The preterite of hacer is used to express when you did or made something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I made dinner last night” – “Hice la cena anoche.”
This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The stem changes to ‘hic-‘ (except in the third person singular hizo), making it essential to memorize these unique forms.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Hacer (to do/make) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | hice |
| Tú | hiciste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hizo |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hicimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hicisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hicieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Hacer (to do/make) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Hacer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of hacer expresses completed actions of doing or making.
To do/make: Refers to completing an action or creating something, for example Hice la tarea anoche (I did the homework last night), or Hicieron una fiesta (They made/threw a party).
Weather expressions: Used to describe weather events, for example Hizo calor todo el día (It was hot all day).
Examples
Examples of Hacer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Hice la tarea anoche. (I did the homework last night.)
¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana? (What did you do on the weekend?)
María hizo una deliciosa cena. (Maria made a delicious dinner.)
Hicimos un viaje a la playa. (We took a trip to the beach.)
Los estudiantes hicieron un excelente trabajo. (The students did an excellent job.)
¿Por qué hiciste eso? (Why did you do that?)
El chef hizo un plato especial. (The chef made a special dish.)
Hicimos todo lo posible. (We did everything possible.)
¿Quién hizo este pastel? (Who made this cake?)
Los arquitectos hicieron un diseño innovador. (The architects made an innovative design.)
Hice ejercicio toda la semana. (I exercised all week.)
El artista hizo una obra maestra. (The artist made a masterpiece.)
Hicieron las paces después de la discusión. (They made peace after the argument.)
Hicimos una fiesta sorpresa. (We made a surprise party.)
¿Qué hizo él cuando lo supo? (What did he do when he found out?)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Hacer (to do/make) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo hice | I did |
| Tú hiciste | You did |
| Él / Ella / Usted hizo | He / She / You (formal) did |
| Nosotros / Nosotras hicimos | We did |
| Vosotros / Vosotras hicisteis | You all did |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes hicieron | They / You all (formal) did |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.