This document discusses the versatile Spanish verb "hacer" and its many uses. It can mean "to make" or "to do" but also refers to activities and becoming. Hacer is highly irregular and is usually followed by a noun. The document then lists and provides examples of 9 common uses of hacer, including to indicate making, general activities, weather, causation, length of time, becoming, impersonal expressions, how something seems, and taking on a role.

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Verb ‘hacer’: 9 practical uses
‘Hacer’ is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish. Spaniards use it in a wide range
of expressions that we use daily. Although it is often said to mean “to make” or “to
do”, in context it can refer to almost any activity as well as the act of becoming.
‘Hacer’ is almost always followed by a noun, except as a simple question (examples:
“¿Qué haces, Pablo?” meaning “what are you doing, Pablo?/What are you making,
Pablo?” or “¿Hace?” meaning “Will that do?”).First of all, keep in mind that “tener” is
quite irregular:
‘Hacer’ is highly irregular. Let’s see its conjugation:
 Yo hago
 Tú haces
 Él/Ella/Usted hace
 Nosotros hacemos
 Vosotrois hacéis
 Ellos/Ustedes hacen
Here are some of the most common uses of ‘hacer’:
1. To indicate the making or creation of something:
 Vamos a hacer una tarta de chocolate (We’re going to make a chocolate
cake)
 Este árbol hace sombra (This tree provides shade)
 ¿Cuándo váis a hacer la maleta? (When are you packing?)
2. To refer to an activity in general. ‘Hacer’ also can replace a verb used earlier:
 Mis padres no hicieron nada el domingo (My parents didn’t do anything on
Sunday)
 Cuando le conocí, mi marido comía mucho y yo hacía lo mismo (When I met
my husband, he used to eat a lot and I did the same)
 Haz lo que digo, no lo que hago (Do what I say, not what I do)
3. To express weather terms – Typically, weather terms use a third-person singular
formof ‘hacer’ followed by a noun:
 Hace frío (It’s cold)
 Hacía muchísimo calor en Sevilla (It was so hot in Seville)
 Hacía viento por todas partes (It was windyeverywhere)

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4. To show causation:
 Patricia me hace feliz (Patricia makes me happy)
 Eso me hizo sentir mal (That made me feel bad)
5. To indicate the length of time an action has been taking place:
Hace + time + que + present tense formof the verb
 Hace tres años que vivo en Barcelona (I have been living in Barcelona for
three years)
 Hace dos años que no estudio español (I haven’t studied Spanish for two
years)
Present tense formof the verb + desde hace + time
 Mis hermanas estudian chino desde hace cinco años (Mysisters have been
studying Chinese for five years)
 Álvaro no conduce desde hace nueve meses (Álvaro hasn’t driven for nine
months)
6. To indicate the act of becoming: We use ‘hacerse’ (reflexiveformof ‘hacer’) to
indicate change:
 Me hice budista (I became a budist)
 Carlos y Paula se hicieron amigos (Carlos yPaula became friends)
7. In various impersonal expressions – ‘Hacer’ can become the equivalent of ‘to be’
in some cases:
 Hace un día espléndido (It’s a terrific day)
 Si hace falta, limpio la mesa (if it’s necessary, I’ll clean the table)
8. To indicate how something seems:
 El día se hacía muy largo (The day seemed very long)
 Las vacaciones se me hacen cortas (Holidays seem veryshort to me)
9. To indicate the taking of a role:
 Julia Roberts hizo el papel principal en ‘Pretty Woman’ (Julia Roberts had the
starring role in PrettyWoman’).
 Mi hijo hacía el tonto a la perfección (Myson played the perfect fool)
 Carla hizo como que no entendía nada (Carla acted as if she understood
nothing)