those who dont do anything dont make mistakes.Chi fa da sà © fa per tre. If you want something done, do it yourself.Non fare agli altri cià ² che non vorresti fosse fatto a te. Treat others as you want to be treated.Tutto fa/tutto fa brodo. Every little bit helps.Chi non sa fare non sa comandare. A bad worker is a bad master.