"Faire les courses" Conjugation in French: Tenses, Rules & Practical Usage

If you want to sound natural when speaking French, mastering common everyday idioms is essential. Among them, « faire les courses » is one of the most frequently used expressions. It specifically refers to buying groceries and household necessities at the supermarket, local grocery store, or street market.

Because this phrase relies on faire—one of the most common yet irregular third-group verbs in French—many learners struggle with its conjugation. In this guide, you will learn how to conjugate faire les courses across all essential tenses, discover the subtle differences between similar expressions, and avoid frequent learner mistakes.

1. How to Conjugate "Faire les courses"

Only the verb faire changes forms. The direct object component, les courses, remains unchanged regardless of subject and tense.

Present Tense (Présent de l'indicatif)

Use this tense to express current actions or habitual routines.

  • Je fais les courses – I do the grocery shopping / I am grocery shopping.
  • Tu fais les courses – You do the grocery shopping (informal singular).
  • Il / Elle / On fait les courses – He / She / One does the grocery shopping.
  • Nous faisons les courses – We do the grocery shopping.
  • Vous faites les courses – You do the grocery shopping (formal or plural).
  • Ils / Elles font les courses – They do the grocery shopping.

> Key takeaway: A notorious trap for non-native speakers is saying "vous faisez". This form does not exist in standard French. Always say « vous faites ».

Compound Past (Passé composé)

Faire takes the auxiliary verb avoir. The past participle is fait.

  • J'ai fait les courses ce matin. (I did the grocery shopping this morning.)
  • Tu as fait les courses au marché ? (Did you do the grocery shopping at the market?)
  • Il / Elle / On a fait les courses hier. (He/She/We did the grocery shopping yesterday.)
  • Nous avons fait les courses pour la semaine. (We did the grocery shopping for the week.)
  • Vous avez fait les courses ensemble ? (Did you do the grocery shopping together?)
  • Ils / Elles ont fait les courses en avance. (They did the grocery shopping in advance.)

    • Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

Use the imperfect to talk about past continuous actions or past habits.

  • Je faisais les courses tous les lundis. (I used to do the grocery shopping every Monday.)
  • Tu faisais les courses quand je t'ai appelé. (You were doing the groceries when I called.)
  • Il / Elle faisait les courses à bicyclette. (He/She used to do the groceries by bike.)
  • Nous faisions les courses au petit commerce du quartier. (We used to shop at the local corner store.)
  • Vous faisiez les courses en famille. (You used to do the grocery shopping as a family.)
  • Ils / Elles faisaient les courses le vendredi soir. (They used to do the groceries on Friday evening.)

    • Simple Future (Futur simple)

Use this tense for planned actions or promises.

  • Je ferai les courses après le travail. (I will do the grocery shopping after work.)
  • Tu feras les courses si tu as le temps ? (Will you do the groceries if you have time?)
  • Il / Elle fera les courses demain. (He/She will do the groceries tomorrow.)
  • Nous ferons les courses ensemble samedi. (We will do the groceries together on Saturday.)
  • Vous ferez les courses au centre commercial. (You will do the groceries at the mall.)
  • Ils / Elles feront les courses en ligne. (They will do the grocery shopping online.)

    • Conditional Present (Conditionnel présent)

Great for polite requests, hypothetical situations, or offers.

  • Je ferais les courses si j'avais une voiture. (I would do the groceries if I had a car.)
  • Tu ferais les courses pour moi, s'il te plaît ? (Would you do the grocery shopping for me, please?)
  • Nous ferions les courses plus souvent si nous habitions plus près. (We would do the groceries more often if we lived closer.)

    • Present Subjunctive (Subjonctif présent)

Mandatory after conjunctions and impersonal constructions expressing necessity or obligation (il faut que).

  • Il faut que je fasse les courses avant la fermeture. (I must do the grocery shopping before closing.)
  • Il est important que nous fassions les courses aujourd'hui. (It is important that we do the groceries today.)
  • Je doute qu'ils fassent les courses sous cette pluie. (I doubt that they will do the groceries in this rain.)

    • Imperative (Impératif)

For instructions, reminders, or requests.

  • Fais les courses ! (Do the grocery shopping!)
  • Faisons les courses ! (Let's do the grocery shopping!)
  • Faites les courses ! (Do the grocery shopping! [formal/plural])

    • 2. Nuance Alert: "Faire les courses" vs. Similar Expressions

French learners frequently mix up three closely related expressions:

1. Faire les courses: Strictly refers to food and grocery shopping to stock up the home pantry.

  • Ex: Je dois faire les courses, il n'y a plus de lait ni d'œufs. (I need to get groceries; there's no milk or eggs left.)

2. Faire des courses: Means running errands in general (picking up dry cleaning, going to the post office, paying bills, multiple stops).

  • Ex: J'ai plein de courses à faire en ville. (I have lots of errands to run in town.)

3. Faire les magasins / Faire du shopping: Refers to browsing or shopping for clothes, shoes, gifts, and recreational items.

  • Ex: On va faire les magasins pour trouver une robe. (We are going clothes shopping to find a dress.)

    • 3. Practical Everyday Dialogue

Here is how native speakers use this phrase in spontaneous conversation:

> Julien: Tu peux faire les courses ce soir en rentrant ? > Camille: Oui, bien sûr. Qu'est-ce qu'il manque ? > Julien: Il faut que tu achètes des légumes, du pain et du beurre. J'ai déjà fait les courses pour le petit-déjeuner. > Camille: Parfait, je ferai les courses vers 18h30.

By practicing the irregular forms of faire alongside this essential idiom, you will communicate naturally with native French speakers in everyday grocery and household contexts.