hacer la tarea
/aθeɾ la taɾea/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'do homework' is translated as hacer la tarea.
The phrase refers to completing school assignments given by a teacher to be done outside of class. hacer la tarea is a common and neutral way to express this action.
Which one should you use?
While hacer la tarea is the standard way to say 'do homework', hacer los deberes is the preferred expression in many parts of Spain. Additionally, the plural noun los deberes is frequently used in Spain instead of la tarea to refer to school homework.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Colombia, you can say either hacer la tarea or hacer los deberes escolares to mean 'do homework.' In Spain, as mentioned, hacer los deberes is a very common way to express this.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to say 'I do homework', you must conjugate the verb hacer to the first-person singular form hago, resulting in hago la tarea.
How do you pronounce it?
/aθeɾ la taɾea/
Did you know?
- The word tarea shares a historical link with the Arabic word for 'to throw', suggesting an ancient concept of an assignment being something 'thrown' or 'cast' at someone.
- The verb hacer evolved from the Latin word facere, which is the same root used to create the English word 'fact'.
- In Spain, the word deberes used for homework literally means 'duties' or 'obligations'.
Examples in context
- Tengo que hacer la tareaI have to do homework
- Debes realizar las tareas diariamenteYou must do the homework daily
- Deben cumplir con los deberes asignadosYou must complete the assigned homework
- Vamos a hacer la tarea juntosLet's do homework together
- Voy a hacer los deberes ahora mismoI'm going to do the homework right now
- Ya hice las tareasI've already done the homework
- No puedo salir, tengo que hacer los deberes escolaresI can't go out, I have to do my school homework
- Tengo que hacer la tarea de matemáticas.I have to do my math homework.
Example conversation
Two students are talking at the park after school.
- María¿Quieres ir al cine hoy, Mateo?Do you want to go to the cinema today, Mateo?
- MateoNo puedo, primero debo hacer la tarea.I can't, I must do my homework first.
- MaríaEs mucha tarea para una tarde.It is a lot of homework for one afternoon.
- MateoSí, pero quiero terminar rápido.Yes, but I want to finish quickly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, la, tarea, CC BY-SA 4.0.
