Confusing English Verbs: do, make, win, earn & more

★★★★★ Common Mistakes

Confusing English Verbs: do, make, win, earn & more

Spanish speakers often confuse verbs like do, make, say, tell, lend, and borrow. Learn the correct differences, avoid common mistakes, and speak more natural English in everyday conversations.

🎯 Level: Beginner, Intermediate ⏱ Time: 10 - 15 minutes 📘 Categories: Common Mistakes

🎯 What you'll learn

1
The difference between do and make in everyday English
2
When to use win and when to use earn
3
Why say and tell are different in English
4
The difference between borrow and lend
5
Common mistakes Spanish speakers make with English verbs
6
Easy examples to help you remember confusing verbs
7
Useful everyday expressions with common English verbs
8
How to avoid translating directly from Spanish

🧠 Practice Exercises

Think of your answer first, then click to reveal!

A student says: “I make my homework every night.” What is the correct verb?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ “make homework” is incorrect.
✅ Correct verb: do

Correct sentence: “I do my homework every night.”

Your friend says: “My team earned the soccer game.” What is the correct verb?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ “earn the game” is incorrect.
✅ Correct verb: win

Correct sentence: “My team won the soccer game.”

Someone says: “She said me the answer.” How do you correct it?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ We do not use “say me.”
✅ Correct verb: tell

Correct sentence: “She told me the answer.”

A student says: “Can you borrow me your pen?” What is the correct verb?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ “borrow me” is incorrect.
✅ Correct verb: lend

Correct sentence: “Can you lend me your pen?”

Your classmate says: “I won money because I worked all week.” What is the better verb?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ “win money” is usually for prizes or games.
✅ Correct verb: earn

Correct sentence: “I earned money because I worked all week.”

Someone says: “Please say me your name.” What is the correct sentence?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ “say me” is incorrect.
✅ Correct verb: tell

Correct sentence: “Please tell me your name.”

A friend says: “Can I lend your phone?” But they want to use your phone. What should they say?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
❌ “lend” means give temporarily.
✅ Correct verb: borrow

Correct sentence: “Can I borrow your phone?”

💳 Key Words

Common English Verb Mistakes for Spanish Speakers ⚠️

Many English verbs can confuse Spanish speakers because one Spanish verb may have two different meanings in English.
Other verbs look similar in both languages but have different meanings.

Learning the correct verb helps you sound more natural and avoid common mistakes.

Do vs. Make

Both verbs can mean hacer in Spanish.

✅ do = activities, work, homework
✅ make = create or produce something

Verb Present Past
do do / does did
make make / makes made

Examples:
❌ "I make my homework."
✅ "I do my homework."

✅ "My mom made a cake yesterday."

Win vs. Earn

These verbs are different in English.

✅ win = get a prize or victory
✅ earn = receive money from work

Verb Present Past
win win / wins won
earn earn / earns earned

Examples:
❌ "I earned the soccer game."
✅ "I won the soccer game."

✅ "She earned money last summer."

Say vs. Tell

Both verbs can mean decir.

✅ say = speak words
✅ tell = give information to someone

Verb Present Past
say say / says said
tell tell / tells told

Examples:
❌ "She said me the answer."
✅ "She told me the answer."

✅ "He said hello yesterday."

Borrow vs. Lend

These verbs are connected to prestar.

✅ borrow = take temporarily
✅ lend = give temporarily

Verb Present Past
borrow borrow / borrows borrowed
lend lend / lends lent

Examples:
❌ "Can you borrow me your pen?"
✅ "Can you lend me your pen?"

✅ "I borrowed a book yesterday."

Easy Memory Tips 💡

  • do = activities and work
  • make = create something
  • win = competitions and prizes
  • earn = money from work
  • say = words
  • tell = information to a person
  • borrow = take temporarily
  • lend = give temporarily
Word Meaning Example
Do ✅ To perform an activity or task "I do my homework every night."
Make 🛠️ To create or produce something "My dad made dinner yesterday."
Win 🏆 To get a prize or victory "Our team won the game."
Earn 💵 To receive money from work "She earns money teaching online."
Say 💬 To speak words "He said hello to everyone."
Tell 🗣️ To give information to someone "Please tell me your name."
Borrow 📚 To take something temporarily "Can I borrow your pen?"
Lend 🤝 To give something temporarily "Can you lend me your notebook?"

🎧 Listening

Listen to 4 conversations. After listening, answer the questions below.


4 Dialogues
▼ Reveal

✅ Script:

1. Homework Panic

Emma: Did you do the English homework?
Luis: I tried, but I made a lot of mistakes.

Emma: What did the teacher say?
Luis: She said, “Luis, please stop using Google translate.”

Emma: Ouch.
Luis: Then she told me to do the exercises again.

Emma: That’s rough.
Luis: Yeah. I spent two hours doing homework… incorrectly.

2. Borrow or Lend?

Sofia: Can you lend me twenty pesos?
Ana: Again? What happened this time?

Sofia: I forgot my wallet at home.
Ana: Fine. I’ll lend you the money.

Sofia: Thanks! Can I borrow your car too?
Ana: Absolutely not.

