Make vs Do — French 'Faire' Splits in English
French has one verb where English insists on two
Category: Vocabulary
The Rule
'Make' = create/produce (make a cake, make a mistake). 'Do' = perform/complete (do homework, do exercise). French 'faire' covers both.
Why This Matters
French 'faire' = make AND do. 'Faire un gâteau' (make a cake), 'faire ses devoirs' (do homework), 'faire une erreur' (make a mistake). English splits this into two verbs with no clear rule — it's all collocations.
Examples
• She made a mistake. — "Elle a fait une erreur." [make a mistake (create/cause)] • I do my homework every day. — "Je fais mes devoirs tous les jours." [do homework (perform a task)] • He makes a lot of money. — "Il fait beaucoup d'argent." [make money (generate/produce)]
Common Mistakes
❌ I make my homework. ✅ I do my homework. → Homework is a task you perform = 'do'. French 'faire ses devoirs' maps to 'do', not 'make'. ❌ She did a cake. ✅ She made a cake. → A cake is something you create = 'make'. French 'faire un gâteau' maps to 'make'.
Quick Tip
MAKE = creation (make food, make money, make friends, make a plan, make a mistake). DO = task (do work, do exercise, do the dishes, do a favor, do homework).
MAKE = creation (make food, make money, make friends, make a plan, make a mistake). DO = task (do work, do exercise, do the dishes, do a favor, do homework).
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: I make my homework. → Correct: I do my homework.. Homework is a task you perform = 'do'. French 'faire ses devoirs' maps to 'do', not 'make'.
Incorrect: She did a cake. → Correct: She made a cake.. A cake is something you create = 'make'. French 'faire un gâteau' maps to 'make'.
Quiz
Which is correct?