There’s ONE Italian verb that does the job of 100 others. It’s so versatile that Italians use it every two seconds. So in this guide, I’ll show you how to use it, the ONE situation where you should never use it, and what to use instead.
Fare in Italian Formula 1: Do and Make, the Foundation
First, what is the verb? It’s fare. And today, it becomes YOUR cheat code. Let’s start with learning its core meaning, because once you understand this, understanding the other 5 ways it’s used will be much easier. In English we have two separate verbs, “to do” and “to make”. ButItalian just uses one: fare, which means both. Think of it like a Swiss Army knife. One tool, one verb, with lots of different uses.
The first formula to use fare is just like in English:
(person) + fare + object
- Faccio i compiti. — I do my homework. — Literally: I do the homework.
- Faccio una torta. — I make a cake. — Literally: I make a cake.
- Faccio il caffè. — I make the coffee. — Literally: I make the coffee.
- Faccio il letto. — I make the bed. — Literally: I make the bed.
- Faccio una telefonata. — I make a phone call. — Literally: I make a phone call.
Takeaway: In most cases, fare just means you are doing or making something.
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Fare in Italian Formula 2: Your Backup Verb, When You Don’t Know the Word
Next, I’ll show you when fare can mean more than one thing, which is why Italians use it every 2 seconds. Imagine you’re speaking Italian and suddenly you can’t remember the verb. So you freeze mid-sentence. In English, we say “take” a photo, “have” breakfast, or “go” for a walk. That’s 3 different verbs. But Italian only needs one: fare! Fare can replace hundreds of different verbs, just like a Swiss Army knife.
So, the second formula to use fare is:
fare + noun
- Fare la spesa. — Do the shopping. — Literally: to do the shopping.
- Fare i piatti. — Do the dishes. — Literally: to do the dishes.
- Fare una passeggiata. — Go for a walk. — Literally: to do a walk.
- Fare una foto. — Take a photo. — Literally: to make a photo.
- Fare la doccia. — Take a shower. — Literally: to do the shower.
- Fare un viaggio. — Take a trip. — Literally: to do a trip.
- Fare una pausa. — Take a break. — Literally: to do a break.
- Fare le valigie. — Pack your bags. — Literally: to do the suitcases.
- Fare una domanda. — Ask a question. — Literally: to make a question.
- Fare una festa. — Throw a party. — Literally: to make a party.
- Fare una proposta. — Make a proposal. — Literally: to make a proposal.
- Fare una scelta. — Make a choice. — Literally: to make a choice.
- Fare un errore. — Make a mistake. — Literally: to make an error.
- Fare una promessa. — Make a promise. — Literally: to make a promise.
Takeaway: If you can’t think of the verb, use fare and add the noun.
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Fare in Italian Formula 3: Create Reactions, Sound Natural Fast
Next, I’m going to show you how fare is used to replace an entire category of words, which is why Italians use it every 2 seconds. To express emotions in Italian, you’d normally need to learn a whole set of different adjectives and verbs, and how to conjugate each one.
- Sono arrabbiato. — I’m angry. — Literally: I am angry.
- Ho pensato. — I thought. — Literally: I have thought.
- Ho riso. — I laughed. — Literally: I have laughed.
But there’s a shortcut. In English we say “it makes me…” In Italian, those three words become just two: mi fa.
So, the third formula to use fare is:
mi fa + verb infinitive or noun
- Mi fa ridere. — It makes me laugh. — Literally: it makes me laugh.
- Mi fa piangere. — It makes me cry. — Literally: it makes me cry.
- Mi fa paura. — It scares me. — Literally: it makes me fear.
- Mi fa arrabbiare. — It makes me angry. — Literally: it makes me get angry.
- Mi fa pensare. — It makes me think. — Literally: it makes me think.
- Mi fa impressione. — It really gets to me. — Literally: it makes me an impression.
- Mi fa venire voglia di… — It makes me want to… — Literally: it makes desire come to me to…
- Ti fa bene. — It’s good for you. — Literally: it does good to you.
Fare in Italian Formula 4: Fixed Expressions, Collocations
Next, I’ll show you which phrases with fare Italians use every 2 seconds that also make you sound more natural.
Some expressions in Italian can’t be translated literally. If you do, they don’t make any sense. Think of English phrases like “make up your mind” and “fast food”. We don’t say “do up your mind” or “quick food”. It’s the same idea. Italian is the same. Linguists call these collocations, pairs or groups of words that naturally go together. And Italian is full of them, especially with fare.
