“Hace” is a handy word in Spanish used to talk about time in the past. It’s great for saying how long ago something happened or how long something has been going on. Let’s explore the different ways you can use “hace” to talk about time.
1. Expressing How Long Ago Something Happened
The most common use of “hace” is to show how much time has passed since an action or event. In this case, “hace” is usually followed by a time expression.
Structure: hace + [time expression]
Examples:
- Llegué hace dos horas. (I arrived two hours ago.)
- El tren salió hace cinco minutos. (The train left five minutes ago.)
- Mis padres se casaron hace treinta años. (My parents got married thirty years ago.)
2. Ongoing Actions or Situations
When combined with “que,” “hace” can express how long a situation has been happening.
Structure: hace + [time expression] + que + [present tense verb]
Examples:
- Hace dos años que vivo aquí. (I’ve been living here for two years.)
- Hace tres meses que trabajo en esta empresa. (I’ve been working at this company for three months.)
- Hace una hora que estoy esperando el autobús. (I’ve been waiting for the bus for an hour.)
3. “Hace” in Questions
You can use “hace” in questions to ask how long ago something happened or how long something has been going on.
Examples:
- ¿Hace cuánto tiempo que estudias español? (How long have you been studying Spanish?)
- ¿Hace cuánto llegaste a la ciudad? (How long ago did you arrive in the city?)
4. “Hace” with Specific Time References
“Hace” can also be used with specific time references like days of the week, months, or years.
Examples:
- Nos vimos hace dos lunes. (We saw each other two Mondays ago.)
- Empecé la universidad hace tres septiembres. (I started university three Septembers ago.)
5. “Hace” in Negative Sentences
In negative sentences, “hace” often expresses that something hasn’t happened for a certain amount of time.
Examples:
- No veo a María hace años. (I haven’t seen María for years.)
- No llueve hace meses. (It hasn’t rained for months.)
6. “Desde hace” for Emphasis
If you want to really stress how long something has been going on, use “desde hace.”
Structure: [present tense verb] + desde hace + [time expression]
Examples:
- Vivo aquí desde hace diez años. (I’ve been living here for ten years.)
- Practico yoga desde hace seis meses. (I’ve been practicing yoga for six months.)
Understanding and using “hace” correctly in time expressions is super important for speaking Spanish well. It helps you explain when things happened in the past or how long they’ve been happening, making your communication much clearer!