15 essential expressions with ‘fare’ in Italian

The verb fare in Italian is incredibly versatile and frequently used. As you’ll know, its basic meaning is “to do” or “to make”. However, there are many set expressions using fare, which you should know to help you expand your range of expression in Italian.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a series of short, friendly podcast episodes, to help you get to grips with some tricky topics in Italian. In our latest episode, Francesca and Maurizio discuss 15 useful, everyday expressions using fare in Italian.

Keep reading to find out more, and we’d recommend listening to the podcast episode as you go.

Also, don’t miss your free worksheet download at the end of this article, which will help you put into practice what you learn. Iniziamo!

What does ‘fare’ mean in Italian?

The basic meaning of fare in Italian is “to do” or “to make”. However, we’re going to take this verb further and see it used in some set expressions.

Fare is a very versatile verb that can have multiple meanings, and as you’re about to see, it doesn’t always translate into English as “to do” or “to make”.

Expressions with ‘fare’ in Italian

Let’s get started looking at some of the most common fare expressions.

‘fare una passeggiata’ & ‘fare un giro’

Two very common expressions using fare in Italian are:

fare una passeggiata
to go for a walk / stroll

fare un giro
to go for a stroll / wander

For instance:

fare un giro in bici
to go for a bike ride

fare un giro in centro
to go for a wander in the city centre

‘fare la spesa’ & ‘fare la coda’

Another two everyday expressions with fare in Italian are:

fare la spesa
to go grocery shopping

fare la coda
to queue, to stand in line

For example:

Non mi piace fare la coda quando faccio la spesa.
I don’t like queuing when I’m doing the grocery shopping.

‘fare un viaggio’ & ‘fare una vacanza’

Now, let’s look at two travel-related expressions using fare in Italian.

fare un viaggio
to go on a trip, to travel

fare una vacanza
to go on holiday

For example:

Vorrei fare un viaggio / una vacanza in Marocco.
I would like to go on a trip / on holiday to Morocco.

‘fare le pulizie’

Our next fare expression translates more literally into English:

fare le pulizie
to do the cleaning

Of course, we can also use the verb pulire to talk about cleaning. For example:

Oggi pulisco il mio appartamento.
Today I’m cleaning my flat / apartment.

However, fare le pulizie is a very natural expression to use to talk about cleaning in general.

‘fare una domanda’

When talking about asking a question, you can use another expression with fare in Italian:

fare una domanda
to ask a question

Attenzione! In Italian, we therefore don’t use the verb chiedere (“to ask”) with the noun domanda; instead, we literally say “to make a question”.

For example:

Posso farti una domanda?
Can I ask you a question?

Posso chiederti qualcosa?
Can I ask you something?

You may also come across this expression in a different context:

fare domanda per un lavoro
to apply for a job

We can therefore use the expression fare domanda to talk about applying for a job. Note that we don’t use the verb applicare in this context in Italian.

‘fare storie’

The next fare expression on our list is a lovely Italian idiom.

fare storie
to complain

Of course, literally, this means “to make stories”, but it is an idiomatic way to talk about someone complaining or making a fuss. For example:

Non fare storie!
Don’t complain! / Don’t make a fuss!

Note that this example is in the negative imperative tu form.

‘fare presto’ & ‘fare tardi’

Let’s take a look at our next pair of expressions that use fare in Italian:

fare presto
to be early

fare tardi
to be late

Note that these differ from their English equivalents, where we would use the verb “to be” instead of “to do” or “to make”.

‘fare le ore piccole’

Speaking of time, if you’ve stayed up late, you can use another nice Italian idiom using fare:

fare le ore piccole
to stay up late, to be up until the small hours

Literally, this means “to do the small hours”. For example:

Hai fatto le ore piccole ieri?
Did you stay up late yesterday?

This expression often also suggests that the late night involved being out somewhere, doing something fun.

‘fare alla romana’

If you’ve been out with your friends, the next fare expression may also come in handy:

fare alla romana
to split the bill

Note that you can also say pagare alla romana.

You can use this expression if you’re eating out with friends and are talking about splitting the bill between you. For example:

Va bene se facciamo alla romana?
Is it OK if we split the bill?

Now, if you’re wondering about the origin of the expression fare alla romana, there are several theories. The most common belief is that the practice of splitting the cost of a meal among people originated in some trattorie in Rome. For convenience, these establishments would have pilgrims visiting St Peter’s Basilica share the cost of food and drinks by dividing the total bill among everyone at the table.

‘fare una bella figura’ & ‘fare una brutta figura’

Our final expressions using fare in Italian relate to a concept that is very important in Italian culture.

fare una bella figura
to make a good impression

fare una brutta figura
to make a bad impression

As Francesca and Maurizio explain in the podcast episode, this idea can be applied to various situations – for example, in the context of a job interview or meeting your friend’s parents.

Fare una bella / brutta figura conveys the idea of putting across a good / bad impression of yourself or having a good / bad image.

Here is an example:

Dobbiamo fare una bella figura.
We have to make a good impression.

As a bonus fare expression, here’s an alternative to fare una brutta figura:

fare una figuraccia
to make a bad impression

For example:

Mi raccomando, non fare una figuraccia.
I recommend that you don’t make a bad impression.

Practising expressions using ‘fare’ in Italian

Now, it’s over to you! To practise what you’ve learned in this article, consider the following scenarios and decide which of the fare expressions could be used in each situation.

1. Io sono al mio corso di italiano e l’insegnante sta spiegando il congiuntivo. Sono un po’ confusa e ho bisogno di chiarimenti.
2. Il mio amico Antonio non è mai contento. Si lamenta sempre. Non gli piace niente. È sempre insoddisfatto e critica ogni mia decisione o proposta. Come posso descrivere Antonio?
3. Siamo in pizzeria. Ho appena ricevuto il conto per la cena che abbiamo condiviso tra noi sei amici. E quindi prendo la mia calcolatrice per vedere quanto devi pagare tu, quanto deve pagare Antonio e quanto devono pagare gli altri. Che cosa mi dici in questo caso?

In this article we’ve seen that the question “what does fare mean in Italian?” can have a long answer! Indeed, the verb fare in Italian can carry many meanings and be used in many contexts.

If you enjoyed learning more about the verb fare in Italian, you should know that we have another article and podcast episode all about the verb avere, and the most common expressions that use this verb.

To get the most out of this article, make sure to listen to the full podcast episode with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show, or watch the video version. And by subscribing to our YouTube channel or our podcast feed, you’ll be notified when the next episode is available.

Looking for more help with your Italian? You should know that we send out regular, free email lessons to our Coffee Break Italian community, to help you improve your language skills little and often. Look out for the sign-up box.

Until next time, happy Coffee Breaking!

 

PS. Here are some statements that would be relevant to each situation described in the challenge.

1. Posso fare una domanda? / Posso fare delle domande? (“Can I ask a question?” / “Can I ask some questions?”)
2. Antonio fa storie. / Antonio fa molte / sempre storie. (“Antonio complains.” / “Antonio complains a lot / always complains”.)
3. Facciamo alla romana! (“Let’s split the bill!”)

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