The difference between the phrases "fare senso" and "avere senso"

This video is for those who are studying or learning Italian.

In this video I'm going to discuss a mistake which is very often made by those who are learning the Italian language. I am not referring to native speakers, I am referring to those people who are learning Italian as a second language.

This error is related to the phrases FARE SENSO and AVERE SENSO. The mistake typically lies in using the phrase "fare senso" in place of the phrase "avere senso".

If you are looking for videos that could help you avoid the most common errors in Italian, you are in the right place!

(Channel Intro)

Hi, everybody! I am Luca and in this epic video I wanted to talk about a very common mistake, which is very often made by non-native speakers who are studying Italian.

This error is related to two apparently similar phrases, which in fact have completely different meanings. On the one hand, we have the phrase "avere senso", on the other, the phrase "fare senso".

I have noticed that many non native speakers use the phrase "fare senso" when in fact they mean "avere senso".

But let's try to understand what each expression means.

Let's start from "avere senso"!

This expression is typically used in negative clauses, that is, clauses introduced by the adverb "non". So the most common form is probably "non ha senso".

Other phrases could be: "Non ha proprio senso", "Non ha assolutamente senso", and so on.

Well, other variations could be: "Non ha molto senso", or "Non ha troppo senso". These forms are slightly weaker and are perceived as sligthly less straightforward. One thing is saying "non ha senso". If I say "non ha molto senso", this phrase sounds a bit more polite. The meaning is clearly the same.

This phrase could also be incorporated in more complex phrases, such as: "Non penso che abbia senso, Non credo che abbia senso", and so on.

What do I mean, if I say that something non ha senso?

I mean that it is absurd. It's not reasonable. It's not logical. So, if someone tells me something, and I answer them: "Questa cosa non ha senso", I mean that in my opinion this thing is absurd, it's not reasonable, it's not logical.

So, well, I think it's clear.

If I say that something "non ha senso", I mean that I for one think that it's nonsense, or not logical.

For example, if we are talking about a project and I say "Questo progetto non ha senso", I mean that this project in my opinion is complete nonsense.

I don't know if you know the adjective "ragionevole". Well, if I say that a project "non ha senso", I mean that it's not a reasonable project. It's not a project based on common sense. That is, it's not a reasonable project.

Whatever, there's no point in me telling you other synonyms. You surely know the word "assurdo". So you get that "non ha senso" is the same as "è assurdo".

Oh, and yes! We can also use the phrase "non ha senso" to introduce a subordinate clause.

For example, I could say: "Non ha senso che io mi metta a spiegarvi la parola assurdo".

Or: "Non ha senso che io mi metta a ripetere cose che ho già detto".

In this case as well "non ha senso che" means: there's no point in doing this.

Remember that in this type of clauses it would be better to use the subjunctive mood.

For example, I could say: "Non ha senso che io vi chieda di mettere un Mi piace qua sotto, però se volete farlo... fatelo pure!".

Another example could be: "Non ha senso che tu mi accompagni fino a casa e poi torni a casa da solo".

Well, you have understood the phrases "non ha senso" and "non ha senso che".

In theory, you could also use it in affirmative clauses, without the adverb "non". I would say that these forms are less common.

An affirmative clause example could be: "Penso che abbia più senso fare come dici tu". What does it mean? I think it makes more sense to do like you are suggesting. In other words: I think it's better to follow your advice.

Or, if we want to use the indicative mood, we could say: "Ha più senso fare come dici tu".

If want to give an example with a question, we could say: "Secondo te ha senso fare così?" And the answer could be: "Sì, secondo me ha senso". Or: "No, secondo me non ha senso". "Sì ha senso" means: it's logical, it's not something absurd.

Well, I gave you examples exclusively with the third-person-singular of the indicative present and the present subjunctive. In theory, one could also give other examples.

It's important to understand that you should use the verb AVERE. So the word combination is "avere senso". It's not "fare senso", which has a completely different meaning.

If I say that something "ha senso", I mean that it is logical or reasonable. If I say that it "fa senso", though, I mean that this thing is so revolting or horrifying that makes one feel bad or even nauseous. That is, it makes one feel nauseous. So "fa senso" is similar to "fa venire la nausea".

Like I said, this phrase is said about things that make one wanna vomit. I mean, someone sees these things, and they feel like throwing up. Well, they could say that these things "fanno senso". So this phrase is used in reference to revolting or disturbing things. Things that make you wanna puke, if you will.

Or rather, I'd say that "fa venir da vomitare" is a bit stronger. Something could easily "fare senso" without making you wanna vomit. So the phrase "fa senso" is close to "fa venire la nausea", "è disgustoso". Also, in extreme scenarios, "fa venir da vomitare".

An example could be specific scenes taken from certain tv serials. Nowadays crime series are quite popular, so to speak, where the main characters are part of the Forensic Science Department, such as CSI. You surely know the tv series CSI.

Well, in such series, autopsy scenes are often shown. In particular, explicit details are shown. Well, we could say that those scenes "fanno senso".

Why? Because many people find them repulsive. Because one case is if someone works as a physician and is used to see such scenes everyday. Another case is if one is not a physician and is not used to see corpses from morning to night.

So I could say, for example: "Io quelle scene non le guardo, perché mi fanno senso". What do I mean? I mean that I find them repulsive and disturbing.

Well, we can say that the expression "fare senso" can be used like this, generally speaking. Or it can be used together with a pronoun. In the first case, something is presented as objective. In the second case, an indication is given that this thing is revolting for certain people.

For example, if I say: "Queste scene mi fanno senso", I make a point that these scenes are revolting for me.

I could clearly use other pronouns. I could say: "Ti fanno senso", "Gli fanno senso", "Le fanno senso", "Ci fanno senso", "Vi fanno senso" and "Gli fanno senso".

I gave examples with the plural form, that is "fanno senso", because I have used the plural noun "scene". In theory, you could also use the singular "scena". In this case you should say: "fa senso".

I gave an example with the present tense, but other forms are possible.

For example, I could say: "Queste scene mi hanno sempre fatto senso".

Or I could use the imperfetto tense and say: "Da bambino queste scene mi facevano senso". What does it mean? When I was a kid, I found these scenes revolting and disturbing.

Well, as you can see, these two expressions have completely different meanings. So be careful!

Because if you say "Il tuo progetto mi fa senso", the other person could understand that you find their project revolting. If you want to say that their project seems reasonable, you should say "il tuo progetto ha senso".

Well, that is it!

In the top corner I'll add a card to a video that I made not long ago about another very common mistake. If you want to learn more about this error, take a look at this video!