3. Office Cake Disaster

Kevin: Who made this cake?
Natalia: I did.

Kevin: It’s amazing. You should sell cakes.
Natalia: That’s what my friends tell me.

Kevin: So why are you still working in an office?
Natalia: Because last week I almost burned down my kitchen.

Kevin: Ah. Small problem.
Natalia: The firefighters said it was “very exciting.”

4. Soccer Celebration

Marco: Did your team win last night?
Javi: Yes! We won 3–2.

Marco: Awesome. What did your coach say after the game?
Javi: He said we played really well.

Marco: Nice. Did you celebrate?
Javi: Yeah. My coach bought pizza for everyone.

Marco: Lucky.

❓ Answer the questions. Think of your answers first, then click to check!

Dialogue 1 – What mistake did Luis do last night?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
Luis said he “made” a lot of mistakes while doing homework.
Dialogue 1 – What did the teacher tell Luis to do?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
The teacher told Luis to stop using Google translate.

Dialogue 2 – What did Sofia ask Ana to lend her?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
Sofia asked Ana to lend her twenty pesos.
Dialogue 2 – What did Sofia want to borrow at the end?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
She wanted to borrow Ana’s car.

Dialogue 3 – Who made the cake?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
Natalia made the cake.
Dialogue 3 – What did Natalia’s friends tell her?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
He told her she should sell cakes.

Dialogue 4 – Did Javi’s team win the game?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
Yes, Javi’s team won 3–2.
Dialogue 4 – What did Javi’s coach buy after the game?
▼ Reveal
✅ Answer:
He bought pizza for everyone.

🎯 Exceptions with Do & Make

Expression Meaning Example
Do homework ✅ Complete school work "I do my homework after dinner."
Do housework 🧹 Clean and organize the house "We do housework on Saturdays."
Do the dishes 🍽️ Wash plates and kitchen items "My brother does the dishes every night."
Do exercise 🏃 Be physically active "She does exercise before work."
Do your best 💪 Try as hard as possible "Just do your best on the test."
Do business 💼 Work in commerce or trade "My father does business in Monterrey."
Do a job 🔧 Complete a task or piece of work "He did a great job today."
Do research 🔬 Study information carefully "They are doing research for the project."
Do work 💻 Perform work activities "I do work from home sometimes."
Do damage 💥 Cause harm or destruction "The storm did serious damage."
Make money 💵 Earn money "He makes money teaching online."
Make friends 🤝 Create friendships "It’s easy to make friends at school."
Make plans 📅 Organize future activities "We made plans for the weekend."
Make a mistake ❌ Do something incorrectly "I made a mistake on the exam."
Make dinner 🍝 Prepare an evening meal "My mom made dinner last night."
Make breakfast 🍳 Prepare the morning meal "I made breakfast for my family."
Make coffee ☕ Prepare coffee "Can you make coffee for everyone?"
Make a cake 🎂 Bake a cake "She made a chocolate cake."
Make noise 🔊 Create loud sounds "The students were making noise."
Make a decision 🧠 Choose something "We need to make a decision soon."
Make an effort 💪 Try hard "She made an effort to speak English."
Make progress 📈 Improve over time "Your English is making progress."
Make a phone call 📞 Call someone "I need to make a phone call."
Make the bed 🛏️ Arrange blankets and pillows "Please make your bed before school."
Make a mess 🌀 Create disorder or dirtiness "The kids made a mess in the kitchen."

🎓✨ Check your Understanding

What is the difference between “do” and “make”?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

“Do” is usually used for activities, work, and homework.
“Make” is usually used for creating or producing something.

Which sentence is correct?
A) “I make my homework every night.”
B) “I do my homework every night.”
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

B) “I do my homework every night.”

What does “win” mean in English?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

“Win” means to get a victory or prize in a competition or game.

What does “earn” usually mean?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

“Earn” usually means to receive money from work.

Which sentence is correct?
A) “My team earned the game.”
B) “My team won the game.”
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

B) “My team won the game.”

What is the difference between “say” and “tell”?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

“Say” is used for words or sentences.
“Tell” is used when giving information to a person.

Which sentence is correct?
A) “She said me the answer.”
B) “She told me the answer.”
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

B) “She told me the answer.”

What does “borrow” mean?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

“Borrow” means to take something temporarily.

What does “lend” mean?
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

“Lend” means to give something temporarily.

Which sentence is correct?
A) “Can you borrow me your pen?”
B) “Can you lend me your pen?”
▼ Reveal

✅ Answer:

B) “Can you lend me your pen?”

📝 Summary

1
Use “do” for activities, work, chores, and homework.
2
Use “make” when you create, build, or produce something.
3
“Win” means to get a victory, prize, or competition result.
4
“Earn” usually means to receive money from work or effort.
5
Use “say” for words or sentences, but use “tell” when speaking to a person.
6
“Tell” is usually followed by a person: “She told me the answer.”
7
“Borrow” means to take something temporarily from another person.
8
“Lend” means to give something temporarily to another person.

🧠 Quiz

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▼ Reveal

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Confusing English Verbs: do, make, win, earn & more © 2026 by Joe Ehman is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.