make vs do 差別?最常搞混的「做」英文一次分清楚

2026 08 03 en make vs do 1 Daily English | 生活英語

開會出包,你想說「我犯了個錯」,脫口而出 “I did a mistake.”——老外聽得懂,但心裡會卡一下,因為英文的「犯錯」是 make 不是 do

搞懂 make vs domake=「創造出」新東西或結果(make a mistake / a decision);do=「執行」動作、任務、家事(do homework / the dishes)。

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💡 先搞懂:中文一個「做」,英文用「有沒有生出新東西」拆成 make 和 do

中文「做作業、做決定、做菜、犯錯」全都用「做」;英文卻分成兩派:做出一個原本不存在的東西或結果用 make,執行一件既有的事情、任務、活動用 do。用反了,母語者一聽就覺得怪。

這種搭配其實有大量固定用法,可以到 BBC Learning English 找更多 make/do 的片語練習。

台灣人最容易卡的雷:把「犯錯、做決定」直接套 do(do a mistake ❌/do a decision ❌),其實這些是「腦中生出來的結果」,通通該用 make。


情境對話 Dialogue

場景:下班後,Amy 跟 Kevin 抱怨忙翻的一天,一路把 make 和 do 用反,Kevin 每次都順口幫她糾正。


Amy

Ugh, what a day. I did a big mistake at the office this morning.

唉,今天有夠慘。我早上在公司犯了個大錯。

Kevin

Oh no — you made a mistake, you mean? We make mistakes, not do them.

喔不會吧——你是說你 make a mistake(犯錯)吧?錯誤是用 make,不是 do。

Amy

Right, I made a mistake. And tonight I still have to make all my homework for class.

對,我 made a mistake。然後今晚我還得做一堆上課的作業。

Kevin

Do your homework — that one’s “do.” Homework, chores, tasks all take “do.”

是 do your homework 才對——作業、家事、任務都用 do。

Amy

Got it, do my homework. But first I need to do a quick decision about dinner.

懂了,do my homework。不過我得先快點決定晚餐。

Kevin

Make a decision, actually. When something forms in your head — a decision, a plan — it’s “make.”

是 make a decision 喔。在腦中「生出來」的東西——決定、計畫——都用 make。

Amy

Make a decision, okay. Can you do me a favor and just pick a place?

make a decision,好。你可以幫我個忙、直接選一間嗎?

Kevin

Sure — and nice, “do me a favor” is perfect. That one really is “do.”

當然——而且讚喔,do me a favor 用得完全正確。這個就是用 do。

Amy

Let’s just make dinner at home, though. I’m trying to do more money these days.

不過我們還是在家煮吧。我最近想多賺點錢。

Kevin

Make money, you mean. You make money and make dinner — both create something new.

你是說 make money 吧。賺錢、煮晚餐都用 make——因為都是「生出新東西」。

Amy

Ha — make money, make dinner. I always mix these two up.

哈——make money、make dinner。我老是把這兩個搞混。

Kevin

Everyone does at first. But hey — you’re making real progress tonight.

大家一開始都這樣。不過欸——你今晚進步超多的。

Amy

Making progress — I’ll take it! Thanks for doing me the favor of fixing every line.

making progress——這我喜歡!謝謝你幫我一句句改。

Kevin

Anytime. Just remember: make means create something new, do means carry out an action.

不客氣。記住就好:make=創造出新東西,do=執行一個動作。


下次這樣說 Next Time

這三個場景最容易把 make、do 用反,記起來就到位。

① 說自己犯了錯

❌ 中文腦會說

I did a mistake at work.

我在公司犯了個錯。(老外聽了會卡一下,錯誤不用 do)

✅ 該這樣說

I made a mistake at work.

我在公司犯了個錯。

為什麼:「錯誤」是你「製造」出來的結果,不是執行的任務,所以用 make。

② 說要做作業/家事

❌ 中文腦會說

I have to make my homework tonight.

我今晚得做作業。

✅ 該這樣說

I have to do my homework tonight.

我今晚得做作業。

為什麼:作業、家事、雜務是「既有的任務」,執行它們一律用 do。

③ 說要做決定

❌ 中文腦會說

I need to do a decision.

我需要做個決定。

✅ 該這樣說

I need to make a decision.

