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fari (make) vs fari (do)

by tiberius, August 26, 2004

Messages: 36

Language: English

tiberius (User's profile) August 26, 2004, 11:03:47 PM

This has always been a sticking point for me. Latin is the same way. "facere" means "make" and "do". I just want to know how this word can have 2 meanings that are completely unrelated, at least to an English speaker.

boy-o (User's profile) August 28, 2004, 2:10:11 AM

well...thats the point.  the difference between the two ideas is strictly to an english speaker.  there isn't any difference towards it...its just what you use to express those two ideas.  You may not see how it can, but someone who doesn't speak english might not understand how a word in english can have different meanings also (just look in a dictionary.  there's no such word that doesn't have more than one definition).  You just have to understand thats how the language evolved.

 

To add, natvie speakers of those languages that have only one verb for "do/make" may not even see much of a difference between the two actions because of using one word.  Thats probably how it came to be...the ancestors who spoke original dialects just didn't see a need to separate the two.

Noah (User's profile) September 17, 2004, 10:27:57 PM

The confusion between the two meanings will clear up in time. The French verb "faire" carries the same meanings as "fari." Like someone said before, it is easier to combine the two sense of the words than for French speakers much in the same way that "quiter" "sortir" and "s'en aller" can all be expressed by "to leave" in English.

 

--Noah Scott

Leksingtono, Kentukio, Usono

 

 

kelta (User's profile) October 28, 2004, 4:35:49 PM

hello i'm a hungarian and we also have only one word for do and make  sometimes this fact causes a lot of trouble : you make tee but you do yoga , you make a decision but you do your homework . Now where's the sense in that ? i think it's better to use one word for both at least it's easier , isn't it? I think there are other problemetic things such as mouse/mice women/woman for me at first it was unmemoraisible that's why esperanto is so fascinating everything is easy and simple

archer1987 (User's profile) October 28, 2004, 9:49:45 PM

After a while, you'll get used to the combination of "do" and "make" into "fari," believe me. Spanish has the same idea: "hacer" is "to do" and "to make." In Spanish, "hacer" can even be used to describe the weather and how long something has been done, which makes it even more confusing. But I'm in my fourth year of Spanish at school (y me esta' gustando cada minuto), and I've gotten used to it. Use it enough, and you'll make the connection without thinking about it.

Neleke (User's profile) November 3, 2004, 3:01:29 PM

in french is it also a problem faire = make  & do

 

Siemicka (User's profile) November 7, 2004, 3:14:24 PM

HELLO !!!!!! I'm from Lithuania. I want to have a new friends. My name is Simona. I learn esperanto language... I am a goooooooooooood   girl... I want to speak with you (with everyone !!!)

mateno (User's profile) January 26, 2005, 7:35:06 PM

hello, my native lang is Slovak, and, when learning English, the difference between "do" and "make" was (and still is, sometimes) a pain for me;

of course i hadn't got any problems about "fari"...

... by the way, there are more ways how to say "make" or "do" in Esperanto, just one example: "happy" == "feliĉa" , "to make someone happy" == "feliĉigi iun"

mi vidas nigre (User's profile) February 8, 2005, 9:42:00 PM

Nbomb3 (User's profile) March 3, 2005, 2:06:30 AM

I don't think it's such a big deal that Esperanto has one word for "to make" and "to do."  I'm in my fifth year of Spanish, and believe me, we do get used to it when we use it enough.  That's just how (the) language works.

And besides, Esperanto is not about linguistic perfection, is it?  It's not about making sure every possible linguistic pitfall is avoided.  It's about communication of concepts, and it does that job wonderfully.

By the way: Thanks to all of you who do not speak English as a first language, but still have the courage to write in to a forum like this.  Way to go!

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