DO vs. MAKE: Understanding the Difference
For many learners, especially Italian speakers, distinguishing between DO and MAKE can be tricky because both verbs are often translated as “FARE” in Italian. However, in English, DO and MAKE are not interchangeable.
As a general guideline it may be useful to think of DO as a Process and MAKE as the Product of a process, e.g. We do hours of studying (studying is a process) in order to make progress (progress is the product of studying).
Both Do & Make collocate with specific nouns to form common expressions.
🔹 DO: Focus on Activities, Tasks & Responsibilities
DO is often used when talking about actions, obligations, or repetitive tasks. It gives the idea of activity rather than creation. It is a Process, not a Product.
🔸 DO + THING / GENERAL ACTION
Do something / anything / nothing
- I’ll do something about it soon.
- He did nothing to help!
🔸 DO + WORK / JOB / TASKS
- Do some work → I need to do some work before dinner.
- Do your job → She always does her job well.
- Do your homework → Have you done your homework yet?
🔸 DO + GERUND ACTIVITIES (Household chores & Work Tasks)
- Do the shopping → She did the shopping this morning.
- Do the cleaning → Can you do the cleaning today?
- Do the ironing → I hate doing the ironing.
- Do the washing up → He does the washing up and she does the cooking, they share the chores.
- Do the photocopying → He’s on a temporary job experience placement, but all he does is the photocopying.
🔸 DO + PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
- Do some exercise → (Uncountable noun) How much exercise do you do?
- Do sport → (Uncountable noun) Do you do much sport?
- Do karate/judo/martial arts → I do karate twice a week.
- Do yoga/pilates → He does yoga every morning.
🔸 Other “Do + -ing” Collocations
- Do a lot of running → I do a lot of running to stay fit.
- Do some reading → I like to do some reading before bed.
- Do a bit of thinking → Let me do a bit of thinking before I decide.
- Do a lot of traveling → They do a lot of traveling for their job.
- Do some writing → I need to do some writing for my blog.
- Do a little shopping → We can do a little shopping after lunch. (NB: Do the shopping = shop for food & things for the house, do some shopping = more general)
- Do some cooking → I enjoy doing some cooking on weekends.
- Do a lot of walking → She does a lot of walking to keep healthy.
- Do some studying → I need to do some studying for my exam.
- Do a bit of painting → He likes to do a bit of painting in his free time.
- Do some swimming → They do some swimming every morning.
- Do a lot of talking → Politicians do a lot of talking during campaigns.
- Do some gardening → We do some gardening when the weather is nice.
- Do a fair amount of cycling → I do a fair amount of cycling in the summer.
- Do quite a bit of volunteering → She does quite a bit of volunteering at the shelter.
💡 Compare:
✅ I’ll do the cooking today. (Focus on the activity of cooking.)
✅ I’ll make a delicious dinner. (Focus on the result/product.)
✅ I’ll do the photocopying if you are busy. (Focus on the activity of photocopying.)
✅ I’ll make 50 photocopies. (Focus on the result/product.)
🔹 MAKE: Focus on Creation, Production & Results
MAKE is used when we talk about creating, building, producing, or causing something to happen. It is a Product, not a Process
🔸 MAKE + FOOD & DRINK
- Make breakfast / lunch / dinner → She made a big breakfast for everyone.
- Make coffee / tea → I’ll make some tea.
🔸 MAKE + PRODUCTS / PHYSICAL CREATION
- Make a cake → She made a chocolate cake for my birthday.
- Make a model → He made a model airplane.
- N.B: ‘make’ can be a noun → What make is your car? (basically means ‘which company created/manufactured your car?’)
🔸 MAKE + DECISIONS & PLANS (these are the products of doing some thinking!)
- Make a decision → It’s time to make a decision.
- Make a snap decision → I didn’t think about it at all, I just made a snap decision (snap = instant > without reflecting/thinking)
- Make plans → We’ve made plans for the weekend.
🔸 MAKE + SOUND / SPEECH
- Make a noise → The kids are making too much noise!
- Make a speech → He made a speech at the wedding.
- Make a presentation → He made a presentation at today’s meeting.
🔸 MAKE someone DO something
The structure “make + someone + base verb” is used to show that someone causes another person to do something. The action is not a choice—the person is forced, obliged, or strongly influenced to do it.
💡 Grammar Note:
- The verb after “make” is always in the base form (without ‘to’).
- In passive voice, we use “made to” + verb (He was made to apologize).
