Usage note : do

The direct French equivalent of the verb to do in subject + to do + object sentences is faire :

she’s doing her homework

= elle fait ses devoirs

what are you doing?

= qu’est-ce que tu fais?

what has he done with the newspaper?

= qu’est-ce qu’il a fait du journal?

faire functions in very much the same way as to do does in English and it is safe to assume it will work in the great majority of cases. For the conjugation of the verb faire, see the French verb tables.

Grammatical functions

In questions

In French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in questions equivalent to the use of do in English.

When the subject is a pronoun, the question is formed in French either by inverting the subject and verb and putting a hyphen between the two (veux-tu?) or by prefacing the subject + verb by est-ce que (literally is it that) :

do you like Mozart?

= aimes-tu Mozart? or est-ce que tu aimes Mozart?

did you put the glasses in the cupboard?

= as-tu mis les verres dans le placard? or est-ce que tu as mis les verres dans le placard?

When the subject is a noun there are again two possibilities :

did your sister ring?

= est-ce que ta sœur a téléphoné? or ta sœur a-t-elle téléphoné?

did Max find his keys?

= est-ce que Max a trouvé ses clés? or Max a-t-il trouvé ses clés?

In negatives

Equally, auxiliaries are not used in negatives in French :

I don’t like Mozart

= je n’aime pas Mozart

you didn’t feed the cat

= tu n’as pas donné à manger au chat

don’t do that!

= ne fais pas ça!

In emphatic uses

There is no verbal equivalent for the use of do in such expressions as I DO like your dress. A French speaker will find another way, according to the context, of expressing the force of the English do. Here are a few useful examples :

I DO like your dress

= j’aime beaucoup ta robe

I DO hope she remembers

= j’espère qu’elle n’oubliera pas

I DO think you should see a doctor

= je crois vraiment que tu devrais voir un médecin

When referring back to another verb

In this case the verb to do is not translated at all :

I don’t like him any more than you do

= je ne l’aime pas plus que toi

I live in Oxford and so does Lily

= j’habite à Oxford et Lily aussi

she gets paid more than I do

= elle est payée plus que moi

I haven’t written as much as I ought to have done

= je n’ai pas écrit autant que j’aurais dû

‘I love strawberries’ ‘so do I’

= ‘j’adore les fraises’ ‘moi aussi’

In polite requests

In polite requests the phrase je vous en prie can often be used to render the meaning of do :

do sit down

= asseyez-vous, je vous en prie

do have a piece of cake

= prenez un morceau de gâteau, je vous en prie

‘may I take a peach?’ ‘yes, do’

= ‘puis-je prendre une pêche?’ ‘je vous en prie’

In imperatives

In French there is no use of an auxiliary verb in imperatives :

don’t shut the door

= ne ferme pas la porte

don’t tell her anything

= ne lui dis rien

do be quiet!

= tais-toi!

In tag questions

French has no direct equivalent of tag questions like doesn’t he? or didn’t it? There is a general tag question n’est-ce pas? (literally isn’t it so?) which will work in many cases :

you like fish, don’t you?

= tu aimes le poisson, n’est-ce pas?

he lives in London, doesn’t he?

= il habite à Londres, n’est-ce pas?

However, n’est-ce pas can very rarely be used for positive tag questions and some other way will be found to express the meaning contained in the tag : par hasard can often be useful as a translation :

Lola didn’t phone, did she?

= Lola n’a pas téléphoné par hasard?

Paul doesn’t work here, does he?

= Paul ne travaille pas ici par hasard?

In many cases the tag is not translated at all and the speaker’s intonation will convey what is implied :

you didn’t tidy your room, did you? (i.e. you ought to have done)

= tu n’as pas rangé ta chambre?

In short answers

Again, there is no direct French equivalent for short answers like yes I do, no he doesn’t etc. Where the answer yes is given to contradict a negative question or statement, the most useful translation is si :

‘Marion didn’t say that’ ‘yes she did’

= ‘Marion n’a pas dit ça’ ‘si’

‘they don’t sell vegetables at the baker’s’ ‘yes they do’

= ‘ils ne vendent pas les légumes à la boulangerie’ ‘si’

In response to a standard enquiry the tag will not be translated :

‘do you like strawberries?’ ‘yes I do’

= ‘aimez-vous les fraises?’ ‘oui ’

For more examples and particular usages, see the entry do.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.