If you’re learning Spanish and want to sound more natural when you talk, one of the first topics you’ll encounter is how to use hacer.

One of the most frequently used verbs in the Spanish language, hacer typically translates to 'make' and 'do' in English, depending on the context. You'll see and hear it everywhere, from everyday expressions like qué haces? (“what are you doing?”) to instructions such as hay que hacer los deberes ("the homework needs to be done").

In this guide, we’ll break down how to use hacer step by step. You’ll learn:

• When to use hacer, how to conjugate it in the present tense (yo hago, tú haces, él/ella hace, nosotros hacemos, vosotros hacéis, ellos hacen) together with other tenses, and how to recognise the forms used in person singular, person plural, and third person (ellos, ellas, ustedes).

• We’ll compare hacer to other verbs like, actuar, crear, and producir, so you can understand when hacer really is the right choice.

• We'll also look at some common mistakes, provide straightforward examples, and explain why some English sentences translate to a different Spanish verb altogether.

You’ll also find examples of short phrases and real-life sentences you can use when preparing for Spanish speaking exam, travelling in Spain and Latin America, or simply talking with a friend.

By the end, you’ll know the difference between yo hago and ellos hacen, when usted or ustedes changes the verb form, how the participle works, and how to avoid using the wrong conjugations.

And because the best way to learn a language is to practise, you'll find a mini-quiz at the end of this article to test your knowledge of hacer!

Key takeaways

• Hacer is an irregular verb that shifts depending on the tense, pronoun and context

• Make and do are the most common English translations for hacer

• The reflexive form of the verb, hacerse is used to refer to changes in yourself and other people

• Many Spanish idioms and set phrases use hacer

• Testing yourself and practising with Spanish speakers are effective ways to improve your understanding of hacer

Why is the verb hacer challenging?

Initially, hacer can be a difficult verb for English speakers as it covers a broad range of situations, including time, the weather and activities, together with physical and circumstantial changes when used in its reflexive form.

Let's look at the two most common English translations of hacer, and when they are used in Spanish.

Which English verbs translate to hacer?

Make

The English verb 'make' often translates to hacer in Spanish. We use both verbs when describing the process of creating something, such as an object (e.g. make a cup of coffee, hacer un café), or provoking an action (e.g. make him laugh, hacerle reír).

Do

Hacer also translates to 'do' in English. These verbs are used to describe general routines and tasks (e.g. do the homework, hacer los deberes).

See how the two verbs are used in the following examples:

Talking about time and weather conditions

Hacer is also used to express the passage of time, expressing the same meaning as 'ago' in English:

• Hace un segundo (a second ago)

• Hace dos minutos (two minutes ago)

• Hace cinco horas (five hours ago)

• Hace diez años (ten years ago)

• Hace un tiempo (a while ago)

Additionally, this verb is used when describing weather conditions:

Hace calor hoy (it's hot today)

Hice mucho frío en Canada (it was very cold in Canada)

Mañana hará sol (it will be sunny tomorrow)

Pónte el abrigo, hace viento afuera (put your coat on, it's windy outside)

Tip: While there are additional translations, make and do are the two main verbs that correspond to hacer when using Spanish in everyday situations.

Is hacer a regular or irregular verb?

Hacer is an irregular verb in Spanish. Irregular verbs do not follow the usual conjugation pattern when changing person and tense, meaning they have unique endings that need to be learnt individually. This is why irregular verbs sometimes take a little more effort to memorise!

Let's quickly recap some other frequently used irregular verbs in Spanish, taking note of their present tense conjugations:

• Ser: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son

• Estar: estoy, estás, está, estámos, estáis, están

• Ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van

• Tener: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen

• Saber: sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben

• Poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden

When learning irregular verbs, write your own practise sentences with names, places and interests that are personal to you - this will help to boost your recall of different conjugations.

Now that we've revised irregular verbs, let's look at how to conjugate hacer!

Yo hago, tú haces: conjugations of hacer

Hacer uses different suffixes depending on the person and tense. You can see the conjugations for both the indicative and subjunctive moods in the tables below:

Indicative mood

Present (presente)

Past (pretérito indefinido)

Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)

Future (futuro simple)

Conditional (condicional simple)

Subjunctive mood

Present (presente de subjuntivo)

Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)

(-ra form)

Future Subjunctive (rare/arch.)

Imperative mood (imperativo)

Gerund and participles

Example sentences with hacer

1. (Presente) Yo siempre hago mis deberes antes de cenar.

2. (Presente) ¿Qué haces tú los fines de semana?

3. (Pretérito indefinido) Ayer ella hizo una tarta de chocolate.

4. (Pretérito indefinido) Nosotros hicimos todo lo posible para ayudar.

5. (Imperfecto) Cuando era pequeño, yo hacía castillos de arena en la playa.

6. (Imperfecto) Ellos siempre hacían ruido en clase.

7. (Futuro) Mañana tú harás una presentación en inglés.

8. (Futuro) Nosotros haremos un viaje a Londres este verano.

Using the reflexive form: hacerse

We use the reflexive verb 'hacerse' to refer to personal transformations within ourselves and others. It is often translated as 'become' in English.

We use 'hacerse' when we want to talk about changes in:

• Physical attributes: se hizo fuerte entrenando con pesas (he became strong by lifting weights)

• Time: se hizo tarde y fuimos a casa ( It got late and we went home)

• Professions: me hice médico después de volver a la universidad (I became a doctor after returning to university)

• Lifestyle: ella se hizo vegetariana hace cinco años (She became a vegetarian five years ago)

• Financial circumstances: Se harán ricos si invierten bien (They will become rich if they invest well)

Tip: When discussing personal changes, it is important to note that hacerse is used for intentional choices that are typically positive or neutral in nature. For unexpected or negative changes, the verb volverse is used instead.

Now let's look at how to conjugate hacerse.

Yo me hago, tú te haces: conjugations of hacerse

Indicative mood

Present (presente)

Past (pretérito indefinido)

Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)

Future (futuro simple)

Conditional (condicional simple)

Subjunctive mood

Present (presente de subjuntivo)

Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) – -ra form

Imperative mood (imperativo)

(Commands with reflexive pronouns)

Gerund and participles

Other common English verbs that translate to hacer in Spanish

While hacer can be used across a wide variety of scenarios, there are specific verbs can be used as synonyms when referencing certain situations.

The table below shows which verbs may substitute hacer in different contexts:

As you can see, there are many potential English translations of hacer! Knowing which Spanish verb alternatives to use can be tricky for beginners - you can memorise them in context by:

• Reading books, articles, news and comics in Spanish

• Listening to music in Spanish while following the lyrics

• Watching films in Spanish - using subtitles can help your understanding

• Taking in your surroundings! Notice which verbs are used for public announcements, and on notices and signs in cafés, schools and clinics etc.

Remember that verb conjugations for synonyms of hacer may be regular or irregular - always make sure you know the correct form before using a word in an exam.

Common mistakes when using hacer

There are a few errors that Spanish learners often commit when learning how to use hacer. These mistakes often stem from making direct translations from the English verb 'make':

Spanish phrases that use hacer

You're likely to hear hacer come up in set phrases in everyday speech in Spanish. Some of the most common phrases are:

Hacer falta - to be necessary

"Hace falta cortar los tomates para seguir la receta."
"The tomatoes need to be diced to follow the recipe."

"No hacen falta comprar los libros para leerlos."
"It isn't necessary to buy the books in order to read them."

Hacer caso - to listen to/pay attention to

"Hazme caso y deja de fumar para mejorar tu salud."
"Listen to me and give up smoking to improve your health."

"No le hagas caso, siempre dice tonterías."
"Don't pay attention to him, he always says silly things."

Hacer juego - to match

"Los zapatos tienen que hacer juego con la bolsa?"
"Do the shoes have to match the bag?"

"No compré los platos porque no hicieron juego."
"I didn't buy the plates because they weren't a matching set."

Hacer daño - to hurt/harm

"Me hice daño bajando las escaleras."
"I hurt myself going down the stairs."

"Cuidado, no te hagas daño!"
"Careful, don't hurt yourself!"

Hacer cola - make a queue

"Hacemos cola para el autobús."
"We make a queue for the bus."

"No hicieron cola así que no pudieron entrar."
"They didn't queue, so they couldn't go inside."

Tip: Hacer is also used with idioms, such as hacer la vista gorda (turn a blind eye), hacer buenas migas (to get on well with someone).

Take a look at our list of 50 Spanish idioms to use in speaking exams to learn more!

No te hagas problemas!

Everyone learns in their own unique way, and you're the expert on which study techniques work best for you. Still, if you're stuck for ideas, why not:

• Practise with friends - no pressure speaking sessions can help you feel less shy

• Study with podcasts and TV shows - relax and learn at the same time with Spanish playlists and programmes

• Work with a private Spanish tutor - build fluency, confidence, and exam success with expert advise on grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary building, cultural insights, and much more!

FindTutors quick quiz

Now check your understanding with our FindTutors quick quiz on the Spanish verb hacer - you can view the correct answers at the end of the quiz.

Hazlo con confianza, es divertido!

Section A — Multiple choice (choose the correct option)

1. “Hacer” is generally used to mean:
   a) To become
   b) To do / to make
   c) To go
   d) To need

2. Which sentence correctly uses hacer?
   a) Yo hago profesor.
   b) Yo hago mis deberes.
   c) Yo hago viejo.
   d) Yo hago feliz.

3. Which sentence correctly uses hacerse (to become)?
   a) Me hago médico.
   b) Hago médico.
   c) Hacemos frío.
   d) Me haces el desayuno.

4. “Hacerse amigo de alguien” means:
   a) To make someone do something
   b) To become someone’s friend
   c) To do a favour
   d) To make a plan

5. Which expression uses hacer in the sense of weather?
   a) Hace calor
   b) Hago calor
   c) Se hace calor
   d) Me hago calor

Section B — Fill in the blanks with the correct form of hacer or hacerse

6. Yo ________ una lista de cosas para estudiar.

7. Ella se ________ famosa después del vídeo.

8. Nosotros ________ un viaje a España el mes que viene.

9. ¿Qué ________ tú esta tarde?

10. Mi hermano quiere ________ piloto.

Section C — Translate into Spanish

11. It’s cold today.

12. I am going to do my homework later.

13. She became very tired.

14. They made a cake for the party.

15. We want to become doctors.

✅ Answer key

Section A

1. b

2. b

3. a

4. b

5. a

Section B

6. hago

7. hizo/se hizo (depending on context — likely “se hizo”)

8. hacemos

9. haces

10. hacerse

Section C

11. Hace frío hoy.

12. Voy a hacer mis deberes más tarde.

13. Ella se hizo muy cansada. *(Also acceptable: “Ella se puso muy cansada”)

14. Ellos hicieron un pastel para la fiesta.

15. Queremos hacernos médicos.