Hacer Conjugation: The Complete Guide to “To Do” and “To Make” in Spanish
Spanish Irregular Verbs Hub | Hacer Quiz
HACER (to do, to make) is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish. It covers everyday actions, the creation of things, weather, time expressions, and a long list of idioms that don’t translate literally into English. A learner who can’t use hacer fluidly will struggle with the most basic conversations — and with the small talk that fills them.
This guide covers everything you need: the full conjugation in the present, preterite, and imperfect tenses; the main uses of the verb; the weather and time expressions that depend on it; and the mistakes to avoid. By the end, you’ll know not just how to conjugate hacer, but when to reach for it.
Key Takeaways
- HACER means “to do” and “to make,” and it also drives weather and time expressions.
- It’s irregular in the present (hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen) and in the preterite (hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron).
- The imperfect is regular: hacía, hacías, hacía, hacíamos, hacíais, hacían.
- Weather uses hacer: hace calor, hace frío, hace sol, hace viento.
- Time-ago expressions use hace: hace una hora, hace dos días.
- Many everyday idioms are built on hacer: hacer la cama, hacer ejercicio, hacer una pregunta.
- Don’t confuse hacer with tener. Hace frío = weather. Tengo frío = how you feel.
Conjugation of HACER in the Present Tense
Hacer is irregular in the present tense. The yo form is hago — irregular in both stem and ending. All other forms follow a regular -er pattern except for the hac- to hac- stem, which is spelled with h throughout.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hago | I do / I make |
| Tú | haces | You do / You make (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hace | He / She does, You do (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hacemos | We do / We make |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hacéis | You all do / You all make (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hacen | They do, You all do (formal) |
Example Sentences
- Yo hago la tarea todos los días. (I do the homework every day.)
- Tú haces ejercicio por la mañana. (You exercise in the morning.)
- Ella hace la cena para toda la familia. (She makes dinner for the whole family.)
- Nosotros hacemos un proyecto nuevo cada mes. (We make a new project every month.)
A Note on Vosotros
Vosotros and vosotras are used primarily in Spain. In Latin America, ustedes covers both formal and informal plural address, and vosotros is essentially absent from everyday speech. If you’re learning Spanish for Latin America, you’ll recognize hacéis in writing but won’t need to produce it. If you’re studying for a Spain-based exam or spending time in Spain, learn it alongside the other forms.
Conjugation of HACER in the Preterite
The preterite of hacer is irregular. The stem changes to hic- in most forms, but the third person singular becomes hizo — the c shifts to z to keep the soft sound before o.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hice | I did / I made |
| Tú | hiciste | You did / You made (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hizo | He / She did, You did (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hicimos | We did / We made |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hicisteis | You all did / You all made (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hicieron | They did / You all did (formal) |
Example Sentences
- Hice mi mejor esfuerzo en el examen. (I did my best on the exam.)
- ¿Hiciste la reserva? (Did you make the reservation?)
- Él hizo la tarea sin ayuda. (He did the homework without help.)
- Hicimos un pastel para su cumpleaños. (We made a cake for her birthday.)
Conjugation of HACER in the Imperfect
The imperfect of hacer is fully regular: take the stem hac- and add the standard -er endings. Note the accent marks on hacía, hacías, and hacíamos.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hacía | I did / I used to do |
| Tú | hacías | You did / You used to do (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hacía | He / She did, You did (formal) |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hacíamos | We did / We used to do |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hacíais | You all did / You all used to do (Spain, informal) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hacían | They did / You all did (formal) |
Example Sentences
- Hacía ejercicio todos los días cuando vivía en Madrid. (I used to exercise every day when I lived in Madrid.)
- Mi madre hacía pan los domingos. (My mother used to make bread on Sundays.)
- Hacíamos la tarea juntos después de la escuela. (We used to do homework together after school.)
- Ellos hacían su trabajo sin quejarse. (They used to do their work without complaining.)
Preterite vs Imperfect with HACER
Use the preterite for a completed action: Hice la cena anoche (I made dinner last night). Use the imperfect for a habitual or ongoing past action: Hacía la cena todas las noches (I used to make dinner every night). The same contrast applies to time expressions: Hace dos horas que llegó (He arrived two hours ago) versus Hacía dos horas que esperaba (He had been waiting for two hours).
The Main Uses of HACER
1. “To Do” and “To Make”
The most direct uses. Hacer covers both English verbs — Spanish doesn’t distinguish between doing an action and making a thing.
- Hago la tarea. (I do the homework.)
- Hacemos un pastel. (We make a cake.)
- ¿Qué haces este fin de semana? (What are you doing this weekend?)
2. Weather Expressions
Hacer is the verb for weather. It’s always third person singular in these expressions, and it’s the subject — no pronoun is used.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hace calor. | It’s hot. |
| Hace frío. | It’s cold. |
| Hace sol. | It’s sunny. |
| Hace viento. | It’s windy. |
| Hace buen tiempo. | The weather is good. |
| Hace mal tiempo. | The weather is bad. |
| Hace fresco. | It’s cool. |
Note: These describe the weather. To describe how you feel, use tener: Tengo frío (I’m cold), Tengo calor (I’m hot). Mixing the two is a common early error.
3. Time Expressions
Hace + time means “ago.”
- Hace una hora. (An hour ago.)
- Hace mucho tiempo. (A long time ago.)
- Hace dos días. (Two days ago.)
Hace + time + que + present tense means “for [duration]” — the action is still going on.
- Hace dos años que estudio español. (I’ve been studying Spanish for two years.)
- Hace tres meses que vivo aquí. (I’ve been living here for three months.)
