hacer
/aˈθeɾ/
The Spanish phrase for 'to do' is hacer.
hacer is used to express the concept of doing or making something. It is also used in Spanish to express weather conditions, such as in the phrase hace frío to say 'it is cold', where English uses the verb 'to be' instead.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, which distinguishes between 'to do' and 'to make', Spanish uses the single verb hacer for both concepts.
How does it change in a sentence?
When conjugating the verb, the first person singular present indicative form is hago (I do/I make) and the first person singular preterite indicative form is hice (I did/I made).
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈθeɾ/
Did you know?
- The idiomatic expression hacerse el sueco translates literally to 'to make oneself Swedish'. It is used when someone pretends to be ignorant or pretends not to hear you.
- The word hacer is a direct descendant of the Latin verb facere, which is the root of English words like 'factory' and 'manufacture'.
- The spelling of hacer changed from the Old Spanish 'fazer' to its modern form as the initial 'f' sound evolved into a silent 'h'.
Examples in context
- ¿Vas a hacer eso?Are you going to do that?This sentence is useful for asking someone about their intentions regarding an action with hacer.Tatoeba #6682546 by UsuarioX, translation #5851902 by CK
- No sabe qué hacer.He doesn't know what to do.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of knowledge regarding an action with hacer.Tatoeba #1291790 by Shishir, translation #717764 by CM
- Ya no sé qué hacer.I don't know what to do anymore.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal sense of uncertainty about an action with hacer.Tatoeba #2648 by Shishir, translation #1443 by Zifre
- Hacer la tareaTo do homework
- Hacer ejercicioTo do exercise
- Hacer una fiestaTo throw a party
- Hacer algo interesanteTo do something interesting
- Hacer algo especialTo do something special
- Realizar una presentaciónTo do a presentation
- Realizar un proyectoTo do a project
- Efectuar una transacción bancariaTo do a bank transaction
- Efectuar una investigaciónTo do research
- Realizar un análisis exhaustivoTo do a thorough analysis
- Realizar una evaluaciónTo do an evaluation
- Mandar hacer un pastelTo have a cake made
- Ponerse a cocinarTo get down to cooking (To start cooking)
- 2365 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are talking about their weekend plans.
- Sofía¿Qué quieres hacer este sábado, Alejandro?What do you want to do this Saturday, Alejandro?
- AlejandroNo sé, ¿tienes alguna idea, Sofía?I don't know, do you have any ideas, Sofía?
- SofíaPodemos hacer una caminata en el parque.We can do a hike in the park.
- AlejandroMe parece un plan perfecto.That sounds like a perfect plan.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hacer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
