Everyday English Expressions with DO

Hello English learners! Welcome back to another useful English lesson. Everyday English expressions with do are extremely common in spoken and written English. In this lesson, you’ll learn 13 useful expressions with do, including their meanings, natural example sentences, and how to use them in real life. These common phrases will help you understand native speakers more easily and sound more natural and confident in English.

These are common phrases that native speakers use in daily conversation, at work, at home, and in all sorts of real-life situations. Some of them are used to give advice, some to express anger or refusal, and others to talk about work, results, or finishing something.

Let’s get started.

1. Do your best

Meaning: to try as hard as you can and make the greatest possible effort.

This expression is often used to encourage someone. It means you may not be perfect, but you should give the situation your full effort.

Examples:

• Don’t worry about making everything perfect. Just do your best.
• We’ll do our best to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

2. That does it!

Meaning: used when you have had enough and will not tolerate something any longer.

This expression is usually said in anger or frustration. It shows that someone has reached the limit of their patience.

Examples:

• That does it! I’ve had enough of your rude behaviour.
• He threw my papers on the floor and that did it — I walked straight out of the office.

3. That will do / That’ll do

Meaning: that is enough; no more is needed.

This expression is often used when you want to say that something is sufficient. It can be polite, but depending on the tone, it can also sound firm.

Examples:

• “Would you like a bit more tea?” “No, thank you. That’ll do.”
• That will do, children. You’ve made enough noise for one evening.

4. Do for a living

Meaning: to have a particular job or occupation.

When people ask, “What do you do for a living?”, they are asking about your job.

Examples:

• “What do you do for a living?” “I’m a graphic designer.”
• People often ask her what she does for a living when they first meet her.

5. Would do well to…

Meaning: used to say that someone should do something because it would be wise or beneficial.

This is a useful expression for giving advice in a slightly formal way.

Examples:

• You’d do well to check the train times before you leave.
• He would do well to spend less money and save more.

6. Do as you are told

Meaning: to obey instructions or follow orders.

This expression is often used by parents, teachers, or authority figures. It can sound strict.

Examples:

• Stop arguing and do as you are told.
• The officer told the crowd to stand back and do as they were told.

7. Have to do with something

Meaning: to be connected with or related to something.

This is a very common and useful expression in both spoken and written English.

Examples:

• I think his bad mood has to do with stress at work.
• This problem has nothing to do with money.

Note:

You will often hear both:

• have to do with
• has to do with

depending on the subject.

8. It won’t do

Meaning: it is not acceptable; it is not good enough.

This expression is a little more traditional in tone, but it is still very useful, especially in formal or careful speech.

Examples:

• It won’t do to arrive late and then expect everyone to wait for you.
• This level of carelessness simply won’t do.

9. Nothing doing

Meaning: absolutely not; no chance; used to refuse a request firmly.

This expression is informal and often quite direct.

Examples:

• “Can I borrow the car tonight?” “Nothing doing.”
• They asked for a discount, but the manager said, “Nothing doing.”

10. Be done with it / Be done with something

Meaning: to finish something completely so that you no longer need to think about it.

This expression often suggests that you want to finish something quickly and move on.

Examples:

• Let’s just pay the bill and be done with it.
• She ended the relationship and was glad to be done with it.

11. What’s done is done

Meaning: something in the past cannot be changed, so there is no point worrying about it now.

This expression is often used to encourage acceptance after a mistake or unfortunate event.

Examples:

• We missed the flight, but what’s done is done.
• Yes, it was a bad decision, but what’s done is done. We need to think about the future now.

12. Do wonders for

Meaning: to improve something greatly.

This expression is often used when talking about health, appearance, confidence, mood, or performance.

Examples:

• A good night’s sleep can do wonders for your concentration.
• That new manager has done wonders for the company.

13. Do more harm than good

Meaning: to make a situation worse instead of better.

This is a very common expression and a useful one for essays, speaking, and everyday discussion.

Examples:

• Giving him too much advice might do more harm than good.
• Some quick fixes do more harm than good in the long run.

Why learn expressions with do?

The verb do appears in countless English expressions, and many of them cannot be understood by translating each word separately. That is why it is important to learn them as complete phrases.

When you learn expressions like do your best, that’ll do, or do more harm than good, you begin to sound more natural and fluent. These are the kinds of phrases native speakers use all the time.

Final thoughts on everyday English expressions with DO

Expressions with do are everywhere in English, and mastering them can make a real difference to your speaking and writing. Try not just to read them, but to learn them in context, practise them in sentences, and use them in your own conversations.

What’s done is done — but what you learn today can do wonders for your English tomorrow. A little teacher joke there. I’ll show myself out.

Related posts:

Everyday Expressions with BACK

Expressions with ONE in English

Everyday English Expressions with TAKE

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