4. Common Idioms
Hacer anchors a set of high-frequency idioms. The verb’s meaning shifts in each — most don’t translate literally.
- hacer la cama — to make the bed
- hacer ejercicio — to exercise
- hacer una pregunta — to ask a question
- hacer un viaje — to take a trip
- hacer daño — to hurt (someone)
- hacer falta — to be necessary, to be needed
- hacer caso — to pay attention, to obey
- hacer la compra — to do the grocery shopping
- hacer planes — to make plans
5. Hacerse — To Become
The reflexive form hacerse means “to become” — usually through effort or gradual change.
- Me hice médico después de muchos años de estudio. (I became a doctor after many years of study.)
- Se hizo rico con su empresa. (He became rich with his company.)
Don’t confuse hacerse (to become) with ponerse (to become, temporarily) or volverse (to become, often involuntary). Each has its own nuance — hacerse implies effort or deliberate change.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing hacer and tener for weather and feelings. Hace frío = the weather is cold. Tengo frío = I feel cold. They’re not interchangeable.
- Forgetting the yo form. It’s hago, not haco or hazo. The -go ending is irregular but standard across verbs like tener (tengo), poner (pongo), salir (salgo).
- Forgetting the z in the preterite third person. It’s hizo, not hico. The c becomes z to preserve the soft sound before o.
- Confusing preterite and imperfect. Hice = I did (completed). Hacía = I did / used to do (habitual). Pick based on whether the action is framed as finished or ongoing.
- Using hacer for “to be” in time expressions. Hace dos años means “two years ago,” not “it is two years.” For “it is [time],” use ser: Son las dos.
Putting It All Together
Imagine describing a weekend. El sábado pasado hice muchas cosas. Por la mañana hice ejercicio y después hice la cama. Hacía buen tiempo, así que decidí hacer un viaje corto al campo. Hace dos años que no visitaba ese pueblo, y me sorprendió lo mucho que había cambiado. Por la tarde hice la compra y volví a casa. Cuando llegué, mi compañero de piso hacía la cena — ¡y olía fenomenal! Every action, the weather, the time reference, and the idiom are all hacer. That’s how central this verb is.
Quick Reference Chart
| Tense | Yo | Tú | Él / Ella / Ud. | Nosotros | Vosotros | Ellos / Uds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | hago | haces | hace | hacemos | hacéis | hacen |
| Preterite | hice | hiciste | hizo | hicimos | hicisteis | hicieron |
| Imperfect | hacía | hacías | hacía | hacíamos | hacíais | hacían |
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blank with the correct form of hacer.
- Yo ____ la tarea todos los días. (answer: hago)
- ¿Vosotros ____ ejercicio por la mañana? (answer: hacéis)
- Ayer ella ____ un pastel para su madre. (answer: hizo)
- Cuando éramos niños, ____ la cama todas las mañanas. (answer: hacíamos)
- ____ dos años que estudio español. (answer: Hace)
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📚 HACER: Frequently Asked Questions
A: Hacer is irregular in the present tense. The forms are: hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen. The yo form is hago — irregular in both stem and ending. All other forms follow a regular -er pattern.
A: No. Hacer is irregular in the preterite. The forms are: hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron. The stem changes to hic- in most forms, but the third person singular becomes hizo — the c shifts to z to keep the soft sound before o.
A: Yes. The imperfect of hacer is fully regular: hacía, hacías, hacía, hacíamos, hacíais, hacían. Take the stem hac- and add the standard -er imperfect endings. Note the accent marks on hacía, hacías, and hacíamoss.
A: Hace frío describes the weather: Hace frío hoy (It’s cold today). Tengo frío describes how a person feels: Tengo frío (I’m cold). The same contrast applies to heat — Hace calor (It’s hot outside) vs Tengo calor (I feel hot). Mixing the two is one of the most common early errors with this verb.
A: Use hace + time: hace una hora (an hour ago), hace dos días (two days ago), hace mucho tiempo (a long time ago). For an action that started in the past and is still going on, use hace + time + que + present tense: Hace dos años que estudio español (I’ve been studying Spanish for two years).
A: Hacer falta means “to be necessary” or “to be needed.” For example: Hace falta más tiempo (More time is needed), Me hace falta descansar (I need to rest). It’s a common idiom, and the meaning shifts depending on whether the subject is a thing or a person.
A: Hacer means “to do” or “to make.” Hacerse is the reflexive form and means “to become” — usually through effort or gradual change. For example: Hago la cena (I make dinner) vs Me hice médico (I became a doctor). Don’t confuse hacerse with ponerse or volverse — each has its own nuance for becoming.
A: Use hice (preterite) for a completed action: Hice la cena anoche (I made dinner last night). Use hacía (imperfect) for a habitual or ongoing past action: Hacía la cena todas las noches (I used to make dinner every night). The choice depends on whether the action is framed as finished or ongoing.
A: The most common idioms are:
- hacer la cama — to make the bed
- hacer ejercicio — to exercise
- hacer una pregunta — to ask a question
- hacer un viaje — to take a trip
- hacer daño — to hurt
- hacer falta — to be necessary
- hacer caso — to pay attention
- hacer la compra — to do the grocery shopping
- hacer planes — to make plans
A: The five most common mistakes are:
- Confusing hace frío (weather) with tengo frío (how you feel).
- Forgetting the yo form hago — producing haco or hazo instead.
- Forgetting the z in the preterite third person — hizo, not hico.
- Confusing preterite hice with imperfect hacía.
- Using hacer for “to be” in time expressions — saying hace las dos instead of son las dos.
