Partenariats Verbe-Nom : Make, Do et Take
make, do ou take te permet de t'exprimer en anglais de manière naturelle et confiante.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Mastering 'Make', 'Do', and 'Take' is about learning fixed partnerships, not just individual words.
- Use 'Make' for creating, producing, or choosing (e.g., make a cake, make a decision).
- Use 'Do' for general activities, jobs, or repetitive tasks (e.g., do homework, do the dishes).
- Use 'Take' for actions involving time, movement, or specific idiomatic events (e.g., take a break, take a photo).
Overview
make le lit mais do la lessive ?make, do et take sont très sélectifs.collocations.How This Grammar Works
faire en français.Do concerne généralement l'action elle-même ou une tâche.Make concerne le résultat ou la création de quelque chose de nouveau.Take concerne souvent le temps, le mouvement ou des habitudes spécifiques.
Formation Pattern
decision).
meilleur ami (ex. make).
a, an ou the si nécessaire.
Conjugation Table
| Form | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | I do my homework. |
Je fais mes devoirs. |
| Past Simple | She made a mistake. |
Elle a fait une erreur. |
| Future | We will take a taxi. |
Nous prendrons un taxi. |
| Continuous | He is making coffee. |
Il fait du café. |
When To Use It
Do pour les activités qui ne produisent pas d'objet physique.do nothing.do exercise), vous ne construisez pas une table.Make quand le résultat final est une nouvelle chose.make a cake), vous commencez avec de la farine et finissez avec un dessert.make a noise.Take pour les choses qui impliquent une courte période de temps.take a break) quand vous êtes fatigué.take a photo) de votre nourriture pour Instagram.
Common Mistakes
do au lieu de make.I did a mistake. On dit
make a mistake.make a shower, on dit take a shower.make your hair, on dit do your hair.do.make.Contrast With Similar Patterns
make et create se ressemblent.Create a l'air très professionnel et artistique.create) un chef-d'œuvre, mais on fait (make) du désordre.Do et perform sont aussi cousins.perform) une chirurgie, mais on fait (do) la vaisselle.Quick FAQ
do ou make the bed ?make the bed. Même si cela ressemble à une corvée !take a coffee ?have a coffee ou make a coffee.take a test et non do a test ?take est plus courant pour l'acte de s'asseoir et d'écrire.make ou do mes cheveux ?do your hair.do an effort ?make an effort.Conjugation of the Big Three
| Verb | Present Simple | Past Simple | Past Participle | Gerund (-ing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Make
|
make / makes
|
made
|
made
|
making
|
|
Do
|
do / does
|
did
|
done
|
doing
|
|
Take
|
take / takes
|
took
|
taken
|
taking
|
Meanings
These are high-frequency verbs that form 'collocations'—words that naturally go together in English. While they often translate to the same word in other languages, they have distinct roles in English based on the noun they follow.
Make: Creation and Results
Used when you produce something that didn't exist before or when you reach a mental conclusion.
“She made a delicious dinner.”
“I need to make a choice.”
Do: Activities and Obligations
Used for general tasks, work, or actions that are often repetitive or mandatory.
“Did you do your chores?”
“I'm doing my best.”
Take: Time and Physical Action
Used for actions that involve 'consuming' time or performing a specific physical routine.
“It takes ten minutes.”
“Take a seat, please.”
Make: Communication and Sound
Used for sounds or verbal interactions.
“Stop making so much noise!”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
Reference Table
| Verbe | Sens typique | Noms communs | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|
|
make
|
Créer, produire, causer
|
decision, effort, mistake, noise, progress, money, call, sense
|
She needs to `make a decision` quickly.
|
|
do
|
Effectuer une tâche/activité
|
homework, dishes, research, business, exercise, nothing, well, badly
|
Have you `done your homework` yet?
|
|
take
|
Expérience, acquérir, s'engager
|
break, photo, shower, chance, risk, notes, class, nap, responsibility
|
Let's `take a break` for coffee.
|
|
make
|
Construction, préparation
|
bed, dinner, breakfast, plans, a promise
|
I'll `make dinner` tonight.
|
|
do
|
Étude, travail, corvée
|
laundry, a course, a job, an assignment
|
He usually `does the laundry` on Sundays.
|
|
take
|
Transport, opportunité
|
bus, train, taxi, opportunity, a look, a seat
|
We should `take the bus` to the city.
|
|
make
|
Sons ou discours
|
a speech, a complaint, a comment, a suggestion
|
She `made a good point` in the meeting.
|
|
do
|
Activité générique
|
something, anything, everything
|
What are you `doing tonight`?
|
|
take
|
Mesure, temps, sentiment
|
temperature, time, your time, pride, an interest
|
It `takes time` to learn a language.
|
Spectre de formalité
The committee has reached a decision. (Decision making)
I need to make a decision. (Decision making)
I've gotta make a choice. (Decision making)
I'm gonna pull the trigger on this. (Decision making)
Partenariats Verbe-Nom : Make, Do, Take
Make
- a decision decisions
- an effort effort
- a noise noise
- money money
Do
- homework homework
- the dishes dishes
- research research
- a favor favor
Take
- a break break
- a photo photo
- a chance chance
- notes notes
Make vs. Do vs. Take : Différences Clés
Choisir Make, Do, ou Take
Es-tu en train de créer, produire ou causer quelque chose ?
Accomplis-tu une tâche générale, une activité ou un travail non spécifique ?
Fais-tu l'expérience de quelque chose, saisis-tu une opportunité ou effectues-tu une action spécifique, souvent physique ?
Grille des Partenariats de Verbes Courants
Make - Création
- • a decision
- • an effort
- • a noise
- • money
- • progress
- • a call
- • sense
- • a mistake
Do - Tâches
- • homework
- • the dishes
- • research
- • business
- • exercise
- • a favor
- • well/badly
- • nothing
Take - Expérience
- • a break
- • a photo
- • a shower
- • a chance
- • notes
- • a class
- • a nap
- • responsibility
Exemples par niveau
I make breakfast at 7 AM.
Do your homework now.
I take the bus to school.
Can you make some tea?
She is making a lot of noise.
I need to do the laundry.
It takes one hour to get there.
He took a lot of photos on vacation.
Have you made a decision yet?
I'm doing a course in marketing.
You should take a break; you look tired.
Don't make an excuse for being late.
The company made a huge profit last year.
Doing business in a foreign country is hard.
I'll take the opportunity to thank you.
Stop making fun of your brother.
The new policy will do more harm than good.
He made a point of mentioning the budget.
I take exception to your comments.
She made a name for herself in journalism.
The evidence makes for a compelling argument.
He did his level best to resolve the crisis.
The court took cognizance of the new facts.
I'll make bold to suggest a different path.
Facile à confondre
Learners often mix these up because housework feels like a 'task' (do), but some involve 'arranging' (make).
In many languages, 'take' is used for consuming food/drink.
Learners aren't sure if sport is a task or a creation.
Erreurs courantes
I make homework.
I do homework.
I do a cake.
I make a cake.
I take a coffee.
I have a coffee / I make a coffee.
I do a mistake.
I made a mistake.
It uses two hours.
It takes two hours.
I did a photo.
I took a photo.
Make exercise.
Do exercise.
Do a decision.
Make a decision.
Make a favor.
Do a favor.
Take a business.
Do business.
Do an effort.
Make an effort.
Take a progress.
Make progress.
Make a research.
Do research.
Structures de phrases
It takes ___ (person) ___ (time) to ___ (verb).
I need to make a ___ (noun).
Could you do me a ___?
Don't make a ___!
Real World Usage
I always do my best to make a good impression.
Let's make plans for tonight. Do you want to take a walk?
Can you make that without onions? I'll take a large soda.
You need to take this medicine twice a day.
Just doing some shopping! Made a huge mess in the kitchen later.
It takes two hours to clear security, so take an early bus.
Pense 'Création' vs 'Action'
make. Si tu fais une tâche ou une activité, utilise plutôt do. I make a cake, but I do my homework.
Ne généralise pas trop !
do pour tout, mais résiste ! C'est une erreur courante. Beaucoup de phrases clés demandent make ou take. "It's always make a decision, not do a decision."Apprends par phrases entières
make a decision ou do laundry comme des unités complètes. Ton cerveau fera mieux les connexions. Learn make a plan, not just make.
Le Contexte est Roi
take a shower vs have a shower). Sois juste conscient, les deux sont généralement compris. "In the UK, they might say 'have a bath'."Entraîne-toi avec des Situations Réelles
I make breakfast, then I do some work, then I take a break.Ça solidifie les phrases.
I make coffee, I do my emails, I take a walk.
Smart Tips
Stop and ask: Am I creating something? If yes, use 'make'. If it's just a job, use 'do'.
