fare
The verb to do and to make — irregular, and the engine of dozens of everyday expressions.
The present tense of fare is irregular: faccio, fai, fa, facciamo, fate, fanno. The io and loro forms gain a double c: faccio, fanno.
Fare appears in fixed expressions where English uses other verbs: fare colazione (to have breakfast), fare una passeggiata (to go for a walk), fare la spesa (to do the food shopping), fare attenzione (to pay attention), fare una domanda (to ask a question).
Weather is described with fare: fa caldo (it is hot), fa freddo (it is cold), fa bel tempo (the weather is fine). And Che cosa fai? asks both What are you doing? and, in a work context, What do you do (for a living)?
Examples
- Che cosa fai stasera? What are you doing tonight?
- Faccio colazione alle sette. I have breakfast at seven.
- Fa caldo oggi. It is hot today.
- Facciamo una passeggiata? Shall we go for a walk?
- Fanno la spesa il sabato. They do the food shopping on Saturdays.
Common mistake
Saying è caldo for the weather — Italian uses fare here: fa caldo. Reserve è caldo for objects, like il caffè è caldo.