What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "it makes a beautiful day" because Spanish uses the verb hacer (to make/do) to express weather conditions.
Which one should you use?
You can substitute hermoso with precioso in the phrase hace un día precioso to add a slightly stronger emphasis on the beauty of the day.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people often use the phrase Qué buen tiempo hace hoy to express that it is a beautiful day. In Mexico, a popular way to say "It is a beautiful day" is by using the phrase ¡Hoy está de lujo!
How does it change in a sentence?
Even though English uses "it is" (to be), Spanish uses the impersonal form of hacer (to make) to describe the weather in this context.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use es (the verb "to be") instead of hace when describing the weather.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, commenting on the beauty of the day is a standard social 'icebreaker' used to initiate polite conversation with strangers.
- While hace is used for weather, it is also used to express time passed, similar to the English word 'ago'. For example, hace dos años means 'two years ago'.
- The word hermoso originally began with an 'f' in Old Spanish, appearing as fermoso. This was due to a phonetic shift where initial 'f' sounds became silent or changed to 'h' over time.
Examples in context
- Qué bello día hace hoy. Espero que disfrute de este hermoso clima.What a beautiful day it is today. I hope you enjoy this lovely weather.
- ¡Qué día más bonito! Vamos a aprovecharlo al máximo.What a beautiful day! Let's make the most of it.
- Hoy hace un día hermoso.Today is a beautiful day.
- ¡Qué bueno que hace un día hermoso para caminar!It's so good that it's a beautiful day for walking!
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are standing on a balcony looking outside.
- AlejandroMira, María, hace un día hermoso.Look, María, it is a beautiful day.
- MaríaSí, Alejandro, el cielo está muy despejado.Yes, Alejandro, the sky is very clear.
- Alejandro¿Quieres ir al parque?Do you want to go to the park?
- María¡Claro que sí!Of course!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries día, hace, hermoso, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
