Humanities Languages Italian Idioms and Sayings Using the Verb Fare Share Flipboard Email Print Sirma Aksuyek / Getty Images Languages Italian Vocabulary Basics History & Culture Grammar English as a Second Language Spanish French German Japanese Mandarin English Grammar by Michael San Filippo Updated March 12, 2018 If essere is the Swiss army knife of verbs, then fare is the all-in-one, handy-dandy kitchen appliance. The verb fare expresses the basic idea of doing or making, as in fare gli esercizi (to do the exercises) and fare il letto (to make the bed), but it is also used in many idioms.Note that the infinitive fare is frequently abbreviated to far before a consonant. For example, you may say far colazione, far male, far torto. Fare is also used in many expressions relating to the weather (note that in the following translations, "it" is an impersonal subject and does not have an equivalent in Italian):Che tempo fa? (How is the weather?)Fa bel tempo. (The weather is nice.)Fa cattivo tempo. (The weather is bad.)Ha fatto caldo. (It has been warm.)Qui fa sempre freddo. (It's always cold here.)In primavera fa sempre fresco. (In spring it's always cool.)Besides idiomatic expressions, and expressions relating to the weather, the verb fare is used in a number of proverbs:Fare e disfare è tutt'un lavorare. (It's all go, it's a hard life.)Chi la fa l'aspetti. (You will get as good as you gave.)Chi fa da sé fa per tre. (If you want something done, do it yourself.)Non fare agli altri ciò che non vorresti fosse fatto a te. (Do as you would be done by.)Tutto fa brodo. (Every little bit helps.)Chi non sa fare, non sa comandare. (A bad worker is a bad master.)Idiomatic Expressions with Fare fare i compitito do one's homeworkfare il bigliettoto purchase a ticketfare la fila / la codastand on line / wait on linefare la spesato go grocery shoppingfare le speseto go shoppingfare forcato play hookyfare vedereto show someone somethingfare una domandato ask a questionfare una fotografiato take a picturefare una passeggiatato take a walkfare colazioneto have breakfastfare un viaggioto take a tripfare un capello in quattroto split hairsfarsi la barbato shavefarsi coraggioto take heartfare castelli in ariato daydreamfare fingereto pretend, make believefare maleto be painful, to achefarsi in lato step to one sidefare di tuttoto do everything possiblefare del proprio meglioto do one's bestfarsi degli amicito make friendsfare alla romanato split the checkfare il pienoto fill up the gas tankfare passareto let through citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Filippo, Michael San. "Italian Idioms and Sayings Using the Verb Fare." ThoughtCo, Mar. 12, 2018, thoughtco.com/fare-proverbs-sayings-2011685. Filippo, Michael San. (2018, March 12). Italian Idioms and Sayings Using the Verb Fare. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fare-proverbs-sayings-2011685 Filippo, Michael San. "Italian Idioms and Sayings Using the Verb Fare." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/fare-proverbs-sayings-2011685 (accessed April 24, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading