Spanish Verb 'Hacer' - Charts + Examples to Speak with Confidence

Hey there, future Spanish speaker! 👋 Let's talk about one of the most useful, versatile, and—let's be honest—sometimes tricky verbs in the Spanish language: hacer. If you've ever felt confused about whether to use it for "to do" or "to make," or if its irregular forms give you a headache, you're in the right place.

This guide will break down hacer in a simple, clear way. We'll cover what it means, its many cool uses, and its most important conjugations. ¡Vamos! (Let's go!)

Hace frío

What Does 'Hacer' Mean? To Do vs. To Make

One of the biggest hurdles for English speakers is that Spanish doesn't have separate verbs for "to do" and "to make." Hacer covers both! This is actually great news because it's one less verb to memorize. The meaning is all about the context.

Hacer as "To Make"

This refers to creating, producing, or manufacturing something.

• Hago café todas las mañanas. (I make coffee every morning.)
• Mi abuela hace la mejor sopa de pollo. (My grandmother makes the best chicken soup.)
• ¿Puedes hacer una copia de esta llave? (Can you make a copy of this key?)

Hacer as "To Do"

This refers to performing an action, a task, or an activity.

• ¿Qué haces este fin de semana? (What are you doing this weekend?)
• Tengo que hacer mi tarea. (I have to do my homework.)
• Ellos hacen ejercicio en el parque. (They do exercise in the park.)

See? The context tells you everything you need to know. You wouldn't "do" coffee, and you wouldn't "make" homework in English, so the same logic applies here. Easy peasy!

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Beyond 'Do' and 'Make': Other Awesome Uses of 'Hacer'

Hacer is a true multitasker. It pops up in many common expressions that go beyond its basic meaning. Here are a few essential ones to sound like a native speaker.

1. Talking About the Weather 

In Spanish, you use hacer to describe the weather.

• Hace calor. (It's hot.)

• Hace frío. (It's cold.)

• Hace sol. (It's sunny.)

• Hace viento. (It's windy.)

2. Expressing Time Ago

When you want to say that something happened a certain amount of time ago, hacer is your go-to verb. The structure is: hace + time period + que + verb.

• Hace dos años que vivo en Nicaragua. (I have been living in Nicaragua for two years. / I moved here two years ago.)

• Hace diez minutos que te espero. (I've been waiting for you for ten minutes.)

3. Common Idiomatic Expressions

• Hacer caso a alguien: To pay attention to someone / to listen to someone.

  • No me haces caso. (You aren't paying attention to me.)

• Hacerse: To become (often refers to a change in profession, ideology, or state that requires effort).

  • Él se hizo abogado. (He became a lawyer.)

• Hacer la cama: To make the bed.

• Hacer una pregunta: To ask a question.

• Hacer daño: To hurt or to harm.

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'Hacer' Conjugation: The Cheat Sheets You Need

Okay, let's get to the grammar part. Hacer is an irregular verb, which means it doesn't follow the standard conjugation patterns. But don't worry! We'll focus on the most important tenses you'll use every day.

THERE IS A FANTASTIC LESSON ABOUT THE STEM CHANGES OF IRREGULAR VERBS

Present Tense (Presente)

What's happening now or general truths. The key irregularity here is the 'yo' form.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
yo	hago	I do/make
tú	haces	you do/make
él/ella/Ud.	hace	he/she/you (formal) do/make
nosotros/as	hacemos	we do/make
vosotros/as	hacéis	you all (informal) do/make
ellos/ellas/Uds.	hacen	they/you all do/make

Example: Yo hago yoga los martes. (I do yoga on Tuesdays.)

Preterite Tense (Pretérito)

Completed actions in the past. This tense is highly irregular! The stem changes to hic- (and hiz- for él/ella/usted).

Pronoun	Spanish	English
yo	hice	I did/made
tú	hiciste	you did/made
él/ella/Ud.	hizo	he/she/you (formal) did/made
nosotros/as	hicimos	we did/made
vosotros/as	hicisteis	you all (informal) did/made
ellos/ellas/Uds.	hicieron	they/you all did/made

Example: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? (What did you do yesterday?)

Imperfect Tense (Imperfecto)

Ongoing or habitual actions in the past ("used to do"). Good news! Hacer is perfectly regular in the imperfect tense. 👍

Pronoun..........	Spanish........................	English
yo	hacía	I used to do/ make
tú	hacías	you used to do/ make
él/ella/Ud.	hacía	he/she/you used to do/make
nosotros/ as	hacíamos	we used to do/make
vosotros/ as	hacíais	you all used to do/make
ellos/ellas/ Uds.	hacían	they/you all used to do/make

Example: Cuando era niño, hacía castillos de arena. (When I was a child, I used to make sandcastles.)

Future Tense (Futuro)

What will happen. The stem changes to har-, but the endings are regular.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
yo	haré	I will do/make
tú	harás	you will do/make
él/ella/Ud.	hará	he/she/you will do/make
nosotros/as	haremos	we will do/make
vosotros/as	haréis	you all will do/make
ellos/ellas/Uds.	harán	they/you all will do/make

Example: Mañana haré una torta para tu cumpleaños. (Tomorrow I will make a cake for your birthday.)

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You Can Do It!

Mastering the verb hacer is a huge step in your Spanish journey. It's used so often that once you get comfortable with it, you'll find yourself understanding and speaking much more fluently.

Don't be afraid of its irregularities. 

Practice using it in sentences about your own life—what you do every day, what you did yesterday, and what you will do tomorrow. ¡Puedes hacerlo! (You can do it!)

Come back soon for more tasty bites of language at Flavors of Spanish Language! 🌶️📚
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