The Imperfect Tense of Hacerse is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Me hacía la misma pregunta todos los días. (I asked myself the same question every day.)

This verb follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -cer or -cir in the Imperfect Tense, replacing the -c- with -cí- and adding the corresponding imperfect endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Hacerse (to become) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of hacerse is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

To become: For example, Ella se hacía mayor cada año. (She was becoming older every year.)

To turn into: For example, El agua se hacía hielo cuando bajaban las temperaturas. (The water turned into ice when the temperatures dropped.)

To get (a certain way): For example, El cielo se hacía oscuro cuando anochecía. (The sky got dark when night fell.) This can also express getting into a state or condition, like Se hacía tarde y teníamos que irnos. (It was getting late and we had to leave.)

To pretend, to act: For example, Los niños se hacían los enfermos para no ir a la escuela. (The kids pretended to be sick so they wouldn’t have to go to school.)

To become (in a figurative sense): For example, Con el tiempo, se hizo una persona más paciente. (Over time, she became a more patient person.)

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American countries, hacerse can mean to defecate, as in Me hice en los pantalones. (I pooped my pants.) It can also mean to masturbate, like Me la hacía pensando en ella. (I was masturbating while thinking about her.) These are considered vulgar.

Examples

Examples of Hacerse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me hacía la idea de que todo saldría bien. (I had the idea that everything would turn out well.)

Ella se hacía la enferma para no ir a trabajar. (She pretended to be sick so she wouldn’t have to go to work.)

Nosotros nos hacíamos los tontos cuando el profesor preguntaba. (We played dumb when the teacher asked questions.)

Tú te hacías el valiente, pero en realidad tenías miedo. (You acted brave, but you were really scared.)

Él se hacía el difícil, pero al final aceptó la oferta. (He played hard to get, but in the end he accepted the offer.)

Ellos se hacían los sordos cuando les pedíamos ayuda. (They pretended to be deaf when we asked them for help.)

Yo me hacía ilusiones de ganar la lotería. (I had hopes of winning the lottery.)

Ella se hacía la desentendida cuando le preguntaban sobre el asunto. (She played dumb when they asked her about the matter.)

Nosotros nos hacíamos los ocupados para no ayudar en las tareas del hogar. (We pretended to be busy so we wouldn’t have to help with the household chores.)

Tú te hacías el gracioso y nos hacías reír a todos. (You acted funny and made us all laugh.)

Él se hacía el interesante para impresionar a las chicas. (He acted interesting to impress the girls.)

Ellos se hacían los importantes cuando tenían visitas. (They acted important when they had visitors.)

Yo me hacía la idea de que todo era más fácil antes. (I had the idea that everything was easier before.)

Ella se hacía la fuerte, pero en realidad estaba sufriendo. (She acted strong, but she was really suffering.)

Nosotros nos hacíamos los distraídos cuando nos regañaban. (We pretended to be distracted when they scolded us.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Hacerse (to become) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.