What does machen mean in German?

Machen means both "to do" and "to make". German does not separate these two ideas the way English does, so one verb covers both.

How do you conjugate machen?

The present tense is ich mache, du machst, er/sie/es macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie machen. It is fully regular and follows the standard weak verb pattern.

Is machen regular or irregular?

Machen is regular. Its simple past is machte and its past participle is gemacht, both formed with the standard endings for weak verbs.

What is the difference between machen and tun?

Machen is the general everyday verb for doing and making. Tun is more limited and shows up mostly in set phrases like es tut mir leid (I am sorry). When in doubt, use machen.

What does das macht nichts mean?

Das macht nichts means "it does not matter" or "never mind". It is the standard reply when someone apologizes for something small.

German Words for Beginners

Verb

machen

to make, to do

Machen (to do, to make) is a regular weak verb, which makes it a reliable model for the standard German conjugation. The present tense is ich mache, du machst, er macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie machen. The simple past is machte and the past participle is gemacht, both built with the predictable -te and ge-...-t endings. The perfect takes haben: ich habe es gemacht (I did it).

German has a second verb for "to do", tun, but the two are not interchangeable. Machen is the everyday choice and covers both doing and making. Tun is narrower and appears mainly in fixed phrases like es tut mir leid (I am sorry) and das tut weh (that hurts). If you are unsure, machen is almost always the safer option.

The verb turns up in an unusual number of everyday phrases. Was machst du? is "what are you doing?" and is one of the most common questions in casual conversation. Das macht nichts means "it does not matter". Mach schnell means "hurry up". At a till, das macht zehn Euro means "that comes to ten euros", using machen where English uses "to come to".

Separable and inseparable compounds are everywhere: aufmachen (to open), zumachen (to close), ausmachen (to turn off, or to matter), and mitmachen (to join in).

Present tense conjugation of machen

Regular verb

English

to make, to do

ichmache

dumachst

er/sie/esmacht

wirmachen

ihrmacht

sie/Siemachen

Perfekt

ich habe gemacht

Partizip II

gemacht

Auxiliary

haben

Vocabulary lists with machen

machen appears in the following vocabulary collections:

Goethe A1 Regular Verbs

Practice machen in games

Example Sentences

Ich mache jeden Morgen Kaffee.
I make coffee every morning.
The verb goes in position 2 after the subject.
Wir machen eine Pause.
We take a break.
The direct object comes after the verb.
Machst du heute Sport?
Are you doing sports today?
In yes/no questions, the verb comes first.

Frequently asked questions about machen

What does machen mean in German?: Machen means both "to do" and "to make". German does not separate these two ideas the way English does, so one verb covers both.
How do you conjugate machen?: The present tense is ich mache, du machst, er/sie/es macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie machen. It is fully regular and follows the standard weak verb pattern.
Is machen regular or irregular?: Machen is regular. Its simple past is machte and its past participle is gemacht, both formed with the standard endings for weak verbs.
What is the difference between machen and tun?: Machen is the general everyday verb for doing and making. Tun is more limited and shows up mostly in set phrases like es tut mir leid (I am sorry). When in doubt, use machen.
What does das macht nichts mean?: Das macht nichts means "it does not matter" or "never mind". It is the standard reply when someone apologizes for something small.