En inglés no basta con traducir “hacer” o “tomar”. Algunas palabras van juntas de forma natural: make a mistake, do homework, take a break, have a shower… Estas combinaciones se llaman collocations.
1) Mapa rápido
Idea general:
• make → “crear” algo nuevo (planes, decisiones, ruido).
• do → “hacer” actividades/trabajos en general.
• take → “tomar” (tiempo, objetos, transporte, oportunidades).
• have → “tener / tomar” (comidas, duchas, experiencias).
Con collocations casi siempre es mejor memorizar bloques: no pienses palabra por palabra, piensa en frases fijas.
2) make vs do: visión general
| Verbo | Idea principal | Ejemplos típicos (B1) |
|---|---|---|
| make | Crear / producir algo nuevo (físico o no físico). Resultado final. | make a decision (tomar una decisión) make a mistake (cometer un error) make a plan (hacer un plan) make a reservation make money make breakfast (preparar el desayuno) |
| do | Hacer una actividad / trabajo / tarea en general. Proceso, no producto. | do homework do housework (quehaceres) do the dishes (lavar los platos) do an exam / a test do exercise do business |
• I have to do my homework and then I’ll make dinner.
• She made a big mistake in the exam.
• We did a lot of work yesterday.
Si puedes sustituir “actividad” → muchas veces es do. Si piensas en “resultado / cosa creada” → probablemente make.
3) Collocations frecuentes con make
| Expresión | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| make a decision | Tomar una decisión | We need to make a decision soon. |
| make a mistake | Cometer un error | Everyone makes mistakes. |
| make a plan / make plans | Hacer un plan / planes | Let’s make plans for the weekend. |
| make a reservation | Hacer una reserva | Can you make a reservation for two? |
| make money | Ganar dinero (en general) | He makes a lot of money. |
| make breakfast / lunch / dinner | Preparar la comida | I usually make breakfast for my family. |
| make noise / make a sound | Hacer ruido | Please don’t make so much noise. |
En muchas expresiones que en español son “cometer” o “tomar” (un error, una decisión), en inglés usamos make.
4) Collocations frecuentes con do
| Expresión | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| do homework | Hacer la tarea | He is doing his homework now. |
| do housework | Hacer las tareas de la casa | I usually do the housework on Saturdays. |
| do the dishes / do the washing-up | Lavar los platos | I’ll do the dishes after dinner. |
| do an exam / a test | Hacer un examen | We’re doing a test tomorrow. |
| do exercise / do yoga | Hacer ejercicio / yoga | I try to do exercise three times a week. |
| do business | Hacer negocios | They do business with companies in Europe. |
Si en español dices “hacer” + actividad (hacer yoga, hacer ejercicio, hacer la tarea), en inglés suele ser do.
5) take y have: acciones y experiencias
A) Collocations frecuentes con take
| Expresión | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| take a break | Tomar un descanso | Let’s take a break for 10 minutes. |
| take a photo / picture | Tomar una foto | Can you take a photo of us? |
| take a seat | Tomar asiento | Please take a seat. |
| take a shower / take a bath | Darse una ducha / baño (especialmente en AmE) | I need to take a shower. |
| take your time | Tomarse tu tiempo | Take your time, there’s no hurry. |
| take a bus / train / taxi | Tomar un transporte | We usually take the bus to work. |
B) Collocations frecuentes con have
| Expresión | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| have a shower / bath | Darse una ducha/baño (muy común en BrE) | I usually have a shower in the morning. |
| have breakfast / lunch / dinner | Desayunar / comer / cenar | We have lunch at 2 p.m. |
| have a drink | Tomar una bebida | Let’s have a drink after work. |
| have a break | Tomar un descanso | We usually have a break at 11. |
| have a good time | Pasarla bien | Did you have a good time at the party? |
| have a problem / have a question | Tener un problema / una pregunta | I have a question about the homework. |
En la vida diaria es muy frecuente escuchar have a shower, have lunch, have a good time. Memorizarlas así.
6) Errores típicos de hispanohablantes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| *I did a mistake.* | I made a mistake. | Error → collocation fija con make. |
| *We did a party.* | We had a party. | Para fiestas → have a party. |
| *Can you make a photo?* | Can you take a photo? | Fotos → take a photo. |
| *I do a shower every morning.* | I have a shower every morning. / I take a shower every morning. | Ducha → have/take a shower, no do. |
| *Let’s do a break.* | Let’s take a break. / Let’s have a break. | Descanso → take/have a break. |
| *I did a decision yesterday.* | I made a decision yesterday. | Decisión → collocation con make. |
Cuando dudes, piensa si conoces una collocation “fija”. Si no, usa do para actividades generales, pero revisa más tarde.
7) Mini-práctica
- Completa con make o do:
a) I have to ______ my homework before dinner.
b) She ______ a big mistake in the exam.
c) We need to ______ a decision about the trip.
d) He usually ______ the dishes after lunch.
e) They want to ______ a reservation at the restaurant. - Completa con take o have:
a) I always ______ a shower in the morning.
b) Let’s ______ a break, I’m tired.
c) Can you ______ a photo of us, please?
d) We usually ______ lunch at 1 p.m.
e) Did you ______ a good time at the party? - Elige la opción correcta:
a) I have to (do / make) an exam tomorrow.
b) She (does / makes) a lot of money in her job.
c) Let’s (do / have) a party on Saturday.
d) He (takes / makes) the bus to work every day.
e) I (take / do) exercise three times a week. - Corrige si es necesario:
a) I did a big mistake yesterday.
b) We made our homework in the evening.
c) Can you do a photo of me?
d) I usually do a shower at night.
e) They did a party last weekend. - Traduce al inglés usando collocations naturales:
a) Hicimos (tuvimos) una fiesta el sábado.
b) Cometí un error en mi examen de inglés.
c) Normalmente hago ejercicio por las mañanas.
d) Vamos a tomar un descanso de 10 minutos.
e) ¿Tomaste una foto de la playa?
Respuestas ejemplo:
1) a) do b) made c) make d) do e) make
2) a) have / take b) take / have c) take d) have e) have
3) a) do b) makes c) have d) takes e) do
4) a) I made a big mistake yesterday.
b) We did our homework in the evening.
c) Can you take a photo of me?
d) I usually have / take a shower at night.
e) They had a party last weekend.
5) a) We had a party on Saturday.
b) I made a mistake in my English exam.
c) I usually do exercise in the morning.
d) We’re going to take a break for 10 minutes.
e) Did you take a photo of the beach?
8) Próximo paso
Continúa con Falsos amigos típicos (actual, sensible, library…) para evitar confundir palabras que se parecen al español pero significan otra cosa en inglés.