Not all that easy

Question

I think faire faire and se faire + infinitif are quite hard for English speakers to get their heads round. Is there a reason that only one of the examples is in the present tense?  Even that one is ambiguous (ils se font couper les cheveux - could be they’re getting their hair cut as we speak or are just about to).

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Anne,
"Ils se font couper les cheveux" is in the présent indicatif so the action is now.
If they were "just about to" then this would need to be a near future situation in my mind.
"faire (conjugated)+faire (infinitive)" is a causative construction where the "agent" would be apparent (or implied) in the text as to who (or what) is acting on the subject's behalf.
Hope this helps
Bonne journée
Jim

Answer

Thanks, Jim. I realise it’s the present indicative and was referring to the usage described in this kwiziq link about immediate and near-future actions: https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/le-present-usage-immediate-near-future-actions.

Otherwise my question remains, why do so few of the examples in the Causative lesson use the present tense?

Answer

Bonjour Anne,
There is no particular reason as to why there are fewer examples in Le Présent in this lesson. Thank you for pointing this out! I will pass on your comment to the French language team for further discussion.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !