machen or tun?
a2machen is the broad everyday verb for making, doing and undertaking; tun is narrower and appears mainly before vague words like „etwas“ and „nichts“ and in set phrases.
machen
To make or get something done, always with a concrete object: Hausaufgaben machen, Kaffee machen, Urlaub machen. When in doubt, „machen“ is right.
Ich mache das Frühstück.I'm making breakfast.
tun
Before „etwas“, „nichts“, „alles“ and in set phrases: Was tust du? Es tut mir leid. Das tut weh.
Ich habe nichts getan.I haven't done anything.
The mistake
Ich tue meine Hausaufgaben.
Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben.
A concrete piece of work is gemacht, not getan. „tun“ fits before vague words, not before a definite object.
Rule of thumb
Is there a tangible object (coffee, photos, homework)? Then machen. Is it „etwas“, „nichts“ or a set phrase? Then tun.
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