Like vs as

Like and as are easy to mix up, but they mean different things and are followed by different words. The key question: is the person or thing only similar, or does it really have that role?

💡Quick test: ask “is it really true?”. She works as a nurse — she is a nurse. She looks like a nurse — she looks similar to one, but maybe she isn't.

1. Like + noun / pronoun: similar to, the same way as

• Your bag is just like mine.

• My little brother eats like a horse.

  idiom = eats a lot

• Speaking English is like riding a bike — the more you practise, the easier it gets.

  like + -ing

2. look / sound / feel / taste / smell + like + noun

• Minh looks like his mum — same eyes, same smile.

• That sounds like a great plan.

• This tea tastes like jasmine.

3. Asking for a description: What is … like? / What does … look like?

• What's your new boss like? — She's friendly but very strict.

• What does your brother look like? — Tall, with short hair.

4. Like = for example (close to such as)

• I love tropical fruit, like mango and papaya.

• Big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are very crowded.

As + noun says that someone or something really has that job, role or use. Common with work as, use … as, be known as, see / describe … as, and as a child (= when I was a child).

• Lan works as a tour guide in Hoi An.

• As your friend, I have to tell you the truth.

• We used an old box as a table.

• As a child, I was afraid of the dark.

Compare the pairs — same noun, very different meaning:

• My uncle works as a driver.

  he is a driver

• My uncle drives like a racing driver.

  he is not a racing driver

• As a teacher, I mark a lot of homework.

  I am a teacher

• She explained it slowly, like a teacher.

  she is not a teacher

As (a conjunction) + clause = “in the way that”. Many fixed phrases use as:

• as you know, as I said, as you can see
• as usual / as always, as expected, as we agreed
• the same as, such as

• As you know, the meeting has moved to Thursday.

• As usual, Nam forgot his keys.

• Cook the rice as the packet says.

In informal speech (especially American English), native speakers very often use like + clause instead of as, and like instead of as if (see the lesson “As if / as though”). In formal writing, use as / as if.

• Nobody makes pho like my grandma does.

  informal; formal: as my grandma does

• Like I said, I can't come on Sunday.

  informal; formal: As I said

• It looks like it's going to rain.

  informal = It looks as if…

💡Many languages use one word for both meanings, so learners often say She works like a nurse when they mean her job. That sentence actually means “she works in a similar way to a nurse”. For a real job or role → as: She works as a nurse.

• ✗He works like a chef in a hotel.

  ✓He works as a chef in a hotel.

  He really is a chef → as.

• ✗Like a student, I get a discount at the cinema.

  ✓As a student, I get a discount at the cinema.

  I really am a student → as.

• ✗Your shirt looks as mine.

  ✓Your shirt looks like mine.

  Look + noun/pronoun → like.

• ✗My phone is the same like yours.

  ✓My phone is the same as yours.

  Fixed phrase: the same as.

• ✗Like usual, the bus was late.

  ✓As usual, the bus was late.

  Standard English says as usual.

• ✗How is your new teacher like?

  ✓What is your new teacher like?

  Asking for a description: What … like? (not How).