student asking question

What are the differences between “do shopping”, “go shopping” and “go window-shopping”?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

It is not common to say "do shopping", however, it is common to use the expression "do some shopping". "Go shopping" and "do some shopping" mean generally the same thing, but "do some shopping" implies that you are only going to do a little bit of shopping. To "go shopping" also describes the action of going somewhere to shop, while "do some shopping" describes the action of shopping. The expression "go window shopping" is used when you want to shop, but you are only going to look at things in the display windows of shops without intending to buy anything. Ex: Want to go window shopping for wedding dresses? Ex: Let's go shopping this afternoon! Ex: We are going to the mall for a few hours to do some shopping.

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