Learn 50 “MAKE” Phrases in English!

If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad.

If it makes you...

You know the song.

Hey, everyone.

I'm Alex.

Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on fifty common "make" phrases.

So, in this video I am going to teach you fifty phrases with the verb "make".

We will start with some of the common, easy ones, not really idiomatic, just common stuff,

like: "make breakfast, lunch, dinner", etc. and then we will move on to some more idiomatic

phrases in the second part of the video, so make sure you stick around for that as well.

So, let's not waste any time and we'll start with this part of the board.

At the top, like I mentioned, you can "make breakfast".

So, in the morning when you wake up, you make yourself a sandwich, or maybe you make a pizza

for breakfast.

I never do.

Maybe you do.

I don't know.

You can also "make lunch", "make dinner".

Basically, you can make a meal.

Anything with, you know, breakfast, lunch, dinner - the three main meals of the day,

you can make them.

So, this is like cooking, or baking, or creating.

You can also make different foods, so "make a pizza", "make a sandwich", "make a snack",

"make a cake".

So, you are putting these things together, creating them, creating a pizza.

You know, you have the cheese and the dough, and the pepperoni and the sauce, and you put

it together, so you can make all of these things.

All right?

You're putting them together.

Now, next is an expression: "make up your mind".

So, if you tell someone: "Make up your mind", it means that they cannot make a decision,

so you want them to make up their mind; or, like I said, make a decision.

Okay?

So, stop going this way and that way with your mind and your options: -"Oh, I don't

know.

Do I want the pizza or do I want the pasta?

I don't know.

I don't know."

-"Make up your mind."

Okay?

So, make a decision.

Commit.

Commit to a decision.

Next: "make fun of someone".

This is not a polite thing to do; some would call it bullying.

Most people would call it bullying actually.

If you make fun of someone, you are making a joke about that person.

Maybe they have a characteristic, a feature that you think is funny, like maybe they have

bigger ears than you, so you say: "Haha.

Look, it's Dumbo."

Like, you are making fun of them.

Dumbo is a Disney elephant with big ears.

So, yeah, don't make fun of people, unless it's your family or friends and then it's

fine - usually, unless they don't like it.

Ask my sisters.

I don't know.

I don't know if they liked it.

So, next: "make a difference".

So, if something makes a difference, it has a significant effect or a significant impact.

A person can make a difference.

You know, an idea can make a difference.

Something that causes change in life.

"Make a joke" - similar to "make fun of someone", you can make a joke.

I have many joke videos on my channel, so one of the jokes I gave you guys was: "Why

was six afraid of seven?

Because seven ate nine."

I just made a joke.

If it's a good joke or a bad joke, that's up to you to decide.

Next: "make a call" or "make a phone call".

So, this is what you tell people when, you know, you want to leave a conversation maybe:

"Sorry, I need to make a call.

Yeah".

So, if you need to call someone on your phone, you can say: "I need to make a phone call.

I need to make a call."

Or: "I need to call."

I just want you to know that "make a call" is also possible.

"Make a promise".

So, you can promise someone that you are going to do something, or you can also say you made

a promise to this person or you are going to make a promise to this person.

Okay, next.

These two are sometimes confused, so let me tell you the difference between a "reservation"

and an "appointment".

You can "make a reservation", you can "make an appointment".

Number one, you can make a reservation at a restaurant or a hotel, for example.

So, when you think of reservations, think of something you have to, like, secure or

you have to save your spot.

Right?

So, you can make a reservation at a restaurant.

You call the restaurant, say: -"Hey.

I'd like to make a reservation."

-"How many people?"

-"Two people."

-"What time?"

-"7:30."

-"Okay, see you at 7:30."

Okay?

So you made a reservation.

Hotel as well: -"Yes, hi, I'm going to be in the city in two weeks.

I would like to make a reservation."

-"Yeah.

How many rooms?"

-"One room."

-"Okay.

Queen bed?"

-"Yup."

So, that's how you make a reservation.

Think of hotels and restaurants to make a reservation.

"Make an appointment"...

So, you make appointments with doctors, with dentists, with hairstylists.

So, if you need a haircut, you call the hairstylist and you say: "Hi.

I would like to make an appointment."

Okay?

So you need to see someone specifically.

So, you can make appointments with people that usually provide a service for you.

Okay?

Next: "make an exception".

So, as you guys know, you are studying a language, there are many exceptions in English and any

language, really, so you make exceptions all the time; not just with language, but with

people, with different situations.

Also, when you're learning, it's very common to "make mistakes"; it's a normal, healthy

part of the learning process.

So: "make a mistake" or "make an error".

There is a difference between a mistake and an error; at least at some point I read there

is a difference between a mistake and an error.

An "error" is something that you legitimately don't know the rule of something, and you

just do the wrong thing without knowing that you're doing the wrong thing.

"Make a mistake", if you're learning English, for example, maybe you know the rule, maybe

you have studied how to make, you know, present, simple questions, but when...

When you're speaking, you don't use the correct form.

And you know that you don't...

You're not...

You're not using the correct form, so you made a mistake, you're aware that: "I know

this is not wrong.

I know there's a different way."

That's a mistake, and an error is something where you don't have the knowledge, so you

don't even know that what you're saying is wrong.

If that's wrong, and you can tell me in the YouTube comments.

Okay?

Just it's okay.

All right.

Next: "make an observation".

So, if you see something, you can make an observation.

"That's a very interesting observation."

Something that you see.

In science, scientists make observations; researchers make observations.

All right.

Next: "make an effort".

So, you can make an effort to do something.

This means you try something, you attempt something.

Okay?

So, you can make an effort to maybe make someone happy.

Like, let's say your brother, or your sister, or a friend - maybe you haven't been the best

sibling because you made fun of, you know, your sister growing up, and now you want to

make an effort to make them happy.

This is not a personal situation.

Really isn't.

My sisters like me and I like them.

All right.

So, you can "make a good impression" or "a bad impression".

So, this means when you meet someone for the first time, they will have an idea of you

based on how you present yourself.

So, if you make a good impression or a positive impression, that person after meeting you

will walk away, thinking: "Huh, that Alex guy, I like him."

Or maybe they will say: "Okay, he made a bad impression."

Maybe when he was eating he had sauce down his mouth and he talked while he was eating,

so he made a bad impression.

He gave me a bad image of him or a good image of him.

If this is your first engVid video, I hope that I am making a good impression.

Okay?

So, next we have this list of nouns, essentially.

So, we have: "make progress".

So, when you make progress, you take positive steps.

You can make progress in an essay, you can make progress in an exercise routine-right?-if

you're exercising regularly.

"Make sure".

So, if you want to be certain of something, you have to make sure of it.

You can also make sure to do something.

So, for example, you can tell your roommate: "Okay, I'm leaving.

If you leave, make sure to turn off the lights."

Right?

Or: "Make sure to feed the fish", whatever the situation is.

So, "make certain" - be sure to do this.

"Make noise".

Very simple.

"Ah, I am making noise.

It is very loud in here.

Oh no, I am making noise".

"Stop making noise.

Don't make noise.

Be quiet" is the opposite.

"Make money".

If you work, you probably-hopefully-make money.

Unless it's something you're just passionate about and you do it for free, but usually

for work you make money doing something.

"Make friends".

If you go to a party, and if you are on...

In an online community maybe, you want to meet new people, you want those people to

be your friends, you can make friends with them.

Now, there's one thing...

One of the funniest, cutest, strangest misunderstandings of "make friends" that I heard from a past

student - they thought they could use this and transfer it to boyfriends and girlfriends;

somebody that you want to have a closer relationship with.

So, somebody told me: "Oh, I want to make a boyfriend."

And if you say: "Make a boyfriend", this means you want to create them, maybe with plastic

and metal, and whatever other parts.

So, you want to create a robot boyfriend.

It's possible, I guess, but it's not the same meaning as "make friends".

You can say: "I want to get a boyfriend" or "get a girlfriend".

But for friends, to meet new friends: "I want to make friends."

All right?

Next: "make room"/"make space".

So, this just means kind of, like: "Move back.

Okay, guys, make room.

Make room.

Make some space.

Please move back."

Okay?

"Make room.

Make space.

I need to dance.

I need to dance.

Make some space."

Okay?

Next: "make love".

So, "make love" is the phrase for have sexual relations with a person, but in a deeper connection

way where it's your soul and your spirit, and not just your body that is connecting.

You know?

Maybe.

If you're 12, I'm sorry.

All right, guys, let's keep going with some more right after this.

It's like magic.

So, next let's go with: "make a run to" a place.

So, if you make a run somewhere, this means you make a quick visit, a quick stop somewhere

to get something usually.

So, for example, you can make a run to the store.

This can be any store.

Right?

The grocery store, for example.

All right?

So you need to get some milk, and you say: "Sorry, I need to make a run to the store"

or "I need to make a run to the grocery store.", "I need to go to the grocery store."

You can make a run to the bank.

All right?

So, I need to get some money from the bank, I need to pay a bill maybe, so you say: "I

need to make a run to the bank."

Also the bathroom.

If you need to go to the bathroom, you can say: "I need to make a run to the bathroom."

Right?

"I need to go to the bathroom."

So, it's just another way to say that you need to go to a place or you want to go to

a place.

And just so you know, all of these, you know, with "make", you can use them in the various

tenses; not just present tense.

You can say: "We had to make a run to the store.", "We made a run to the store.", "I'm

going to make a run to the bank."

Okay?

I need to.

Next: "make a go of it".

So, this is a phrase, an expression which means that you attempt something.

So, if you make a go of something, you at least try to be successful at it, you attempt it.

So, if you have a relationship with someone - very common situation for this phrase, and

if you broke up with someone, you ended the relationship and you're talking to your friends,

you can say: "Well, we made a go of it.

We tried.

You know, we tried to have a good relationship, but we were two different people.

So, we made a go of it.

We tried.

We were not successful, but at least we tried."

Okay?

So this is some kind of action that you attempted.

So: "We made a go of it.

We tried to succeed."

Okay.

Next: "make your dreams come true".

Like the classic Hall & Oates song: "You make my dreams come true-woo-woo-woo-woo."

I just listened to it just two minutes ago, so that's the song.

By the way, check out the music video for: "Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates

- the guitarist has the most amazing moustache.

Watch that video.

All right?

So, if you make someone's dreams come true-all right?-you make their wildest visions and

craziest dreams come true.

Normally you don't want to depend on another person to make your dreams come true; you

should make your own dreams come true.

Right?

So, next: You can "make someone feel" a certain way.

So...

Or you can just "make someone" plus adjective.

So, for example, you can make someone happy or you can make someone feel happy.

This means you cause the emotion in the person, you cause the feeling - you made it happen.

So, you make someone happy, you make someone sad, you make someone miserable.

You can make someone sick.

If you are sick and another person is sick because you coughed on them, for example,

you...

You made them sick.

So: "Ugh, my kids made me sick", if your kids go to daycare and they bring home all the

germs and viruses from daycare, and you get sick, your kids make you sick, for example.

Okay.

You can "make someone rich".

Right?

So, maybe you can make them feel rich, too, but if someone makes you rich, maybe you marry

someone who has a lot of money.

So: "Oh, he made me rich.", "She made me rich."

Or if you have a company that does very well, you can say: "They made me rich" or "My boss

made me rich" - something like that.

"They made me have a lot of money", for example.

All right.

Next, you can "make someone" or "force someone to do" something.

So, for example...

Plus verb.

This is a causative verb.

I have a lesson where I talk about other causative verbs; "make" is just one of them.

So, you can "make someone cry".

You caused the person to cry, you are a terrible human being.

How dare you?

All right?

You can "make someone smile".

Right?

So you cause someone to smile.

Hopefully this video is making you smile.

Next, you can "make someone dance".

Why not?

All right?

So, music makes you dance.

You can "make someone want to be better".

Or you can "make someone want to cry", if you...

You know, you can say that as well.

So, if you force someone or cause someone to do something, or if you cause an action

inside them, you are the cause; you make them do that action.

Okay.

"Make believe".

So, "to make believe" means to pretend, so these two phrase...

These two words go together.

All right?

"Make believe".

So, you can make believe that you are a pirate, or you can make believe that you are a unicorn,

you can make believe - you can pretend; use your imagination.

So: "Okay, let's make believe..."

If you're...

Maybe you work at an improv comedy show or something.

All right?

"We're going to make believe that we are on a boat, and the waves are going crazy and

there's a big storm.

Okay?

Let's make believe that this is happening.

Let's pretend; imagine."

And, finally: "make it".

So, we made it.

We have succeeded.

We have come to the end of this video.

Or like the great Bon Jovi song: "Whoa"...

Oh, let me try that again.

I don't think it's going to get better, but let's try again.

"Whoa, we're halfway there.

Whoa, living on a prayer.

Take my hand and we'll make it, I swear.

Whoa, living on a prayer."

Yeah.

Terrible, right?

So, "to make it" means to succeed, so... or to...

You know, you arrive at your destination.

You are where you wanted to be.

You have achieved your target; your goal.

Say: "I made it.

I did it.

I was successful."

And now you have made it to the end of this video.

You have arrived at the final destination.

So, if you want to test your understanding and make sure that you got everything that

we discussed here today, as always, you can check out the quiz on www.engvid.com.

Also, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, hit that bell, and check me out on

Facebook and Twitter, and anywhere else I might be.

If you see me on the street, wave, people.

It's okay.

I'll say hi.

All right?

So, that's it.

We made it!

Until next time, thanks for clicking.