il fit

did, made, caused

→ faire
verb · 3rd-person singular, past tense Common #3,669
did, made This is the passé simple, used mainly in written narratives; in speech, people usually use « a fait » instead.
FR: Elle fit un gâteau.
EN: She made a cake.
Conjugation of faire
Indicative past
SingularPlural
First fis —
Second fis —
Third fit firent

Oui, fit-elle à haute voix, qui est-ce ?

“Yes,” she said aloud. “Who is it?”

Il ne le fit pas, pourtant !

But he didn’t do it!

Le soir se fit.

Evening fell.

Elle le fit devant le personnel.

She did it in front of the staff.

Si Laura les fit venir, pourquoi ne dirent-ils rien ?

If Laura summoned them, why didn't they say anything?

— L'Accusé (2017)

Tom fit une liste des chansons qu'il n'aimait pas.

Tom made a list of songs he didn’t like.

Bon, fit-il, Mrs. Aouda est encore couchée à cette heure.

“Well,” he said, “Mrs. Aouda is still in bed at this hour.”

Elle me fit du thé.

She made me some tea.

Le meurtre d'un fonctionnaire fit peur.

The murder of a government official caused fear.

— Gangs of Wasseypur : 1ère partie (2012)

Le type au poignard fit deux pas autour du coin et commença à lever le bras.

The guy with the dagger took two steps around the corner and began to raise his arm.

À sept heures, on fit halte.

At seven o’clock, we stopped for a break.

Il lui fit un massage des pieds.

He gave her a foot massage.

Ce qu’il fit.

What he did.

Elle le fit au vu et au su du personnel.

She did this in full view of the staff.

Anne fit le récit de son évasion.

Anne told the story of her escape.

Le Parsi lui fit signe de se taire.

The Persian signaled to him to be quiet.

Le petit garçon se fit lentement de nouveaux amis.

The little boy slowly made new friends.

Le navire fit voile pour Bombay.

The ship sailed for Bombay.

La police fit une descente dans le tripot.

The police raided the gambling den.

Nous y sommes, fit Danègre, d'une voix sourde.

“Here we are,” Danègre said in a low voice.

Le nom de Phileas Fogg fit de nouveau prime sur le marché.

Phileas Fogg's name once again commanded a premium on the market.

Tom fit une de ces têtes lorsqu'il entendit l'histoire.

Tom pulled one of those faces when he heard the story.

Lui-même fit un séjour de quarante-huit heures au Malaquis.

He himself spent forty-eight hours at Malaquis.

Lisa fit semblant de ne pas entendre.

Lisa pretended not to hear.

Mais certainement, fit l'autre.

“Certainly,” the other replied.

L'étudiant fit une remarque hors de propos.

The student made an irrelevant remark.

Elle me fit un sourire timide.

She gave me a shy smile.

Thomas fit la grimace.

Thomas grimaced.

Tom fit semblant d'être sourd.

Tom pretended to be deaf.

Vincent m’en fit la démonstration.

Vincent demonstrated it to me.

Victor fit signe au premier prisonnier de monter l’escalier.

Victor motioned for the first prisoner to climb the stairs.

« Maou », fit le chat en me regardant.

“Meow,” the cat said, looking at me.

Elle le fit avec moi quand on se connut.

She did it with me when we first met.

— L'Accusé (2017)

La ville fit ce qu’il leur avait demandé.

The city did what he had asked them to do.

Son dernier match fit l'objet de larges débats dans les médias.

His last match was widely debated in the media.

— La Famille Tenenbaum (2001)

Il annonça une nouvelle qui fit l'effet d'une bombe.

He announced some news that had the effect of a bombshell.

Elle lui fit signe d'au revoir.

She waved goodbye to him.

Il me fit un signe de la tête en passant.

He nodded to me as he passed.

Tom fit de son mieux, mais n'était toujours pas capable de valider la matière.

Tom did his best, but he still wasn't able to pass the course.

