Think fare just means ‘to do’ or ‘to make’?
Think again! This powerful verb is used in dozens of idiomatic expressions that Italians use every day. Mastering these will help you sound more natural, avoid common mistakes, and express yourself like a native!
In English, it means both to do and to make and colloquially in Italian, it replaces a lot of other verbs. It can also mean many other things when combined with specific words or expressions. Learn more about Italian Expressions with the verb FARE to improve your language learning and avoid mistakes.
There are a lot of idiomatic expressions that use fare. It would be an excellent choice to learn a few because they are very used in everyday conversations.
Fare is a transitive verb that takes avere (to have) as its auxiliary in compound tenses.
But when it’s used reflexively, as farsi, it needs the auxiliary essere (to be).
Below is a list of common expressions with fare, categorized for easier reference.
Summary of Categories:
Untranslatable or Specific: 7 expressions
Everyday Actions: 9 expressions
Emotions and Reactions: 7 expressions
Idiomatic and Figurative: 15 expressions
Reflexive and Impersonal: 10 expressions
Social Situations: 7 expressions
Ability and Skill: 3 expressions
Time and Daily Activities: 9 expressions
Miscellaneous: 7 expressions
EXPRESSIONS WITH “FARE” – Italian Expressions with verb FARE
1. Everyday Actions
These are common actions that use fare to describe regular activities.
- Fare la spesa – To do the shopping
- Fare una passeggiata – To go for a walk
- Fare un viaggio – To go on a trip, make a journey
- Fare la doccia – To take a shower
- Fare una festa – To have a party
- Fare un corso – To take or teach a course
- Fare i compiti – To do one’s homework
- Fare una promessa – To make a promise
- Fare la gavetta – To pay one’s dues (e.g., work hard at the beginning of a career)
- Fare le valigie – To pack one’s bag
2. Emotions, Reactions, and Sensations
These expressions describe feelings, reactions, and things that cause emotional responses.
- Fare paura – To frighten
- Fare rabbia – To make someone angry
- Far soffrire – To make someone suffer
- Fare la voce grossa – To raise your voice
- Fare senso – To be disgusting or unpleasant
- Fare le fusa – To purr (like a cat)
- Fare un freddo cane – Very cold
- Fare il diavolo a quattro – To raise hell (cause a commotion)
- Fare salti mortali – To bend over backward (make a big effort)
- Fare la fame – To starve (to be very hungry)
3. Idiomatic and Figurative Expressions
These idiomatic expressions often cannot be translated directly but carry deeper meanings.
- Fare finta di niente – To pretend nothing happened
- Fare carte false – To go to great lengths, often deceitfully (lit. “to forge documents”)
- Fare conquiste – To make conquests (usually in a romantic sense)
- Fare delle storie – To kick up a fuss, to make a big deal out of something
- Fare da traino – To be the driving force (e.g., to lead or motivate)
- Fare il bello e il cattivo tempo – To exercise complete control
- Fare il doppio gioco – To be two-faced, to play both sides
- Fare il filo a – To fancy someone, to flirt with someone
- Fare il lavoro sporco – To do the dirty work
- Fare il passo più lungo della gamba – To bite off more than one can chew
- Fare il verso a qualcuno – To mimic or parody someone
- Fare il/la difficile – To be difficult, to be a stick-in-the-mud
- Fare l’amore – To make love
4. Reflexive and Impersonal Expressions
These involve reflexive verbs or impersonal constructions that reflect personal states or natural conditions.
- Farsi la barba – To shave
- Farsi un nome – To make a name for oneself
- Farsi la doccia – To take a shower
- Farsi il bagno – To take a bath
- Farsi bello – To make oneself look good
- Farsi grande – To grow tall
- Farsi amico di qualcuno – To make friends with someone
- Fa caldo – It’s hot
- Fa freddo – It’s cold
- Fa notte – It’s getting dark
5. Actions in Relationships and Social Situations
These expressions relate to social interactions and dynamics.