✅ Examples:
- The teacher made me do extra homework. (I had no choice!)
- My parents made me clean my room. (They forced me to do it.)
- The film made me cry. (It had an emotional effect on me.)
- She always makes him laugh. (She causes him to laugh.)
- The boss made us work late last night. (We were obliged to stay.)
⚠ Passive Form (Made to do something)
- I was made to apologize for being late. (Passive voice → “to” is added.)
- He was made to wait for an hour. (He had no choice.)
💡 Compare:
✅ She made a joke. (Focus on the a joke.)
✅ She did something funny. (Focus on the action.)
✅ She made a decision. (Focus on decision.)
✅ She did some thinking and finally made a decision. (Focus on the activity leading to the decision.)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS
🔹 DO – Focus on Activities & Work
✔ Do the laundry
✔ Do your best
✔ Do business
✔ Do the dishes
✔ Do someone a favor
✔ Do some damage
✔ Do a course
✔ Do well (in an exam)
🔹 MAKE – Focus on Creation & Results
✔ Make money
✔ Make an effort
✔ Make a phone call
✔ Make a promise
✔ Make friends
✔ Make progress
✔ Make an offer
✔ Make a complaint
✔ Make a mistake
🚨 Common Mistranslations from Italian 🚨
Since DO and MAKE both translate to FARE in Italian, some common mistakes occur:
❌ I made an exam last week.
✅ I did an exam last week. (A student does an exam.)
✅ I did well in the exam. (General performance.)
✅ The teacher made an exam for the students. (If you create an exam, you can say make.)
❌ I want to make some research.
✅ I want to do some research (research is an activity, not a final result or a creation).
❌ I did an appointment with the doctor.
✅ I made an appointment with the doctor.
❌ I made some exercise yesterday.
✅ I did some exercise yesterday (physical exercise is an activity, so use DO).
❌ I made some exercises about do yesterday.
✅ I did some exercises about do yesterday (some exercises [plural countable noun] is an activity, so use DO).
🎯 Key Takeaways
✅ DO = Activities, work, obligations, general actions
✅ MAKE = Creation, production, causing something to happen
The Verb “Do” in Questions: Asking About Activities
The verb “do” is one of the most common and versatile verbs in English. One of its key roles is to enquire about people’s activities—both in general and in specific moments. Here are some of the most frequent ways we use “do” to ask about activities:
1️⃣ “What do you do?” → Asking About Someone’s Job
- This question is used to ask about a person’s profession or regular occupation.
- Example:
- A: What do you do?
- B: I’m a teacher.
⚠️ Be careful! This does not mean “What are you doing right now?” It refers to a person’s career or role in life.
2️⃣ “What are you doing?” → Asking About Current Actions
- This question refers to what someone is doing at the present moment.
- Example:
- A: What are you doing?
- B: I’m reading a book.
It can also be used in a dramatic way when questioning someone’s actions:
- What are you doing?! That’s my coffee!
3️⃣ “What are you doing this evening?” → Asking About Future Plans
- In spoken English, the present continuous (“are doing”) is often used to refer to future plans and arrangements.
- Example:
- A: What are you doing this weekend?
- B: I’m visiting my grandparents.
4️⃣ “What have you been doing recently?” → Asking About Recent Activities
- The Present Perfect Continuous (“have been doing”) is used to ask about ongoing or repeated activities that started in the past and are still relevant.
- Example:
- A: What have you been doing lately?
- B: I’ve been studying for my exams.
This question is often used to catch up with someone after a period of time apart.
5️⃣ “What do you do in your free time?” → Asking About Habits & Hobbies
- This structure is used to ask about routine activities outside of work or obligations.
- Example:
- A: What do you do in your free time?
- B: I go jogging and watch movies.
6️⃣ “What do/did you do that for?” → Asking About Purpose
- This phrase is used when questioning the reason behind an action.
- Example:
- A: I always wake up at 5 AM.
- B: What do you do that for?
It can sound slightly critical depending on the tone!
Key Takeaways
✅ “What do you do?” → Job / Profession
✅ “What are you doing?” → Current action
✅ “What are you doing this evening?” → Future plans
✅ “What have you been doing recently?” → Ongoing/recent activities
✅ “What do you do in your free time?” → Hobbies
✅ “What do you do that for?” → Purpose/reason
Let’s see what you remember! Do the quiz (select the answer you think is correct)
Press Submit to check your answers—correct ones turn green, incorrect ones pink. Fix mistakes and submit again until all are green! ✅
DO & MAKE Full Quiz