L'échange se fit.

The exchange took place.

La bonne fit mon lit.

The maid made my bed.

Personne ne fit le lien avec moi.

Nobody made the connection with me.

— L'Accusé (2017)

"Il fit cela pour sauver celle qu'il aimait."

He did it to save the woman he loved.

— Souvenirs de Marnie (2014)

Elle le fit pour le bien de la communauté.

She did it for the good of the community.

Elle se fit toute belle pour son grand rendez-vous.

She made herself all beautiful for her big date.

Et, soudain, la lumière se fit en lui.

And suddenly, the light dawned on him.

Sami ne le fit pas exprès.

Sami didn’t do it on purpose.

On ne fit aucun prisonnier.

No prisoners were taken.

Tom fit semblant d'avoir une arme.

Tom pretended to have a weapon.

Le premier lieutenant fit le compte.

The first lieutenant did the count.

Qui ne se rappelle le bruit que fit celle-ci dans le monde entier ?

Who doesn't remember the stir it caused around the world?

Il le fit à titre personnel.

He did it in a personal capacity.

Tom fit une exception.

Tom made an exception.

Il fit des affaires en or et se fit plein d’amis.

He made a fortune and made lots of friends.

Ça me fit rire.

It made me laugh.

Puis un moment de silence se fit.

Then there was a moment of silence.

Bas les pattes, fit Daspry, tout n'est pas fini.

Hands off, Daspry said. It’s not over yet.

Son esprit lui fit défaut.

His mind failed him.

Et le garçon le fit.

And the boy did.

Oui, fit le banquier d'une voix forte.

“Yes,” said the banker in a loud voice.

Elle me fit un gâteau.

She made me a cake.

Le présentateur fit allusion à la corruption dans le monde politique.

The presenter referred to corruption in the political world.

Tom fit un câlin à son chien.

Tom hugged his dog.

Elle lui fit un procès.

She sued him.

Tom fit semblant d'avoir un pistolet.

Tom pretended to have a gun.

Cela fit un effet prodigieux sur Andrew Speedy.

It had a tremendous effect on Andrew Speedy.

Le Parsi fit un signe affirmatif et mit un doigt sur ses lèvres.

The Parsi nodded and put a finger to his lips.

Devanne allait répondre quand sa mère lui fit un signe.

Devanne was about to answer when his mother gestured to him.

Elle lui fit un regard méchant.

She gave him a nasty look.

Le tonnerre se fit plus fort.

The thunder grew louder.

Cette femme me fit me sentir coupable.

This woman made me feel guilty.

— Troupe d'Élite (2007)

Tom fit un pas en avant.

Tom took a step forward.

Il lui fit un gâteau.

He made her a cake.

"Et fit du fleuve son tombeau."

And he made the river his tomb.

— Haider (2014)

L'étudiante fit une remarque hors de propos.

The student made an irrelevant remark.

Le discours du baron fit peur aux villageois.

The baron's speech frightened the villagers.

— Le Ruban blanc (2009)

Et la lumière se fit.

And the light came on.

Il nous fit un large sourire.

He gave us a broad smile.

Bientôt, l'été se termina et fit place à l'automne, saison des récoltes.

Soon, summer came to an end and gave way to autumn, the season of harvests.

— Le Conte de la princesse Kaguya (2013)

Tom fit exactement ce qu'on lui disait.

Tom did exactly what he was told.

L'article fit grand bruit.

The article caused quite a stir.

Puis le hasard fit qu'il prit au piège un nouveau porteur.

Then, by chance, he trapped a new bearer.

— Le Seigneur des anneaux : La Communauté de l'anneau (2001)

La scène effroyable le fit trembler de peur.

The dreadful scene made him tremble with fear.

Il se retourna et fit un geste vers la salle.

He turned around and gestured toward the room.

Le chauffeur du camion fit un écart pour éviter quelqu'un.

The truck driver swerved to avoid someone.

