hace dos días
/aθe dos dias/from spelling rules
The English phrase "two days ago" is translated into Spanish as hace dos días.
hace dos días is used to refer to the time that passed between the current moment and two days in the past.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "it makes two days", where hace is the third-person singular of hacer (to make or do).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying hace dos días atrás, which translates to "two days ago back". This is a common error. Simply using hace dos días is more natural and sufficient.
Did you know?
- While hace dos días refers to the past, the verb hace is always kept in the present tense. To express 'it had been two days' in a past-tense narrative, a speaker would switch to the imperfect form hacía dos días.
- Spanish shares this time-measuring logic with Italian, which uses the word fa to mean 'ago'. Both languages use a form of the verb 'to make' rather than a preposition or adverb.
- The word hace acts as an impersonal verb, meaning it has no real subject. It functions exactly like the 'it' in the English sentence 'it is raining', where 'it' doesn't actually refer to anything.
Examples in context
- Llegamos hace dos días.We arrived two days ago.This sentence shows how to use hace dos días to describe a completed arrival.Tatoeba #3441204 by Shishir, translation #3441088 by AlanF_US
- Te lo envié hace dos días.I sent it to you two days ago.This sentence uses hace dos días to indicate when an item was sent.Tatoeba #803419 by Shishir, translation #680125 by Source_VOA
- Ella falleció hace dos días.She passed away two days ago.This sentence demonstrates the use of hace dos días when reporting a past event.Tatoeba #3216327 by cueyayotl, translation #310144 by CK
- Hace dos días que llegué a Madrid.I arrived in Madrid two days ago.
- Llegué a Barcelona dos días atrás.I arrived in Barcelona two days ago.
- Hace dos días que vi a Ana.I saw Ana two days ago.
- Mi hermana llegó hace dos días.My sister arrived two days ago.
- Fui al cine dos días atrás.I went to the movies two days ago.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are talking about a package that arrived.
- Elena¿Recibiste el paquete?Did you receive the package?
- JavierSí, me llegó hace dos días.Yes, it arrived to me two days ago.
- ElenaQué bueno, Javier.That's good, Javier.
- JavierGracias, Elena.Thanks, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dos, hace, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
