Expressions with “Hace” for Time in Spanish

One of the most useful and common ways to express time in Spanish is by using the verb “hacer.” Whether you want to talk about how long something has been happening, how long ago something occurred, or how long something took, “hace” is essential. Mastering these expressions will help you sound more fluent and natural in Spanish conversations.

In this blog post, we will explore the various ways “hace” is used to indicate time, including grammatical rules, conjugation, and example sentences to reinforce understanding. Let’s dive in!

Common Expressions with “Hace” for Time

1. Hace + period of time + que + present tense – To express how long something has been happening.
   • Hace tres años que vivo en España.
     (I have been living in Spain for three years.)
   • Hace mucho tiempo que estudio español.
     (I have been studying Spanish for a long time.)
2. Hace + period of time + que + past tense – To express how long ago something happened.
   • Hace dos días que vi a Juan.
     (I saw Juan two days ago.)
   • Hace un año que terminé la universidad.
     (I graduated from university a year ago.)
3. Hacía + period of time + que + imperfect tense – To express something that had been happening before another past action.
   • Hacía tres meses que trabajaba en la empresa cuando me ascendieron.
     (I had been working at the company for three months when they promoted me.)
   • Hacía cinco años que vivíamos en Madrid cuando nos mudamos a Barcelona.
     (We had been living in Madrid for five years when we moved to Barcelona.)
4. Hace + time period – To simply state how long ago something happened.
   • Hace cinco años me mudé a México.
     (I moved to Mexico five years ago.)
   • Hace un rato que salimos.
     (We left a while ago.)
5. Desde hace + period of time – To indicate how long something has been happening.
   • Trabajo aquí desde hace seis meses.
     (I have been working here for six months.)
   • Vivimos en esta casa desde hace diez años.
     (We have been living in this house for ten years.)

Usage

1. To Express Duration (Present Tense)

Used when an action began in the past and is still happening.

• Hace tres años que vivo en España.
  (I have been living in Spain for three years.)
• Hace mucho tiempo que estudio español.
  (I have been studying Spanish for a long time.)

2. To Express How Long Ago Something Happened (Past Tense)

Used with the preterite to indicate how much time has passed since an event occurred.

• Hace dos días que vi a Juan.
  (I saw Juan two days ago.)
• Hace un año que terminé la universidad.
  (I graduated from university a year ago.)

3. To Express Duration Before Another Past Action (Imperfect Tense)

Used when referring to an action that was happening in the past before another event.

• Hacía tres meses que trabajaba en la empresa cuando me ascendieron.
  (I had been working at the company for three months when they promoted me.)
• Hacía cinco años que vivíamos en Madrid cuando nos mudamos a Barcelona.
  (We had been living in Madrid for five years when we moved to Barcelona.)

4. Simple Expression of Time Passed

Used without “que” to state how long ago something happened.

• Hace cinco años me mudé a México.
  (I moved to Mexico five years ago.)

5. “Desde Hace” to Indicate Duration

Used to express how long something has been occurring.

• Trabajo aquí desde hace seis meses.
  (I have been working here for six months.)

Grammar Rules

1. “Hace” is always used in the third-person singular form.
   • Correct: Hace cinco años que vivo aquí. (I have been living here for five years.)
   • Incorrect: Hacen cinco años que vivo aquí.
2. When followed by “que,” the sentence structure varies depending on the tense.
   • Present: Hace + time + que + present tense → Hace dos años que estudio español.
   • Past: Hace + time + que + past tense → Hace un mes que visité Francia.
3. “Hacía” is used instead of “hace” for past progressive expressions.
   • Hacía tres años que trabajaba allí. (I had been working there for three years.)
4. “Desde hace” is used instead of “hace” when “desde” is required.
   • Trabajo aquí desde hace dos años. (I have been working here for two years.)