我需要做個決定。

為什麼:決定是在腦中「生出來」的東西,跟 make a plan 同理,用 make。


重點單字 Vocabulary Boost

make/meɪk/ 動詞

做出、創造出——重點在「生出一個原本沒有的東西或結果」。

Let’s make a plan for the weekend.(我們來計畫一下週末吧。)

do/duː/ 動詞

做、執行——重點在「進行一件既有的事情、任務或活動」。

I’ll do it right after lunch.(我午餐後馬上做。)

make a mistake/meɪk ə mɪˈsteɪk/ 片語

犯錯——最常被誤用成 do a mistake,記得是 make。

Everyone makes mistakes.(每個人都會犯錯。)

make a decision/meɪk ə dɪˈsɪʒən/ 片語

做決定——決定是腦中生出的結果,跟 make a plan 同理。

You need to make a decision soon.(你得快點做決定。)

make money/meɪk ˈmʌni/ 片語

賺錢——不是 do money;錢是「生出來」的,用 make。

She makes good money as a designer.(她當設計師賺不少錢。)

make progress/meɪk ˈprɑːɡrəs/ 片語

有進展、進步——進展是「創造」出來的,用 make。

We’re making progress on the project.(我們的專案有在進展。)

do homework/duː ˈhoʊmwɜːrk/ 片語

做作業——不是 make homework;作業是既有任務,用 do。

Did you do your homework yet?(你作業做了沒?)

do the dishes/duː ðə ˈdɪʃɪz/ 片語

洗碗——家事一律用 do:do the laundry、do the cleaning。

I’ll cook if you do the dishes.(你洗碗的話我來煮。)

do someone a favor/duː ˈsʌmwʌn ə ˈfeɪvər/ 片語

幫某人一個忙——固定用 do,不是 make a favor。

Can you do me a favor?(你可以幫我個忙嗎?)

🎯 30 秒快速複習

make=創造出新東西/結果;do=執行既有的動作/任務。分不出來就問:這是「生出來的」還是「去做的」?

make 創造出新東西/結果
do 執行動作/任務/活動
make a mistake 犯錯
make a decision 做決定
make money / dinner 賺錢/煮晚餐
do homework 做作業
do the dishes 洗碗
❌ do a mistake → ✅ make a mistake

重點句型 Sentence Patterns

1. make + 名詞 → 創造出新東西或結果

只要那個東西是「本來沒有、被生出來的」,就用 make:實體的、抽象的都算。

例:make a cake(做蛋糕)
例:make a plan(做計畫)
例:make a mistake(犯錯)
判斷關鍵:做完之後有沒有「多出一個東西/一個結果」?有,就是 make。

2. do + 名詞 → 執行既有的動作、任務、活動

作業、家事、工作、運動這類「本來就在那的事情」,去進行它就用 do。

例:do your homework(做作業)
例:do the dishes(洗碗)
例:do exercise(運動)
判斷關鍵:這是不是一件「既有的任務/活動」,只是去把它完成?是,就是 do。

3. make a decision / a plan → 腦中「生出來」的也算 make

決定、計畫、承諾這些看不見的東西,是你「做出來」的結果,一樣用 make。

例:make a decision(做決定)
例:make a promise(做出承諾)
例:make an excuse(找藉口)
別被「抽象」騙了:只要是「產生出一個新的想法/結論」,就歸 make,不是 do。

4. do someone a favor / do business → 固定搭配記起來

有些是約定俗成的固定用法,直接當片語背,不用硬套邏輯。

例:do me a favor(幫我個忙)
例:do business with them(跟他們做生意)
例:do your best(盡你所能)
favor、business、best 這幾個高頻搭配都跟 do,看到就直接反射,最省事。

5. do a mistake? / make my homework? → 常見誤用陷阱

台灣人最常兩邊互套:該 make 的用成 do,該 do 的用成 make。

例:❌ I did a mistake. → ✅ I made a mistake.
例:❌ Make your homework. → ✅ Do your homework.
例:❌ do a decision → ✅ make a decision
口訣:「生出新東西用 make,執行舊任務用 do」——一句話就能擋掉大部分的錯。

