fare Italian · revision 37444

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1219, Breve di Montieri|origins=ine-pro *dʰeh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfa.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fare''' (first-person singular present fàccio, first-person singular past historic féci, past participle fàtto, first-person singular imperfect facévo, second-person singular imperative fài or fà', auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ The full infinitive [[roa-oit|facere]] was used in Old Italian and survives as an archaism.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Prati 1951|423) Old and poetic forms include ''face'' “he does”, the imperfect ''fea'', ''feano'' and the past historic ''fei'', ''fenno'';^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) ''fo'' beside ''faccio'' “I do” is still in use.^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-lat|faciō|alt=fāre]], the shortened Late Latin infinitive of [[la|faciō|alt=facere|t=to make, do]].^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto 1968|177) DELI, Nocentini and GRADIT give the classical “facere” as the source.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003) The reduced infinitive is recorded from the 6th century and is the base of the central and northern Italian form and of [[pro|far]].^(DEI|1597)^(GDLI) Its shape and parts of its conjugation were influenced by [[dare]] and [[stare]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI)^(Devoto 1968|177) The DÉRom reconstructs two Proto-Romance infinitives, a longer type continued in most of the Romance area and a short one found in its central and western part.^(DÉRom)

+

+ The verb is found in every Romance language: [[fr|faire]], [[oc|faire]], [[ca|fer]], [[es|hacer]], [[pt|fazer]], [[sc|fághere]], [[ro|face]], and [[dlm|fur]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)

+

+ Latin “faciō” continues [[itc-pro|*fakjō]].^(Wiktionary) Its present was built on the perfect [[m|la|fēcī]], which corresponds to [[grc|ἔθηκα|tr=éthēka|t=I put, placed]]; both go back to [[ine-pro|*dʰeh₁-|t=to put, place]], with a consonant k that arose in the aorist of that root.^(Nocentini 2010)^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) The general meaning “make, do” probably developed from technical uses of “put, set up”.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in the ''Breve di Montieri'' of 1219, a statute from the Sienese countryside, with the sense “produce something by the work of the hands or the mind; cause, bring about”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Nocentini and Devoto–Oli date the verb to the early 13th century.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Like Greek ''poiéō'', ''fare'' can stand for a more precise verb, and it was used early as a euphemism for bodily acts.^(DEI|1597) Impersonal weather expressions go back to the Latin of the Empire: Augustine has ''fecit frigus'' “it was cold”, and ''fa freddo'' is the Italian type.^(DEI|1597) After the auxiliaries ''essere'' and ''avere'' it is the most frequent verb of Italian and enters a very large number of set phrases.^(DELI 1999) Modern popular usage added types such as ''fare la barba'' “shave (someone)”, ''farsi l'automobile'' “get oneself a car” and ''farla franca'' “get away with it”.^(DEI|1597)

+

+ The causative construction ''far fare qualcosa a qualcuno'', with the person in the dative, is common to the Romance languages;^(DELI 1999) Dag Norberg explained it as an extension of a construction of Late Latin verbs of ordering and allowing.^(DELI 1999) The phrase ''avere a che fare con'' “have to do with”, probably of northern origin, spread in contemporary Italian through confusion with the older ''aver che fare'' and ''aver da fare''.^(DELI 1999) The sense “give the impression of a setting” (''quella giacca fa molto francese'') copies a French expression; it was first found in 1931 and became fashionable from 1948.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The infinitive is also a noun, ''il fare'', “action, doing” and “manner, bearing” (''un fare sospetto''), from the first half of the 13th century.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Fra Giordano plays on it: ''Sono molti fari, che non sono fare, ma disfare'' “There are many doings that are not doing but undoing”.^(GDLI) Prefixed verbs appeared early: ''disfare'' and ''rifare'' in the 13th century, ''sopraffare'' in the 14th, ''strafare'' in the 16th.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Prati 1951|423) ''Disfatta'' “rout” (16th century) and ''disfattismo'' “defeatism” (before 1918) are calques of French ''défaite'' and ''défaitisme''.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 6th century – The shortened Latin infinitive ''fare'' is recorded.^(DEI|1597)^(GDLI)

+ * 1219 – ''Fare'' appears in the ''Breve di Montieri''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * First half of the 13th century – The noun ''il fare'' is recorded.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ * Late 13th century – ''Disfare'' “undo” is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 16th century – ''Disfatta'' is formed after French ''défaite''.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1842 – ''Daffare'' “things to do” is formed from the phrase ''da fare''.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1918 – ''Disfattismo'' is recorded, after French ''défaitisme''.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1931 – The first known use of ''fare'' for “give the impression of” (''fa molto francese'').^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1948 – This use becomes fashionable.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|do]], carry out an action or activity; with a noun it often stands for a more specific verb (''fare un salto'', ''fare una domanda''): ''Stasera non so proprio che cosa fare.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|make]], build or prepare something: ''fare una torta'', ''fare un muro''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To create or [[m|en|produce]]; of people and animals, to have young; of plants, to bear fruit or flowers.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To cause or bring about an effect or feeling: ''fare paura'', ''fare male''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With an infinitive, to have someone do something, or let it happen: ''Mi ha fatto aspettare un'ora.''^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To work as or play the part of: ''fare il medico'', ''fare lo stupido''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To [[m|en|amount|alt=amount]] to, to cost: ''Quanto fa in tutto?''^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(impersonal)'' Of the weather: ''fa caldo'', ''fa freddo''.^(DEI|1597)

+ # To give the impression of a style or setting: ''Questo arredamento fa molto anni Settanta.''^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Action, the act of doing: ''avere un bel fare'', to try hard in vain.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # [[m|en|manner|alt=Manner]], bearing, way of behaving: ''un fare cortese''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # The beginning, in ''sul far del giorno'', ''sul far della sera'', at daybreak, at nightfall.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[disfare]]

+ * [[sfare]]

+ * [[strafare]]

+ * [[confarsi]]

+ * [[confacente]]

+ * [[contraffare]]

+ * [[contraffattore]]

+ * [[contraffazione]]

+ * [[daffare]]

+ * [[indaffarato]]

+ * [[disfacimento]]

+ * [[disfatta]]

+ * [[disfattismo]]

+ * [[disfattista]]

+ * [[rifare]]

+ * [[sopraffare]]

+ * [[affare]]

+ * [[misfatto]]

+ * [[fattibile]]

+ * [[fannullone]]

+ * [[falegname]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[faccenda]]

+ * [[facile]]

+ * [[facsimile]]

+ * [[fatto]]

+ * [[la|faciō]]

+ * [[fr|faire]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The third person ''fa'' is written without an accent; the imperative is ''fa’'', ''fai'' or ''fa''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) A common proverb opposes saying and doing: ''tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare''.^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}