Example Sentences

1. Hace tres meses que estudio francés. (I have been studying French for three months.)
2. Hace dos semanas que nos conocimos. (We met two weeks ago.)
3. Hacía cinco años que trabajaba allí. (I had been working there for five years.)
4. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que vives aquí? (How long have you been living here?)
5. Hace un rato que salimos. (We left a while ago.)
6. Hace diez años que me casé. (I got married ten years ago.)
7. Hace poco que empezó la película. (The movie started a short time ago.)
8. Hace tres horas que espero el autobús. (I have been waiting for the bus for three hours.)
9. Hacía mucho tiempo que no te veía. (I hadn’t seen you for a long time.)
10. Hace poco que aprendí a nadar. (I learned to swim recently.)
11. Hace dos días que llegué a Madrid. (I arrived in Madrid two days ago.)
12. Hacía diez años que no hablaba con él. (I hadn’t spoken to him in ten years.)
13. Hace cinco minutos que terminó la reunión. (The meeting ended five minutes ago.)
14. Hace cuatro meses que compré este coche. (I bought this car four months ago.)
15. Hace seis años que empecé mi carrera. (I started my career six years ago.)

Exercise: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word in parentheses.

1. Hace cinco años que ______ en Japón. (vivir)
2. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que tú ______ español? (estudiar)
3. Hace tres meses que ellos ______ en esta empresa. (trabajar)
4. ¿Hace cuánto tiempo que nosotros ______ en este barrio? (vivir)
5. Hace una semana que mi hermano ______ enfermo. (estar)
6. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que ustedes ______ a México? (viajar)
7. Hace dos días que Ana y yo ______ a su casa. (ir)
8. Hace mucho tiempo que tú no me ______. (llamar)
9. ¿Hace cuánto que Pedro ______ esta película? (ver)
10. Hace seis años que yo ______ en esta universidad. (estudiar)

Answers

1. Hace cinco años que vivo en Japón.
   • Romaji: Hace cinco años que vivo en Japón.
   • English: I have been living in Japan for five years.
2. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que tú estudias español?
   • Romaji: ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que tú estudias español?
   • English: How long have you been studying Spanish?
3. Hace tres meses que ellos trabajan en esta empresa.
   • Romaji: Hace tres meses que ellos trabajan en esta empresa.
   • English: They have been working at this company for three months.
4. ¿Hace cuánto tiempo que nosotros vivimos en este barrio?
   • Romaji: ¿Hace cuánto tiempo que nosotros vivimos en este barrio?
   • English: How long have we been living in this neighborhood?
5. Hace una semana que mi hermano está enfermo.
   • Romaji: Hace una semana que mi hermano está enfermo.
   • English: My brother has been sick for a week.
6. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que ustedes viajaron a México?
   • Romaji: ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que ustedes viajaron a México?
   • English: How long ago did you all travel to Mexico?
7. Hace dos días que Ana y yo fuimos a su casa.
   • Romaji: Hace dos días que Ana y yo fuimos a su casa.
   • English: Ana and I went to their house two days ago.
8. Hace mucho tiempo que tú no me llamas.
   • Romaji: Hace mucho tiempo que tú no me llamas.
   • English: You haven’t called me in a long time.
9. ¿Hace cuánto que Pedro vio esta película?
   • Romaji: ¿Hace cuánto que Pedro vio esta película?
   • English: How long ago did Pedro see this movie?
10. Hace seis años que yo estudio en esta universidad.

• Romaji: Hace seis años que yo estudio en esta universidad.
• English: I have been studying at this university for six years.

Summary

• “Hace” is used to express time-related concepts in different tenses.
• “Hace + time + que + present” is used for actions that started in the past and continue.
• “Hace + time + que + past” is used for actions that happened a certain time ago.
• “Hacía + time + que + imperfect” is used for actions that had been happening before another past action.
• “Desde hace” is used when expressing how long something has been happening.
• “Hace” is always in the third-person singular form (e.g., “Hace cinco años…”).
• The tense used after “que” depends on whether the event is ongoing or completed.
• Understanding “hace” expressions helps in discussing durations and past events fluently in Spanish.

Conclusion

Mastering expressions with “hace” is crucial for achieving fluency in Spanish, as they are commonly used in everyday conversations. Understanding how to correctly structure sentences with “hace” will allow you to express durations and past events accurately. Keep practicing with real-life examples to reinforce these concepts, and soon, using “hace” will become second nature in your Spanish communication!

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vikas kumar

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Vikas Kumar is a dedicated language educator, content creator, and digital entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of My Language Classes and The Curious Mind. With a strong focus on helping learners achieve fluency in English, Spanish, and Japanese, he has guided audiences worldwide through a diverse range of resources, including in-depth blog articles, engaging YouTube tutorials, and comprehensive Books.

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