Faire a + infinitive

Question

"Ce soir, je fais à dîner." When I first read this example, I read the word, "diner" as a noun, (As in "Ce soir je fais le diner").

But after reading through the questions and seeing the example, "Je fais a manger", I suspect that it is really the infinitve form of the verb, "diner" = "to eat dinner".

This is a new expression for me. Am I understanding correctly that one can say, for example:

"Je fais a coudre" = I am sewing.

"Il fait a dessiner" = He is drawing.

"Nous faisons a dejeuner" = We are making lunch.

"Les enfants font a nettoyer leur chambre" = The children are cleaning up their room"

-?

And, I suspect that this expression would only be used when there is a concrete or tangible result of the action, ie."Vous faites a nager" might not work.

Thanks in advance for any explanation.

Is there a lesson on this? If not, it might be helpful to add one.

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Shamrockhill,
Thank you for your question! This is a very interesting. 
You will only use "faire à + meal names" because it comes from the expression "faire [quelque chose] à manger / dîner - diner etc", where the "[quelque chose]" got dropped over time.

Je fais à manger = I am making food
Je fais à dîner / diner = I am making dinner
Je fais à déjeuner = I am making lunch

I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Bonjour Celine,Merci pour votre reponse ! This is indeed very helpful. Now, it makes sense to me. "Je vais faire quelque chose a manger" becomes simplified to: "Je vais faire a manger.""Tu fais quelque chose a diner." becomes: "Tu fais a diner."Is this considered 'slang' and used mostly in spoken language or is it generally accepted as correct French whether spoken or written. Also, may I suggest that your explanation is included in the lesson. I am sure that it would be very instructive to your learners.Merci en avance !