Spanish is a language with many verbs and tenses, and one that you are sure to encounter in conversation and in writing is “hacer.” If you are talking about what someone did yesterday, last week, or even a year ago, then you need the hacer preterite form. In this post, we will cover everything you need to know about the hacer preterite including its conjugation, usage, sample sentences, and some tips for mastering it with confidence.
What Is the Preterite Tense?
Before we start our hacer preterite lesson, we need to clarify what is the preterite tense. One of the past tenses in Spanish that is used to describe actions that were completed at a particular point in time is the preterite. It is commonly used to:
- Speaking of one-time, past actions
- Narrate your events from the past.
- Indicating a time in the past
For example:
- Ayer estudié para el examen. (I studied for the exam yesterday.)
What Does “Hacer” Mean?
It is a conjugation of the verb hacer, which is used to denote “doing” or “making.” It’s an irregular verb, meaning it doesn’t follow the regular conjugation patterns in many tenses — and that includes the preterite tense. Because it’s a part of so many different expressions (hacer la tarea, hacer ejercicio, hacer una llamada), Spanish learners need to learn how to use its different forms, especially for the past tense.
Hacer Preterite Conjugation
Hacer experiences a stem change in the preterite, unlike most other verbs. The stem is “hic-” for most forms, but in the third person singular it altered to “hizo” to preserve correct pronunciation.
Now here’s the entire conjugation chart for hacer in preterite:
Subject Pronoun Hacer (Preterite)
Yo hice
Tú hiciste
Él / Ella / Usted hizo
Nosotros/as hicimos
Vosotros/as hicisteis
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes hicieron
Note: Hizo is a while-you-waiting of a while-you-wait which staves-off the unconsulted spelling of hico.
3 Common Acquaintance and Casualy Expressions 1. Chances are, this phrase—which will simultaneously confuse and entertain you—will come in handy. (Note that ”hacerle” means ”to do” or ”to make” for an indirect object meaning) 7 Answers.
To understand how the hacer preterite is used in everyday language, we will review a few hacer preterite example sentences:
-
Yo hice la tarea anoche.
(Last night I did the homework.
-
What did you do last weekend?
(What did you do with your last weekend?)
-
She baked herself a cake for her birthday.
(She baked a cake for her birthday.)
-
We gave a presentation to the class.
(We gave a presentation to the class.)
-
They took a trip to Mexico.
(They took a trip to Mexico.)
As you saw above, hacer does mean both “to do” and “make,” and there are plenty of contexts in which it is used either way.
Other Common *Expressions �Hacer� in the Preterite:
Hacer is used in many idiomatic and everyday expressions. Using the hacer preterite in both of these conditions also adds fluency and naturalness to your Spanish.
Here are a few:
- Hacer la cama (to make the bed): I made the bed before leaving.
- To exercise (hacer ejercicio): Hicimos ejercicio en el gimnasio.
- Hacer una llamada (to make a phone call) : She made an important call.
- To do a favor: ¿Me hiciste un favor ayer?
Hacer Preterite vs. Imperfect
When you’re talking about the past, it’s easy to mix up the preterite and the imperfect tense. So how do you decide when to use the hacer preterite instead of hacía?
Preterite: Use preterite when the action: 1.
- Happened once
- Starts and ends with you
- Is part in events in a series
Use the imperfect when the action:
- Happened repeatedly
- Was ongoing
- Refers to a past situation which occurred over a period of time or habit in the past
Examples:
- Past tense: Yesterday I made a shopping list. (Yesterday I put together a shopping list.)
- Imperfect: Cuando era niño, hacia castillos de arena. (I used to construct sand castles as a child.)
How to Conquer the Hacer Preterite Form
Like with any irregular verb, it will take time and practice to learn how to use hacer properly, but the following hacks will speed up the memorization process and improve your use of the hacer preterite:
Practice with Flashcards
Make flashcards with the hacer preterite forms and example sentences using tools like Anki or Quizlet.
Speak and Write Daily
Use the verb in your speaking or journalling practice every day. Practice by writing simple paragraphs about what you did yesterday using hacer.
Watch Spanish Content
Now watch Spanish video or listen to Spanish TV and pay attention to when and how the characters talk about the hacía preterite.
Use Mnemonics
For example, remember:
“I did, you did, he did — then we did, you did, they did.”
Rhythmically chant it to help lodge it in memory.
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Use the appropriate form of hacer in the preterite for each statement:
- Tú _ una pregunta buena.
- We __ the reservation for the hotel.
- ¿Qué _ ustedes ayer?
- Yo _ allí cuanto pude.
- Él no _ nada mal.
Answers:
- hiciste
- hicimos
- hicieron
- hice
- hizo
Final Thoughts
Of all the irregular verb conjugations on this list, the you’ll hear most often when speaking is the hacer preterite. No matter what you are speaking about, if you are describing something that happened in the past or summarizing an event, hacer will be in there. With practice and use in daily speech, and understanding the way it’s structured, you will be speaking with confidence and fluidity in no time.
And remember: everyone is different, so when it comes to mastering the hacer preterite, it’s not just about memorizing forms; it’s about using those forms in context and with meaning.