Guía de colocaciones en inglés: 48 colocaciones esenciales por verbo
Las colocaciones son combinaciones de palabras naturales que los hablantes nativos usan automáticamente. A diferencia de las reglas gramaticales, no puedes adivinarlas — debes aprenderlas como bloques. La trampa clásica del estudiante es "make vs do": ambos significan "realizar", pero dices make a decision (tomar una decisión) y do homework (hacer la tarea). Busca abajo o filtra por verbo base.
48 collocations · 6 verbs
"make a decision"
decide formally
"She made a decision to quit her job."
"make progress"
move forward; improve
"The students are making great progress this term."
"make a mistake"
do something wrong
"Everyone makes mistakes when learning a language."
"make sense"
be logical or understandable
"Does this explanation make sense to you?"
"make an effort"
try hard
"You need to make more of an effort to arrive on time."
"make a difference"
have a significant effect
"One good teacher can make a real difference in a child's life."
"make a suggestion"
propose an idea
"Could I make a suggestion about the meeting agenda?"
"make an appointment"
schedule a meeting or visit
"I need to make an appointment with the dentist."
"do homework"
complete school assignments at home
"Have you done your homework yet?"
"do research"
investigate or study a topic systematically
"She spent three years doing research on climate change."
"do business"
trade or conduct commercial activities
"Our company does business in over 40 countries."
"do damage"
cause harm or destruction
"The storm did serious damage to the coastline."
"do a favour"
help someone by doing something for them
"Could you do me a favour and watch my bag?"
"do exercise"
engage in physical activity
"The doctor said I should do more exercise."
"do well"
succeed or perform at a good level
"She did really well in the interview."
"do the dishes"
wash the plates and cups after eating
"It's your turn to do the dishes tonight."
"have a meeting"
attend or hold a formal discussion
"We have a meeting with the client on Thursday."
"have fun"
enjoy yourself
"Did you have fun at the party last night?"
"have experience"
possess knowledge or skill from past events
"She has extensive experience working abroad."
"have a break"
stop working and rest for a short time
"Let's have a break and get some coffee."
"have a conversation"
talk with someone
"I had a really interesting conversation with my neighbour."
"have trouble"
face difficulties or problems
"I'm having trouble understanding this grammar rule."
"have a look"
examine or observe something
"Can you have a look at this report before I send it?"
"have an impact"
produce a noticeable effect
"Social media has had a huge impact on modern communication."
"take a break"
stop an activity temporarily to rest
"You've been working for hours — take a break!"
"take action"
do something to address a situation
"The government needs to take action on pollution immediately."
"take notes"
write down key information while listening
"Remember to take notes during the lecture."
"take responsibility"
accept that you are accountable for something
"A good leader takes responsibility for their team's mistakes."
"take a risk"
do something that might have a bad outcome
"Starting a new business always involves taking a risk."
"take part"
participate in an activity or event
"Over 200 students took part in the competition."
"take advice"
accept and follow guidance given by someone
"I decided to take my doctor's advice and rest for a week."
"take time"
require or use a period of time
"Learning to speak fluently takes a lot of time and patience."
"get better"
improve or recover from illness
"I hope you get better soon!"
"get married"
enter into a marriage
"They got married in a small ceremony by the sea."
"get lost"
become unable to find your way
"We got lost on our way to the hotel."
"get permission"
receive authorisation to do something
"You need to get permission from the manager first."
"get dressed"
put on your clothes
"I get dressed and have breakfast every morning at 7."
"get a job"
successfully obtain employment
"After months of searching, she finally got a job."
"get ready"
prepare yourself for something
"Get ready — the taxi will be here in ten minutes."
"get angry"
become annoyed or furious
"He got really angry when he heard the news."
"give advice"
offer guidance or recommendations
"A good mentor gives advice without making you feel judged."
"give a speech"
deliver a formal talk to an audience
"She gave a powerful speech at the graduation ceremony."
"give permission"
allow someone to do something
"The school gave permission for the students to leave early."
"give up"
stop trying; abandon an effort
"Don't give up — you're almost there!"
"give a presentation"
deliver information formally to a group
"He gave an excellent presentation on renewable energy."
"give a chance"
allow an opportunity
"Please give me another chance to prove myself."
"give support"
help or encourage someone
"Her family gave her a lot of support during the difficult time."
"give an example"
provide a specific instance to illustrate a point
"Could you give an example of what you mean?"
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Qué es una colocación en inglés?
Una colocación es un par o grupo de palabras que aparecen juntas con frecuencia y suenan naturales para los hablantes nativos. Por ejemplo, "make a decision" es correcto, pero "do a decision" suena incorrecto — aunque ambos verbos significan "realizar una acción". Las colocaciones se rigen por el uso, no por reglas gramaticales estrictas.
¿Por qué es importante aprender colocaciones para la fluidez?
Los hablantes fluidos procesan el lenguaje en bloques, no palabra por palabra. Cuando sabes que "take responsibility" y "give advice" son bloques fijos, los produces al instante sin construir cada frase desde cero. Este procesamiento por bloques es la diferencia clave entre los estudiantes avanzados y los hablantes de nivel nativo.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre las colocaciones con MAKE y DO?
"Make" típicamente se refiere a crear o producir algo (make a decision, make progress, make a mistake), mientras que "do" se refiere a realizar actividades o tareas (do homework, do research, do damage). No hay una regla lógica — debes aprender estas colocaciones como unidades fijas. Sin embargo, agruparlas lado a lado, como en esta guía, te ayuda a recordar el contraste.
¿Cuántas colocaciones necesito conocer?
El Diccionario Oxford de Colocaciones lista más de 150.000 colocaciones. Pero las investigaciones sugieren que conocer las 500–1.000 colocaciones más frecuentes — especialmente las construidas alrededor de los 10 verbos más comunes — cubre la gran mayoría del inglés natural. Comienza con los seis verbos de esta guía: make, do, have, take, get y give.
¿Cuál es la mejor forma de practicar colocaciones?
El enfoque más efectivo es encontrar colocaciones repetidamente en contexto — escuchando inglés hablado real como podcasts, películas y conversaciones a tu nivel. Cuando escuchas "make a decision" naturalmente 5–10 veces, se almacena como una sola unidad en tu memoria. Los ejercicios de listas tienen mucho menos impacto que una exposición masiva a input comprensible.
La forma más rápida de interiorizar las colocaciones es escucharlas en conversaciones reales en inglés.
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