Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing. Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.
I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘make’ and ‘do’. Often (but not always) it is because the German word ‘machen’ is mistranslated.
There are many phrases and expressions that exist in English where there is no real rule to help you remember the difference between ‘make’ and ‘do’. You just have to learn them. Sorry!
Take a look at the examples below. Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.
Do badly.
E.g. He did really badly on the exam last week. He’ll probably have to do it again at a later date.
Make an attempt.
E.g. He made an attempt to learn Spanish but he found it really difficult.
Make an observation.
E.g. Could I make an observation? Customer feedback shows we still have some major problems with the advertising campaign.
Have fun learning English!
Louise