Tun
/tuːn/
The German word for doing is Tun.
Tun refers to the act of performing an action or activity. While it translates to 'to do', it often carries a more abstract or formal quality compared to other verbs for performing tasks.
Which one should you use?
In German, both tun and machen can mean 'to do', but they are used differently. machen is much more common in everyday spoken German for most activities, whereas tun tends to feel more abstract or formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the verb tun is conjugated as follows: ich tue, du tust, er/sie/es tut, wir tun, ihr tut and sie/Sie tun.
How do you pronounce it?
/tuːn/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often over-rely on tun because it translates to 'do', but for specific activities like 'making a mistake' or 'doing homework', German uses machen (for example, einen Fehler machen).
Did you know?
- The phrase das tut weh is the standard way to say 'that hurts', even though weh is not a verb.
- In many German dialects, particularly in the south, the verb tun is often used as an auxiliary verb to form a 'double verb' construction, such as ich tue gehen for 'I am going'.
- The English verb 'do' and the German tun share a common ancestor, the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁-, which originally meant 'to put, set or place'.
Examples in context
- Das ist dein Tun.This is your doing.This sentence is useful for showing how to use Tun to mean 'doing'.Tatoeba #6626344 by Felixjp, translation #2648000 by CK
- Warum tun wir das?Why are we doing this?This sentence shows how to use Tun in a question about an action.Tatoeba #1690501 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1690463 by Spamster
- Was tun Sie gerne?What do you enjoy doing?This sentence shows how to use Tun to ask about preferences.Tatoeba #6970739 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4889769 by CK
- Was machst du (formal: machen Sie)?What are you doing?
- Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben.I'm doing my homework.
- Mein Kollege macht seine Arbeit sehr gut.My colleague is doing his work very well.
- Ich muss diese Aufgabe erledigen.I have to do this task.
- Bitte erledigen Sie diese Angelegenheit.Please take care of this matter.
- Wir tun nichts Besonderes.We're not doing anything special.
- Lasst uns etwas Lustiges tun!Let's do something fun!
- Ich mache gerade einen Spaziergang.I'm currently taking a walk.
- Was mache-n-i?What am I doing?
- 487 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are discussing their daily habits.
- JuliaWas hast du heute vor zu tun?What are you planning to do today?
- FelixIch muss viel im Garten tun.I have a lot to do in the garden.
- JuliaKann ich dir dabei helfen?Can I help you with that?
- FelixJa, das wäre sehr nett von dir.Yes, that would be very kind of you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Tun, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Tun, tun, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
