Hacer is a really important verb in Spanish. Most of the time, it means "to make" or "to do". The dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spanish lists over 50 different meanings for hacer. This is because it is a sort of "umbrella" verb that can be used to convey many verbs with similar, but more specific meanings, like "to produce", "to build" or "to execute".
It can also be used in weather-related expressions like hace frío (it's cold) or hace calor (it's hot), and it can even mean "to play" in phrases like hacerse el tonto (to play the fool). Other common expressions that use this verb include hacerse tarde (to become late), hacerse de algo (to gain possession of something), hace mucho tiempo (a long time ago) and hacer de las suyas (to be up to his/her/their old tricks).
Conjugations
Although one of the most common verbs in Spanish, hacer is an irregular verb, which means you might have to memorize some of its conjugations. It will be worth it, though, as you will be using it more often than you think. Use the tables and examples below to practice.
Present
|
Yo |
hago |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
hacemos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
haces (hacés) |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
hacéis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
hace |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
hacen |
Examples:
- Siempre hago los deberes por la noche. - I always do my homework at night.
- ¿Cuándo haces los deberes? - When do you do your homework?
Imperfect
|
Yo |
hacía |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
hacíamos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
hacías |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
hacíais |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
hacía |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
hacían |
Examples:
- Mi abuela hacía tortas deliciosas. - My grandma made delicious cakes.
- ¿Qué hacían en el salón? - What were you doing in the classroom?
Preterite
|
Yo |
hice |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
hicimos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
hiciste |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
hicisteis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
hizo |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
hicieron |
Examples:
- Ayer en la playa Juan hizo un castillo de arena. - Yesterday, at the beach, Juan built a sand castle.
- ¿Quién hizo la cena? - Who made dinner?
Future
|
Yo |
haré |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
haremos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
harás |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
haréis |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
hará |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
harán |
Examples:
- Cuando nuestro jefe vuelva, hará cambios. - When our boss is back, she will make changes.
- ¿Qué haréis este fin de semana? - What are you guys doing this weekend?
Conditional
|
Yo |
haría |
Nosotros/Nosotras |
haríamos |
|
Tú (Vos) |
harías |
Vosotros/Vosotras |
haríais |
|
Él/Ella/Usted |
haría |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
harían |
Examples:
- Si supiera tejer, haría una bufanda. - If I knew how to knit, I would make a scarf.
- ¿Me harías un favor? - Would you do me a favor?
Once you've learned to use and conjugate the verb hacer, you can move on to other common verbs and build up your Spanish vocabulary!