Words that belong together
A collocation is a word combination that has become the usual one. Faire une décision breaks no grammar rule, nobody just says it. Most slips happen because the English partner comes along: you make a decision, so faire seems obvious. French uses prendre.
Il faut faire une décision avant vendredi.
We need to make a decision before Friday.
Il faut prendre une décision avant vendredi.
We need to make a decision before Friday.
Je peux vous poser une question ?
May I ask you a question?
Verb and noun
With verb-noun pairs, the English verb is rarely a reliable guide. Make, take and pay in particular land on different French verbs. Learn these as single units.
Common pairs
| English | French |
|---|---|
| make a decision | prendre une décision |
| ask a question | poser une question |
| file a complaint with the police | porter plainte |
| pay someone a visit | rendre visite à quelqu'un |
| pay attention to something | prêter attention à quelque chose |
| take a walk | faire une promenade |
| make an appointment | prendre rendez-vous |
| take an exam | passer un examen |
Après le cambriolage, ils ont porté plainte au commissariat.
After the burglary, they reported it at the police station.
On a rendu visite à ma grand-mère dimanche.
We visited my grandmother on Sunday.
J'ai pris rendez-vous chez le dentiste pour mardi.
I made a dentist appointment for Tuesday.
avoir with a bare noun
French expresses many states and feelings with avoir plus a noun without an article. Where English uses be with an adjective or a verb of its own, French has a fixed pair.
J'ai hâte de vous revoir.
I can't wait to see you again.
La réunion aura lieu dans la grande salle.
The meeting will take place in the main hall.
Tu as tort, elle n'a rien dit de tel.
You're wrong, she said nothing of the sort.
Il a du mal à se concentrer le matin.
He struggles to concentrate in the morning.
The precise verb instead of faire
In conversation, faire fits almost anything. In reports, emails and debates, it pays to pick the verb that belongs to the noun. The meaning stays the same, the text becomes sharper and more formal.
Same statement, two registers
Everyday
On a fait une erreur dans le budget.
We made a mistake in the budget.
J'ai fait une liste des problèmes.
I made a list of the problems.
La police fait une enquête.
The police are looking into it.
Formal and precise
Nous avons commis une erreur dans le budget.
An error was made in the budget on our side.
J'ai dressé une liste des problèmes.
I have drawn up a list of the problems.
La police mène une enquête.
The police are conducting an investigation.
More pairs of this kind: émettre un avis, formuler une demande, soulever une question, jouer un rôle, tirer une conclusion.
Intensifying with the right partner
English has its own fixed intensifiers, such as heavy rain or seriously injured. French has them too, but they rarely match word for word. Très is never wrong, but the fixed partner sounds idiomatic.
Fixed intensifiers
| Neutral | Collocation | English |
|---|---|---|
| une pluie très forte | une pluie battante | pouring rain |
| une très grande peur | une peur bleue | a terrible fright |
| une nuit sans dormir | une nuit blanche | a sleepless night |
| très blessé | grièvement blessé | seriously injured |
| remercier beaucoup | remercier vivement | thank warmly |
Le conducteur a été grièvement blessé dans l'accident.
The driver was seriously injured in the accident.
Sa mère est gravement malade.
His mother is seriously ill.
J'ai passé une nuit blanche à finir le dossier.
I pulled an all-nighter to finish the file.
Grièvement goes almost exclusively with blessé. For illness and mistakes, French says gravement: gravement malade, une faute grave.
