hacer

Definition & meaning

The verb hacer is one of the most fundamental and frequent verbs in the Spanish language. It translates primarily to "to do" or "to make."

1. To perform an action or activity: This refers to the act of carrying out a task or executing a movement. Examples include "hacer la tarea" (to do homework) or "hacer ejercicio" (to do exercise).
2. To create, build, or manufacture: This refers to producing something new, whether it is physical or abstract. Examples include "hacer un pastel" (to make a cake) or "hacer amigos" (to make friends).
3. Impersonal use with weather: When used in the third person singular, it describes weather conditions, such as "hace sol" (it is sunny) or "hace frío" (it is cold).
4. Time duration: It is used to express how much time has passed since an event, such as "hace dos años" (two years ago).

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar:

• Verb type: Irregular verb. It is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object in most contexts.
• Irregularities: The first-person singular present indicative is "hago." The future and conditional stems are irregular ("har-"). The past participle is "hecho."
• Classification: It belongs to the second conjugation (-er verbs).

Word origin:

• The word comes from the Latin verb facere, which also carries the meanings of "to make," "to do," "to act," or "to perform."

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

• Realizar ↗ (To carry out or perform)
• Crear ↗ (To create)
• Fabricar ↗ (To manufacture)
• Ejecutar ↗ (To execute)

Antonyms:

• Deshacer ↗ (To undo)
• Destruir ↗ (To destroy)