Are these verbs synonyms?
Repair, fix, mend - these words confuse me a bit. I'd like to know when i have to use each one.
Wählen Sie aus verschiedenen Englisch Lehrkräften für ...
Antworten · 3
4
Yes - they are very close synonyms.
Sometimes they are not all natural in certain contexts. e.g. you normally "repair" or "fix" a car or a computer, but people don't often say "mend" a car or computer.
"Mend" is used physically e,g. a garment, but also figuratively e.g. mend a broken heart, mend fences (fix a broken relationship).
0
"Fix" is a good all-purpose word. You can use it everywhere.
"Repair" tends to be used with machinery (cars, computers) and buildings (houses, barns, fences). "Repair" goes with "broken"--you repair something that is broken.
I'm a U.S. speaker. "Mend" is used a little more commonly in the U.K. In the U.S. "mend" is used with things like paper or fabric. "Mend" goes with "torn"--you mend something that is torn.
You can also "mend" relationships with a person... it is short for an idiom, "to mend fences." It comes from an old custom that mending fences between farms is a joint, cooperative responsibility.
Haben Sie noch keine Antworten gefunden?
Geben Sie Ihre Fragen ein und lassen Sie sich von Muttersprachlern helfen!
Verpassen Sie nicht die Gelegenheit, bequem von zu Hause aus eine Sprache zu lernen. Stöbern Sie in unserer Auswahl an erfahrenen Sprachlehrern und melden Sie sich jetzt zu Ihrer ersten Unterrichtsstunde an!
Heute mit dem Lernen beginnen
