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When you “make it up” to a person, it is a way of apologizing. You are “making up” for something unkind you did or an inconvenience you caused him to have. “The phrase “how can I make it up to you” is like an apology, but better. It says: “I know I did something wrong, and I’m sorry, but I want to make everything better”. You want to “make it up” to the person.

Many of you tried using this phrase after someone did something nice for you. For example, many of you wrote: “You helped me so much—how can I make it up to you?” If you say this, people will understand what you mean, but it is better to use the phrase “how can I repay you”. This means that you want to do something nice in return for the kindness a person has shown you. You want to “repay” their kindness or help.

Also, you can use the phrase “make it up to you” if a person did something nice for you, and you don’t think they enjoyed it. For example, you can say: “I don’t think the help you gave me was very enjoyable for you, so I’d like to make it up to you.” This is just a way of being polite.