Spanish Grammar Guide

Impersonal constructions with hacer

TIME AGO

When expressing “time ago,” we use the impersonal form — the verb, conjugated in the third person singular, with no subject — of hacer:

Hace una hora one hour ago
Hace dos minutos two minutes ago
Hace cuatro meses four months ago
Hace trescientos años three hundred years ago

Literal translation would be something like “it makes four months.”

EL TIEMPO (the weather)

For the weather, we also use the impersonal form of hacer. Again, the impersonal form is built by using the third person singular, but without a subject: Hace.

Hace calor it’s hot (lit. It makes heat).
Hace frío it’s cold (lit. It makes cold).
Hace buen tiempo – it’s nice outside (lit. It makes good weather).
Hace mal tiempo the weather is bad (lit. It makes bad weather).
Hace sol it’s sunny (lit. It makes sun).
Hace viento it’s windy (lit. It makes wind).
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