machen
/ˈmaxən/
The German phrase for 'to do' is machen.
machen is used to express the act of doing or making something. While it is a general-purpose verb, it is often used for physical activities or the creation of objects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of machen is gemacht, which is used to form the perfect tense, such as in Ich habe es gemacht (I have done it).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmaxən/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use tun when they should use machen for physical activities or creating things. tun is used for much more abstract concepts.
Did you know?
- The phrase Mach's gut! is a common way to say 'take care' or 'goodbye', literally telling the other person to 'do it well'.
- The German verb machen shares the same ancient roots as the English word 'make', both tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to knead' or 'to mix'.
- The word machen is used in the phrase Das macht nichts, which translates to 'that does not matter' or 'it is no problem'.
Examples in context
- Was will er machen?What does he want to do?This sentence shows how to use machen in a question about intent.Tatoeba #1020191 by al_ex_an_der, translation #294309 by CK
- Tom will es machen.Tom wants to do it.This sentence demonstrates using machen to express a desire to do something.Tatoeba #6625181 by Felixjp, translation #2011445 by CK
- Wer soll das machen?Who's going to do that?This sentence shows how to use machen when asking about responsibility for a task.Tatoeba #982761 by Esperantostern, translation #6049299 by CK
- Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben.I do my homework.
- Er macht seinen Job gut.He does his job well.
- Wir machen einen Ausflug am Wochenende.We're going on an outing this weekend.
- Ich erledige meine Arbeit pünktlich.I do my work on time.
- Er erledigt die Aufgabe professionell.He carries out the task professionally.
- Die Firma führt eine Kundenbefragung durch.The company is conducting a customer survey.
- Wir möchten eine Veranstaltung durchführen.We want to organize an event.
- Ich tue nur das, was mir Spaß macht.I only do what I enjoy.
- Was hast du angestellt?What did you do?
- Ich stelle nur Blödsinn an.I only do silly things.
- 1199 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are planning their afternoon in a cafe.
- FelixWas wollen wir heute machen?What do we want to do today?
- SarahWollen wir spazieren gehen oder Sport machen?Do we want to go for a walk or do sports?
- FelixLass uns lieber Sport machen.Let's do sports instead.
- SarahDas ist eine gute Idee.That is a good idea.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry machen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries machen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