- Fare gli occhi dolci a qualcuno – To flutter one’s eyelashes at someone (flirt)
- Fare gli onori di casa – To make someone feel at home, to host someone
- Fare i conti con qualcuno – To deal with someone (often in a confrontational sense)
- Fare i conti in tasca – To meddle in someone’s affairs, to be nosy
- Fare il filo a qualcuno – To flirt with someone
- Fare orecchie da mercante – To turn a deaf ear, to ignore someone or something
- Non fare complimenti – Don’t be so formal, feel free to be yourself
6. Expressing Ability or Skill
These expressions talk about proficiency and abilities.
- Saperci fare – To be good at something
- Fare di testa tua – To do things on your own, to be independent
- Fare di necessità virtù – To make a virtue out of necessity (make the best out of a bad situation)
7. Time-Related and Daily Activities
These expressions refer to actions that are related to time or daily activities.
- Fare le ore piccole – To stay up late
- Fare il bis – To go for seconds (at a meal)
- Fare dietrofront – To turn around, to do an about-face
- Fare un sacrificio – To make a sacrifice
- Fare una pennichella – To take a nap
- Fare una piega – To bat an eye, not to react (show indifference)
- Fare un viaggio – To go on a trip
8. Miscellaneous Actions and Expressions
These expressions don’t neatly fit into the other categories but are still commonly used.
- Non fa niente – It doesn’t matter
- Fare passi da gigante – To make great strides
- Fare piazza pulita – To make a clean sweep, to get rid of everything
- Fare retromarcia – To reverse, to back down from a position
- Fare sfoggio di – To show off, to display ostentatiously
- Fare sul serio – To get serious, to take something seriously
- Fare tesoro di qualcosa – To treasure something, to value something highly
- Fare la differenza – To make a difference
- Fare la muffa – To gather dust, to grow cobwebs (literally “to grow mold”)
- Fare il palo – To be a sentry, to stand guard
9. Untranslatable or Very Specific Expressions
Some expressions are very culture-specific and have meanings that may be hard to translate exactly.
- Fare il verso a qualcuno – To mimic or impersonate someone
- Fare il bello e il cattivo tempo – To have complete control over something (like the weather)
- Fare il doppio gioco – To play both sides, to be two-faced
- Fare una grinza – To be watertight, flawless (usually in a figurative sense)
- Fare zapping – To channel surf (flicking through TV channels)
Which of these expressions surprised you the most? Try using one in a sentence and share it in the comments!
Practicing them will help you remember them—and I’ll be happy to check your sentence!”
🔗 You may also like: How to use the Italian pronominal verb VOLERCI
Present Tense (Presente)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io (I) | faccio |
| Tu (You) | fai |
| Lui/Lei (He/She) | fa |
| Noi (We) | facciamo |
| Voi (You all) | fate |
| Loro (They) | fanno |
Imperfect Tense (Imperfetto)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io (I) | facevo |
| Tu (You) | facevi |
| Lui/Lei (He/She) | faceva |
| Noi (We) | facevamo |
| Voi (You all) | facevate |
| Loro (They) | facevano |
Past Perfect (Passato Prossimo)
Note: The auxiliary verb avere is used with fare in compound tenses.
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io (I) | ho fatto |
| Tu (You) | hai fatto |
| Lui/Lei (He/She) | ha fatto |
| Noi (We) | abbiamo fatto |
| Voi (You all) | avete fatto |
| Loro (They) | hanno fatto |
Future Tense (Futuro Semplice)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io (I) | farò |
| Tu (You) | farai |
| Lui/Lei (He/She) | farà |
| Noi (We) | faremo |
| Voi (You all) | farete |
| Loro (They) | faranno |
Conditional (Condizionale)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Io (I) | farei |
| Tu (You) | faresti |
| Lui/Lei (He/She) | farebbe |
| Noi (We) | faremmo |
| Voi (You all) | fareste |
| Loro (They) | farebbero |
Subjunctive (Congiuntivo) – Present
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Che io (I) | faccia |
| Che tu (You) | faccia |
| Che lui/lei (He/She) | faccia |
| Che noi (We) | facciamo |
| Che voi (You all) | facciate |
| Che loro (They) | facciano |
Imperative (Imperativo)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Tu (You) | fai |
| Noi (We) | facciamo |
| Voi (You all) | fate |
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