what's the difference between ''like'' and ''as''?

Question

I'm Brazilian and want your help! For us, ''like'' and ''as'' are the same word, which is ''como'', what explains my difficulty...

Answer 1

As and like are used in a number of different ways and can be different parts of speech.
'as' and 'like' - prepositions
As refers to something or someone's appearance or function. Consider the following examples:
'Before I became a teacher I worked as a waiter.'
'I'm going to the fancy dress party as Superman.'
'The sea can be used as a source of energy.'
Like has the meaning 'similar to' and is used when comparing things. Look at these examples:
'I?ve been working like a dog.'
'She looks a bit like her brother.'
'Just like you, I?m always a bit wary of large dogs.'
Note that we can use adverbs of degree, such as just, very, quite, not much, not at all, a bit, etc, to modify like:
'He?s very serious ? not at all like his father, perhaps more like his mother at times.
as' and 'like' - conjunctions
As and like can also be used as conjunctions:
As means 'in the same way that'. Consider the following:
'I always drink tea without milk, just as they do on the continent.'
'Try to keep your balance on the tightrope, as I do, by spreading out your fingers like this.'
'The first ten days of July were very wet this year, as they were last year and the year before.'
In informal English, like is used in the same way. This is particularly common in American English. Consider the following:
'Nobody else would look after you like I do, baby!'
'She needs the money, like I do, so she works in a bar in the evenings.'
'I hope you?re not going to be sick again, like you were when we went to Brighton.

Answer 2

they are very similar --with minor differences..but any english speaking person would know what you meant if you used either.
'as' is used when you are comparing something to something else....'like' is used when you are describing something...but the usage difference is very vague in english...you can say 'she drives like a maniac'...but you wouldn't normally say 'she drives as a maniac'(You could say,correctly, 'she drives as a maniac would'. But as I have said...any person would be able to understand what you meant....I'm learning mandarin and I have the same types of problems...good luck.

Answer 3

Mostly usage. For example:

You use like to compare one thing to another when talking about something they have in common.
He looks like my brother.
He acts like a baby.
It was just like we were in high school again.

You use like to mean "almost".
He was like 30 when he went to jail.

You use like in slang speech when you are pausing or looking for a word.
I was feeling, like, sad because I, like, really missed him.

You use "as" to compare two different things.
I was as cold as ice.

You use "as" to talk about the extent of something.
I ate as much as possible.
I didn't eat as much as my brother.
He is not as tall as I am.
I am as tall as my father.

You use "as" to describe something that happens at the same time as something else:
As we were running, I laughed.
I turned off the radio as I answered the phone.

There are lots of other meanings I'm sure.

Answer 4

She looks like my sister
Can you come here as soon as possible