逐字稿 Transcript

J
Picture this — you walk out of the office after a rough morning and start venting to a friend about your day.想像一下——你度過慘烈的早晨走出公司,開始跟朋友大吐苦水。That’s exactly where Amy is today, and within one sentence she’s already mixed up make and do.這集 Amy 就是這樣,一句話還沒講完就把 make 和 do 搞混了。
M
I’m Mary!我是 Mary!And honestly, this is the most classic Taiwanese-learner mix-up there is — Mandarin just leans on one all-purpose word for basically everything.老實說,這是台灣學習者最經典的搞混——中文一個「做」字幾乎打天下。
J
I’m Jason, and the good news is there’s one simple test that sorts almost every case.我是 Jason,好消息是有一個超簡單的判斷法,幾乎能解決所有情況。Make means you create something new; do means you carry out an action that’s already there.make 是「創造出新東西」,do 是「執行一件本來就存在的事」。
M
Amy’s first line is a perfect example: “I did a big mistake at the office this morning.”Amy 第一句就是最好的例子:「I did a big mistake at the office this morning.」And Kevin catches it right away — “you made a mistake, you mean?”Kevin 馬上抓到——「you made a mistake, you mean?」
J
A mistake is something you produce, even if you didn’t mean to — so it’s make, never do.錯誤是你「製造」出來的東西,就算不是故意的——所以用 make,絕不用 do。This is the single most common make/do slip we hear from Taiwanese speakers.這是我們從台灣人身上聽到最常見的 make/do 錯誤。
M
Then Amy flips the other way — she says she has to “make all my homework for class.”接著 Amy 又反過來錯——她說得「make all my homework for class」。And Kevin corrects her: “Do your homework — homework, chores, tasks all take do.”Kevin 糾正她:「Do your homework——作業、家事、任務都用 do。」
J
Homework already exists as an assignment; you’re just carrying it out, not inventing it.作業本來就是既有的任務,你只是去完成它,不是發明它。That’s the heart of do — chores, tasks, jobs, exercise, they’re all things you perform.這就是 do 的核心——家事、任務、工作、運動,都是你「去執行」的事。
M
Next she says, “I need to do a quick decision about dinner,” and Kevin flips it back to make.她接著說「I need to do a quick decision about dinner」,Kevin 又把它改回 make。Because a decision forms in your head — you make it, the same way you make a plan.因為決定是在腦中「生出來」的——你 make it,就跟 make a plan 一樣。
J
This is where a lot of people get tripped up — they think “abstract stuff must be do.”很多人卡在這裡——以為「抽象的東西就該用 do」。But a decision, a plan, a promise — those are all created in your mind, so they’re make.但決定、計畫、承諾——這些都是在腦中被創造出來的,所以是 make。
M
Then Amy actually nails one: “Can you do me a favor and pick a place?”然後 Amy 居然講對了一個:「Can you do me a favor and pick a place?」Kevin even points it out — “do me a favor is perfect.”Kevin 還特別稱讚——「do me a favor 用得完全正確。」
J
Do me a favor is a fixed phrase — favor, business, your best, they all just take do.do me a favor 是固定用法——favor、business、your best 都跟 do。Some of these you don’t reason out, you just memorize the pairing.有些不用推理,直接把搭配背起來就好。
M
But right after that she slips again: “I’m trying to do more money these days.”但緊接著她又錯了:「I’m trying to do more money these days.」Kevin fixes it — “make money — you make money and make dinner, both create something.”Kevin 改正:「make money——賺錢、煮晚餐都用 make,都是生出新東西。」
J
Money you earn, dinner you cook — both are brand-new things that didn’t exist before.賺來的錢、煮出的晚餐——都是原本不存在、被生出來的東西。That’s the through-line for every make example today.這就是今天所有 make 例子共通的邏輯。
M
Before we replay the whole thing, keep score along with us.在我們重播整段之前,跟我們一起計分。Every time Amy speaks, guess first: is this a make thing, or a do thing?每次 Amy 開口,先猜猜看:這是 make 還是 do?
🔁 [DIALOGUE REPLAY] 重播情境對話
J
Second listen done — did you catch the three slips?聽完第二次了——你抓到那三個錯了嗎?Did a mistake, make my homework, and do more money — all fixed by Kevin.did a mistake、make my homework、do more money——都被 Kevin 改掉了。
M
And notice she got “do me a favor” right on her own — the fixed phrases tend to stick.注意她自己講對了 do me a favor——固定片語通常比較記得住。The tricky part is the everyday nouns like mistake, decision, money.難的是 mistake、decision、money 這種日常名詞。
J
So here’s your challenge this week: catch yourself before you say did or make, and run the test.這週的挑戰:在你說出 did 或 make 之前,先停一下跑一遍判斷法。Is this a brand-new thing I’m creating, or a task I’m carrying out?這是我在「創造的新東西」,還是我在「執行的任務」?
M
Created something new? Make. Carrying out a task? Do.創造出新東西?make。執行任務?do。One quick question, and you’ll dodge every mistake Amy made today.一個小問題,就能避開今天 Amy 犯的每個錯。
J
Thanks for hanging out with us — hope make and do feel a lot clearer now.謝謝你陪我們這一集——希望 make 和 do 現在清楚多了。See you next time on MJ English!下次 MJ English 見!
M
Bye, everyone — and remember: make something new, do a task!大家掰掰——記得喔:make 是生出新東西,do 是執行任務!

延伸學習 Keep Going

同樣是台灣人最容易搞混的英文,一起補起來。


你是不是也曾脫口而出 “I did a mistake”,然後被糾正過?

留言用今天學的 make/do 各造一句,看看能不能全部用對!

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