hace
/ˈaθe/
The English phrase 'ago' is translated into Spanish as hace. Wiktionary also lists atrás and ha.
Meaning: past, gone by, since (postp)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| hace | /ˈaθe/ /ˈase/ |
| atrás | /aˈtɾas/ |
| ha | /ˈa/ |
The term is used to refer to the past, something that has gone by or a period of time since an event occurred.
Which one should you use?
The forms hace and atrás have different positions relative to the time period. While hace is placed before the time period, atrás is placed after the time period to mean 'ago'. You may see both used together in a single phrase, such as hace dos años atrás, which is common in many dialects, though some grammarians consider this redundant.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express 'ago', the word hace is placed before the time period.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaθe/
Did you know?
- The word hace is actually a form of the verb hacer, which means 'to make' or 'to do'. When you say something happened 'two years ago', you are literally saying 'it makes two years'.
- While hace is the standard for 'ago', atrás can be used alone to mean 'back then' or 'in the past' without a specific number of years.
- Using atrás to mean 'ago' is more common in certain Latin American dialects than in others, which can influence how you perceive time in conversation.
Examples in context
- Fue hace un mes.That was a month ago.This sentence is useful for stating when an event occurred using hace.Tatoeba #5009084 by Shishir, translation #5008906 by CK
- Nací hace 20 años.I was born 20 years ago.This sentence is useful for stating a birth year using hace.Tatoeba #529529 by Shishir, translation #259775 by CK
- No fue hace mucho.That wasn't so long ago.This sentence is useful for expressing that a period of time was not long using hace.Tatoeba #5022423 by don_ramon, translation #5021781 by CK
- Hace una semanaA week ago
- Hace dos mesesTwo months ago
- Hace cinco añosFive years ago
- Desde hace mucho tiempoA long time ago
- Hace tres días que llegué a Madrid.I arrived in Madrid three days ago.
- Vinieron a visitarme hace dos semanas.They came to visit me two weeks ago.
- Llegué hace una semana y ya me siento como en casa.I arrived a week ago, and already feel at home.
- Fui de vacaciones dos meses atrás.I went on vacation two months ago.
- Vi a Ana en una fiesta hace cinco años.I saw Ana at a party five years ago.
- Hace dos días.Two days ago.
- 601 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Daniel are talking about a movie they saw.
- María¿Cuándo viste esa película, Daniel?When did you see that movie, Daniel?
- DanielLa vi hace dos semanas.I saw it two weeks ago.
- MaríaYo la vi hace mucho tiempo.I saw it a long time ago.
- DanielEntonces ya no recuerdas el final.Then you don't remember the ending anymore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ago” translations and entries hace, atrás, ha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atrás, hace, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