L'armée fit une dernière tentative.

The army made one last attempt.

— Apocalypse Now (1979)

Cela le fit sursauter lui aussi, et il se réveilla.

This startled him too, and he woke up.

— Aucun autre choix (2025)

Il nous fit office de guide.

He acted as our guide.

Ça en fit une légende.

That made him a legend.

— Sisu : Le Chemin de la vengeance (2025)

Tom fit semblant d'avoir un revolver.

Tom pretended to have a revolver.

Tout le monde le fit.

Everyone did it.

Sami le fit devant tout le monde.

Sami did it in front of everyone.

Stefan fit éruption en courant à toute allure après Amela.

Stefan burst out, running full speed after Amela.

Elle lui fit des avances, un sourire aux lèvres.

She made advances to him, a smile on her lips.

Marie fit semblant de consulter son téléphone.

Marie pretended to check her phone.

Elle le fit lentement.

She did it slowly.

Tom fit de son mieux, mais échoua.

Tom tried his best, but failed.

Tinky Winky fit demi-tour.

Tinky Winky turned around.

— 28 Ans plus tard : Le Temple des morts (2026)

Lorsque mon père quitta la pièce, ma petite sœur me fit un doigt d'honneur !

When my father left the room, my little sister gave me the finger!

Ce qu'il fit n'était pas mauvais.

What he did was not bad.

L'année passée l’élève fit connaissance de cette femme.

Last year, the student met this woman.

Pendant les premiers jours, la navigation se fit dans d'excellentes conditions.

For the first few days, the voyage proceeded under excellent conditions.

Il le fit au vu et au su du personnel.

He did this in full view of the staff.

Alors il se fit un grand silence.

Then there was a great silence.

Elle le fit.

She did.

Comment le fit-il ?

How did he do it?

— L'Accusé (2017)

Jamais je ne pardonnerai à Tom ce qu'il me fit.

I will never forgive Tom for what he did to me.

La coupe des Beatles fit sensation.

The Beatles' haircut caused a sensation.

Que fit-elle quand elle apprit que la police était après elle ?

What did she do when she learned that the police were after her?

— L'Accusé (2017)

Tom fit semblant d'être occupé.

Tom pretended to be busy.

Tout le monde fit l'éloge de Ken pour son grand courage.

Everyone praised Ken for his great courage.

Sami fit le boulot.

Sami did the job.

Ne riez pas, fit-elle, agacée.

“Don’t laugh,” she said, annoyed.

On fit confiance à la police et rentra.

We trusted the police and went home.

— L'Accusé (2017)

Le tonnerre fit peur aux enfants.

The thunder scared the children.

Elle me fit un clin d’œil qui semblait signifier « je t'aime ».

She winked at me as if to say, “I love you.”

Tom fit tout ce qu'il put pour aider.

Tom did everything he could to help.

Allons, fit-il, nous perdons notre temps.

“Come on,” he said. “We’re wasting our time.”

Son regard me fit peur.

His gaze frightened me.

— L'Accusé (2017)

C'est tout ce que Tom fit.

That’s all Tom did.

À ce moment, la progression de la maladie se fit plus lente.

At this time, the progression of the disease became slower.

La femme de ménage fit mon lit.

The cleaning lady made my bed.

Il le fit devant le personnel.

He did it in front of the staff.

Il se fit à l'idée de l'épouser.

He resigned himself to the idea of marrying her.

auxiliary · 3rd-person singular, past tense Uncommon #10,195
made, caused The passé simple form of “faire,” used mainly in literary or formal storytelling.
FR: Elle fit rire son frère.
EN: She made her brother laugh.
Conjugation of faire
Indicative past
SingularPlural
First fis —
Second fis —
Third fit firent

Il fit sécher ses vêtements près du feu.

He dried his clothes by the fire.

Il fit voler un cerf-volant avec son fils.

He flew a kite with his son.

Elle me fit me souvenir des jours passés avec Meimei.

