The challenge, when it comes to learning Spanish, is to become master of the various verb tenses. One of the most frequently used verbs is hacer, meaning “to do” or “to make.” Not only is this verb completely necessary to know for common everyday speech, it is also irregular, especially in the preterite tense. In this slang and colloquial Spanish guide, you’ll learn all about hacer preterite — its forms, how to use it, and some helpful tricks to keep it in mind.
What Is the Preterite Tense?
First things first, before discussing the hacer preterite, let’s look at what the preterite is. The preterite is a past tense used to describe actions that were completed in the past. It tells you “What happened?
For example:
- Ayer comí pizza. (Yesterday, I ate pizza.)
- Last year, we went to Spain. (Last year, we went to Spain.)
The preterite tense is typically used for:
- Completed actions
- Quantized actions Actions that have a beginning and an end.
- Elements in a plot or fiction story.
Hacer: Definition and Irregularity
The verb hacer is just the verb for “to do” or “to make,” and, like it or not, it’s an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The verb hacer also follows a pattern of changing its stem and endings in the preterite.
In the present tense:
- Yo hago (I do/make)
- Tú haces (You do/make)
- Él/Ella hace (He/She does/makes)órder of el/su Filename: La-clave-para-enamorarte-de-ti.pdf Pages: 133 Format: Kindle Edition Genre(s): Fiction / Coming of Age / Young AdultContinue reading 4 min read You might want to visit his/her blog at http://more-than-a-writers-blog.blogspot.com/It’s here!And It’s availble for purchase at the following links:Kindle Book DescriptionIt´s impossible start a conversation about how to love yourself if you don´t know how to do it.
But in the preterite tense, the forms are very different and irregularly patterned.
Hacer Preterite Tense Conjugation
Here is the full hacer conjugation in preterite tense:
Subject Pronoun Hacer (Preterite)
Yo hice
Tú hiciste
Él / Ella / Usted hizo
Nosotros/as hicimos
Vosotros/as hicisteis
Ellos/as / Ustedes hicieron
Notes:
- On most forms, the stem is hac-, but hic- elsewhere.
- In the third person singular (él/ella/usted), hic- becomes hiz- for pronunciation purposes: hizo instead of hico.
- Although it has an irregular stem, it is conjugated using the same endings as other irregular preterit verbs.
Hacer Preterite Uses and Examples
The preterite form of hacer is useful to describe something that someone did or made at a particular moment in the past. It is very adaptable and frequently uttered in speech.
Examples:
- Hice la tarea anoche. (Last night I did the homework.)
- ¿Qué hiciste ayer? (What did you do yesterday?)
- My mother baked a delicious cake. (My mother made this lovely cake).
- We went for a hike in the woods. (We went for a ride in the forest.)
- Ellos hicieron mucho ruido. (They made a lot of noise.)
These examples, as the last hayeses so poignantly demonstrate,the hacer preterite is compatible with many different contexts and is indispensable in talk about the past.
How to Conjugate and Use the Hacer Preterite
To learn the hacer preterite, you need some practice. Here are some strategies:
Flashcards
Create your own flashcards with the subject pronouns on one side and the appropriate hacer preterite form on the back.
Verb Drills
Make sentences with each preterite form of hacer. For example:
- Yo hice…
- Tú hiciste…
- Él hizo…
Real-life Scenarios
Think about your last day or week, and tell how it was using the hacer preterite. For example:
- Yesterday, I exercised, shopped, and then I cooked dinner.
Online Quizzes
Challenge yourself by going onto Spanish learning websites or apps such as Quizlet, Duolingo or Conjuguemos and testing your knowledge.
Irregularities and Exceptions to Keep in Mind
The hacer preterite is one of few with some oddities:
- Hizo is the only word which shifts the pronunciation, from hic- to hiz-.
- Hacer is not irregular in the preterite as -er verbs; it’s irregular in that is not predictable in the preterite.
- It’s regular, except like in irregular preterite verbs tener (tuve), estar (estuve), and venir (vine), you need to make stem changes and use the following endings.
Hacer Preterite in Questions
Making questions with the preterite is quite common with the verb hacer:
- What did you do last weekend? (How did you spend last weekend?)
- Did their presentation, did you give? (You guys presented, didn’t you?)
- ¿Quién hizo esta pintura? (Who made this painting?)
The conocer preterite is necessary to know in order to form questions and answers about the past.
Expressions with Hacer that Reflect Popular Culture and Idioms
There are a lot of idiomatic phrases I see using the verb “hacer” and the are in the preterite tense because they naturally use the preterite tense after actions are completed.
Examples:
- Hacer caso – to pay attention
→ No me hizo caso. (He just ignored me.)
- Hacer las paces – to come to terms
→ Well then we made up at long last. (We finally made peace.)
- Viajar – to travel / to voyage / make a journey / take a journey / go on a trip 87) Hacer un viaje – To take a trip
→ They took a trip to Mexico. (They took a trip to Mexico.)
It’s essential to know the right hacer preterite form in these sentences to get the meaning across.
And that’s it for Hacer in the Preterite.
Learn the conjugation chart by heart. Writing it out again and again is a good way to train memory.
- Remember to practice using preterite in a sentence, not just isolated sentences.
- Compare it with other irregular verbs to see patterns in its behavior.
- Watch out for hizo — it’s the only form that gets a spelling change.
Conclusion
The preterite is a key piece of the puzzle for anyone who is learning the Spanish language. It’s unwieldy at first, but with regular use, everyday context, it becomes second nature. From starting with, “What did you do? to telling people things you got up to, hacer is a key verb in both written and spoken Spanish. Learning the preterite tense will give you the perfect tool to express yourself in the past easily and accurately.