So, the fourth use of fare is using set phrases, or collocations.
- Fare la fila. — Queue / stand in line. — Literally: to do the line.
- Fare colazione. — Have breakfast. — Literally: to do breakfast.
- Fare amicizia. — Make friends. — Literally: to make friendship.
- Fare in tempo. — Make it in time. — Literally: to do in time.
- Fare del proprio meglio. — Do your best. — Literally: to do one’s own best.
- Fare sul serio. — Be serious / mean it. — Literally: to do on serious.
Fare in Italian Formula 5: Roles and Behaviour, Playing a Part
Now I’m going to show you a unique way Italians use fare. In English, when we talk about jobs or roles, we use the verb “to be”: I am a doctor. She is a teacher. But in Italian, using essere (to be) isn’t the only verb you can use. Think of an actor on stage. They play the role of the character. That’s exactly how Italians think about jobs and professions. You are playing the role of that profession.
So, the fifth formula with fare is:
fare + il/la + role or behaviour
- Fare il medico. — To be/work as a doctor. — Literally: to do the doctor.
- Fare l’insegnante. — To be/work as a teacher. — Literally: to do the teacher.
- Fare l’avvocato. — To be/work as a lawyer. — Literally: to do the lawyer.
- Fare il genitore. — To be a parent. — Literally: to do the parent.
Notice the difference. Essere says what you are. Fare says what you do, how you act, the role you play.
Fare in Italian Formula 6: The Twist, Farsi Reflexive
Now I’m going to show you another way Italians use fare that most textbooks never teach. And once you learn it, you’ll start noticing it everywhere. Until now, fare has always been about doing something in the world. Making something. Causing something. The action has a result outside of you. But sometimes you’re not doing something for the world. You’re doing it for yourself.
Think about the difference between these two sentences:
- Faccio un caffè. — I make a coffee. — Literally: I make a coffee.
- Mi faccio un caffè. — I make myself a coffee. — Literally: I make myself a coffee.
That mi at the start is the signal. It tells you the action is coming back to the person doing it. In Italian, that’s called a reflexive verb. And you make fare reflexive simply by adding si, giving you farsi.
So, the sixth formula with fare is:
(person pronoun) + farsi + object
- mi faccio — I do for myself. — Literally: I do myself.
- ti fai — you do for yourself. — Literally: you do yourself.
- si fa — he/she does for himself/herself. — Literally: he/she does himself/herself.
Farsi in your mind:
- Mi faccio un’idea. — I form an idea in my own mind. — Literally: I make myself an idea.
- Mi faccio una ragione. — I come to terms with something. — Literally: I make myself a reason.
- Mi faccio un’opinione. — I form an opinion. — Literally: I make myself an opinion.
Farsi for yourself:
- Mi faccio un caffè. — I make myself a coffee. — Literally: I make myself a coffee.
- Mi faccio la doccia. — I take a shower. — Literally: I make myself the shower.
- Mi faccio il pranzo. — I make myself lunch. — Literally: I make myself the lunch.
- Mi faccio una vacanza. — I take myself on holiday. — Literally: I make myself a holiday.
Farsi as experience:
- Mi faccio male. — I get hurt. — Literally: I make myself bad/harm.
- Mi faccio 10 km. — I do 10 km. — Literally: I make myself 10 km.
- Mi faccio una bella camminata. — I’ll go on a good long walk. — Literally: I make myself a nice walk.
The One Rule You Must Know: Fare vs Rendere
Now I’m going to show you the one case where fare does NOT work. This catches a lot of learners by surprise. You’ve learned that mi fa means “it makes me.” But it isn’t always the right formula to use.
Sometimes something makes you do something:
- Mi fa ridere. — It makes me laugh. — Literally: it makes me laugh.
That’s a reaction, so we use fare. But sometimes something makes you feel a certain way: felice, triste, nervoso…That’s not a reaction but a change in state, and for this we need to use rendere. Notice how these are all adjectives, not verbs or nouns. So the correct formula we need to use is:
person pronoun + rende + adjective
- Mi rende felice. — It makes me happy. — Literally: it renders me happy.
- Ti rende triste. — It makes you sad. — Literally: it renders you sad.
- Lo rende nervoso. — It makes him nervous. — Literally: it renders him nervous.
- Mi rende orgoglioso. — It makes me proud. — Literally: it renders me proud.
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