She reminded me of the days I’d spent with Meimei.

— Suzhou River (2000)

Mary lui fit découvrir le monde.

Mary introduced him to the world.

Il me fit attendre.

He kept me waiting.

Mary fit croire qu'elle était malade pour éviter d'aller à l'école.

Mary pretended to be sick to avoid going to school.

Susan fit briller les chaussures de son père.

Susan polished her father’s shoes.

Il me fit parvenir une lettre disant qu'il ne pouvait me voir.

He sent me a letter saying that he couldn't see me.

Louisa nous fit visiter la place de la ville.

Louisa showed us around the town square.

Puis il se fit servir à déjeuner dans sa cabine.

Then he had lunch served in his cabin.

Le pilote fit atterrir l'avion dans le champ.

The pilot landed the plane in the field.

Un guide fit faire le tour du musée aux touristes.

A guide showed the tourists around the museum.

Il se fit prendre en flagrant délit.

He was caught red-handed.

L'explosion nous fit sursauter.

The explosion made us jump.

Tom fit claquer ses doigts.

Tom snapped his fingers.

Quelqu'un la vit et fit prévenir le maire.

Someone saw her and sent word to the mayor.

— The Road Home (1999)

On me fit parvenir peu de nouvelles sur le reste des événements.

I received little news about the rest of the events.

Elle se fit prendre.

She got caught.

Elle fit porter sa lourde valise par le porteur.

She had her heavy suitcase carried by the porter.

"Il fit emprisonner l'homme blessé."

He had the injured man imprisoned.

— Haider (2014)

La bonne nouvelle lui fit monter les larmes aux yeux.

The good news brought tears to his eyes.

Elle fit courir ses doigts dans ses cheveux.

She ran her fingers through her hair.

Elle fit porter la caisse au rez-de-chaussée.

She had the box carried downstairs.

Il ne se fit pas prendre.

He didn't get caught.

Il fit venir son tailleur.

He summoned his tailor.

— L'Agent secret (2025)

Elle le fit disparaître de sa mémoire.

She made him disappear from her memory.

Rapidement, il fit jouer le ressort de sa lanterne.

Quickly, he worked the spring on his lantern.

Elle lui fit nettoyer sa chambre.

She made him clean her room.

Oui, mon père la fit faire pour moi.

Yes, my father had it made for me.

— Le Seigneur des anneaux : Le Retour du roi (2003)

Il fit faire un double de cette clé.

He had a duplicate of this key made.

L'une fit fonctionner la serrure, l'autre le verrou de sûreté.

One worked the lock, the other the deadbolt.

Il fit fondre son cœur.

He melted her heart.

Mary me fit promettre de ne pas le dire à Tom.

Mary made me promise not to tell Tom.

Le gentleman se fit conduire à la Bourse.

The gentleman had himself driven to the stock exchange.

Elle se fit percer le nombril.

She had her navel pierced.

Phileas Fogg monta sur le pont et fit demander le capitaine.

Phileas Fogg went up on deck and asked for the captain.

Pour elle, il fit construire l'Opéra de Chicago.

For her, he built the Chicago Opera House.

Elle fit porter la caisse en bas.

She had the box carried downstairs.

Il la saisit par le bras et la fit asseoir.

He grabbed her arm and made her sit down.

Il en fit tourner le manche à gauche, puis à droite.

He turned the handle to the left, then to the right.

Il la fit pleurer.

He made her cry.

Il fit courir ses doigts dans ses cheveux.

He ran his fingers through his hair.

Elle ne se fit pas prendre.

She didn't get caught.

Il fit venir une voiture pour Mrs. Aouda et pour lui.

He had a car brought for Mrs. Aouda and himself.

Elle se fit prendre en flagrant délit.

She was caught red-handed.

Il fit taper le rapport par son secrétaire.

He had the report typed by his secretary.

On fit entrer les deux prisonniers.

The two prisoners were brought in.