Always use 'take' for duration. Avoid using 'need' or 'use' for time.
Use 'do me a favor' instead of 'help me' to sound more natural and polite.
Highlight the noun next to it. That pair is a 'chunk' you should memorize together.
Prononciation
The 'k' in Make/Take
The final 'e' is silent, making the 'a' a long vowel /eɪ/. The 'k' is a crisp unvoiced stop.
The 'oo' in Took
This is a short 'oo' sound, like in 'book' or 'foot', not a long 'oo' like in 'food'.
Verb-Noun Stress
I made a MIS-take.
In these collocations, the stress usually falls on the noun, not the verb.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Make is for a 'Mistake' you 'Manufacture'; Do is for a 'Duty' you 'Deliver'.
Association visuelle
Imagine a chef 'making' a pizza (creation) and a robot 'doing' the laundry (repetitive task). For 'take', imagine a hand grabbing a clock (taking time).
Rhyme
When you create, 'make' is great. For a task, 'do' is what to ask.
Story
I had to DO my taxes, which TOOK all day. To celebrate finishing, I MADE a huge chocolate cake and TOOK a long nap.
Word Web
Défi
Look around your room. Find three things you can 'do' (e.g., do the dusting) and three things you can 'make' (e.g., make the bed).
Notes culturelles
British speakers often use 'have' where Americans use 'take' (e.g., 'have a bath' vs 'take a bath'). Both are understood, but 'take' is becoming more universal.
In business cultures, 'doing business' implies the whole process, while 'making a deal' refers specifically to the final agreement.
Using 'make' for social invitations (make a reservation, make a plan) is essential for polite coordination in English-speaking countries.
These verbs come from Old English: 'macian' (make), 'don' (do), and 'tacan' (take, which was actually borrowed from Old Norse 'taka').
Amorces de conversation
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make recently?
How often do you do the laundry?
How long does it take you to get to work?
Have you ever taken a big risk in your life?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
Can you please ___ me a favor?
do a favor car c'est une action ou un service réalisé pour quelqu'un.Find and fix the mistake:
I always do mistakes when I'm tired.
make a mistake car tu le crées ou le causes, tu ne l'accomplis pas comme une tâche.Choose the correct sentence:
make a noise. Took et did ne correspondent pas au sens de création ici.Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
make a decision. Take a decision est incorrect.Score: /4
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesI need to ___ a phone call.
It ___ me forty minutes to get to work yesterday.
Find and fix the mistake:
She is doing a lot of progress in her English class.
1. Do, 2. Make, 3. Take
The flight is six hours long.
a mess, a favor, a noise, business
A: Can you ___ me a favor? B: Sure, what is it? A: Can you ___ a reservation for dinner?
I'm ___ yoga at 5 PM.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesDid you remember to ___ your bed this morning?
I need to take some research for my presentation.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Ella hizo un gran esfuerzo.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the verbs with the correct noun:
The company decided to ___ a new product line.
I'm going to take my laundry this afternoon.
Which sentence is correct?
Translate into English: '¿Quieres tomar un café?'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the verbs with the actions:
Score: /12
FAQ (8)
Historically, you were 'creating' a place to sleep by arranging blankets and straw. The phrase stuck even though modern beds are simpler.
Yes, 'take a decision' is common in British English, but 'make a decision' is more common in American English and generally accepted everywhere.
It is always `take a photo`. Using `do` or `make` here is a very common mistake for non-native speakers.
In English, we only say `do homework`. `Make homework` would imply you are the teacher creating the assignment for students.
Only in the context of 'take-out' (food you take home) or medicine. For eating, use `have` or `eat`.
Dinner is a new creation (ingredients become a meal). The dishes are already there; you are just performing the task of cleaning them.
It is neutral and used in both formal and informal professional contexts.
It means to try something risky where the outcome is uncertain.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
hacer / tomar
Spanish doesn't distinguish between creating (make) and performing (do).
faire / prendre
French learners must learn to split 'faire' into two distinct English concepts.
machen / tun
German uses 'machen' for many things English uses 'do' for, like 'Hausaufgaben machen'.
suru (する) / tsukuru (作る)
Japanese 'make' is strictly for physical manufacturing.
fa'ala (فعل) / sana'a (صنع)
Arabic uses specific verbs for actions like 'taking a shower' (yastahimm) rather than a verb-noun pair.
zuò (做) / dǎ (打)
Chinese relies on a wider variety of specific verbs where English uses these three general ones.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Vidéos associées
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