faire semblant de + Infinitive

Pretending with Faire Semblant De

Level 3

The expression faire semblant de is the standard way to say 'to pretend' in French. It is used when someone is acting out a role or simulating a state that isn't true.

How It Works

1. Structure and Conjugation
The verb faire is the only part of the expression that changes. It can be conjugated in any tense. The word semblant is a fixed noun and never changes.

2. The Preposition 'de' + Infinitive
You must always include de before the following infinitive. Unlike the verb feindre, faire semblant cannot be followed directly by a noun (e.g., you cannot say 'faire semblant la maladie').

  • Il fait semblant de dormir. (He pretends to sleep.)

3. Full Clauses with 'comme si'
To express pretending with a full clause, modern French uses comme si (as if) rather than que. The construction faire semblant que is archaic, though if used, it takes the indicative mood.

  • Il fait comme si tout allait bien. (He pretends that everything is fine.)

4. Negation Placement
When you pretend not to do something, the ne pas stays together immediately before the infinitive.

  • Je fais semblant de ne pas entendre. (I pretend not to hear.)

5. Idiomatic Expression: Ne faire semblant de rien
A very common fixed phrase is ne faire semblant de rien. It means to act as if nothing is wrong, or to pretend you haven't noticed anything. Because rien is a negative pronoun, standard grammar requires the ne particle, though it is frequently dropped in casual spoken French.

  • Il continue son travail et ne fait semblant de rien. (He carries on with his work and acts as if nothing is happening.)

6. Standalone Usage
If the context is clear, you can drop the de + infinitive.
Example: 'Tu dors ?' 'Non, je fais semblant.' ('Are you sleeping?' 'No, I'm pretending.')

Examples (6)

  1. L'enfant fait semblant de dormir.

    The child is pretending to sleep.

    Word by Word: The child makes semblance of to sleep.

    Here, faire is in the present tense to describe an ongoing action.

  2. Il a fait semblant d'être malade pour ne pas aller à l'école.

    He pretended to be sick so he wouldn't have to go to school.

    Word by Word: He has made semblance of to be sick for not to go to the school.

    In the passé composé, 'faire' becomes 'a fait'. Note the elision in 'd'être'.

  3. Ne fais pas semblant de ne pas comprendre !

    Don't pretend not to understand!

    Word by Word: Not do semblance of not to understand!

    This uses the imperative mood for a command. The negation ne pas stays together before the infinitive.

  4. Elle faisait semblant de lire son livre.

    She was pretending to read her book.

    Word by Word: She was making semblance of to read her book.

    Using the imparfait describes a continuous state of pretending in the past.

  5. Il fait comme si tout allait bien.

    He pretends that everything is fine.

    Word by Word: He makes as if all went well.

    For full clauses, modern French prefers 'faire comme si' followed by the imparfait instead of the archaic 'faire semblant que'.

  6. Elle a vu l'accident, mais elle ne fait semblant de rien.

    She saw the accident, but she is acting as if nothing is wrong.

    Word by Word: She has seen the accident, but she not makes semblance of nothing.

    The fixed expression 'ne faire semblant de rien' means to act as if one hasn't noticed anything. In standard French, the negative particle 'ne' is required, though often dropped in casual speech.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'prétendre' to mean 'to pretend'.

    Il prétend être un pirate.
    Il fait semblant d'être un pirate.

    In French, 'prétendre' is a false friend. It means 'to claim' or 'to assert'. If a child is playing and acting like a pirate, you must use 'faire semblant'.

  • Omitting the preposition 'de'.

    Je fais semblant manger.
    Je fais semblant de manger.

    The expression requires 'de' to link the noun 'semblant' to the following infinitive verb.

  • Incorrectly placing 'pas' after the infinitive in negative constructions.

    Il fait semblant de ne dormir pas.
    Il fait semblant de ne pas dormir.

    When using negation with an infinitive, both 'ne' and 'pas' must stay together before the verb.

How It Connects

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faire semblant de + InfinitiveLevel 3Pretending with Faire Semblant De

Learn This First

To use 'faire semblant de + infinitive', you need to know how to conjugate the irregular verb 'faire' in the present tense and understand the grammatical structure where a verb or expression is linked to an action (infinitive) using the preposition 'de'.

Words in This Pattern

faire semblant