Do or Make?

Dear E:

You wrote:
>
> I´m learning English, and I would like to know what are the correct uses of the verbs DO and MAKE? What are the rules? When I use DO and when I use MAKE?
> Thank you
> E
>
This is one of the most difficult problems in English for someone who is a native speaker of one of the Romance languages. The Romance languages have many idioms which use the verb DO or MAKE which do not translate into
English. Mostly it simply takes practice to understand what “sounds right” in English.

In very simple terms, “make” means to create or achieve. “I made a computer program,” i.e., I created a computer program. “Their team made the final game,” i.e., their team achieved the final game in the tournament standings.

“Do” means to act or make an action. “I do my exercises every day,” i.e., “I act out my exercises every day.”

If you have not seen it, I highly recommend the following book:
Michael Hogan. “Intelligent Mistakes: An English Grammar Supplement for Latin American Students.” Association of American Schools. [As of 2011 this is no longer in print but is available in various E-book formats.]

Your problem is simply that the Portuguese word for DO (from the Latin FACERE) does what both DO and MAKE do in English–plus it is used in many idioms. In English both DO and MAKE have some different idioms of their own.
More than anything else, it just takes practice and familiarity with the language.

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