As in many Latin-based languages, Spanish verbs can be grouped into different categories depending on how they are conjugated. To break it down, Spanish verbs can be either regular, stem-changing, spelling-changing, or reflexive.

Regular verbs follow a set conjugation pattern depending on their endings (i.e. -ar, -er, and -ir verbs). Stem-changing verbs change depending on how they are used in a sentence, and spelling-changing verbs have consonants that alter to conform to pronunciation rules. Lastly, reflexive verbs are conjugated in a way that shows that the subject of the sentence is doing the action.

Trying to understand all of these grammatical concepts can be tricky, but with practice, it will become second nature. All you need to know is that some verbs are regular and some are irregular (sometimes depending on the tense).

To get started, we’ll begin with the present tense form of hacer so you can describe exactly what you’re doing right now.

As you’ll soon notice, hacer, or the verb “to do/make”, is an irregular verb in the present, as the “yo” or “I” form of the verb doesn’t conform to the usual -er verb conjugation pattern (i.e. “hago”). However, the rest of the verb is conjugated like a regular -er verb.

The Present Tense of Hacer

ConjugationTranslationyo hagoI dotú hacesYou (informal) doél/ella/ello/uno haceHe/she/one doesusted haceYou (formal) donosotros hacemosWe dovosotros hacéisYou all (informal) doellos/ellas hacenThey doustedes hacenYou all (formal) do

Here are some ways to use the verb “hacer” in the present tense:

• Hago la ropa todos los martes (I do laundry every Tuesday)
• Ella hace su trabajo muy diligentemente (She does her work very diligently)

The next verb tense we are going to learn is the preterit or past tense. As you’ll see from the table below, there is an irregular root (hic-) and a spelling change in the third person conjugation (a “z” instead of a “c”). Also, make a note of the fact that there are no accent marks here.

The Preterit Tense of Hacer

ConjugationTranslationyo hiceI didtú hicisteYou (informal) didél/ella/ello/uno hizoHe/she/one didusted hizoYou (formal) didnosotros hicimosWe didvosotros hicisteisYou all (informal) didellos/ellas hicieronThey didustedes hicieronYou all (formal) did

Here are some examples to show you how to use the preterit (past) tense:

• Hiciste un muy buen trabajo (You did a very good job)
• ¿Hicieron este delicioso pastel? (Did they make this delicious cake?)

And now you can breathe a sigh of relief because, in the imperfect tense, hacer is conjugated according to the usual er- verb pattern.

The Imperfect Tense of Hacer

ConjugationTranslationyo hacíaI used to dotú hacíasYou (informal) used to doél/ella/ello/uno hacíaHe/she/one used to dousted hacíaYou (formal) used to donosotros hacíamosWe used to dovosotros hacíaisYou all (informal) used to doellos/ellas hacíanThey used to doustedes hacíanYou all (formal) used to do

Here are some sentences to show you how the imperfect tense is done:

• ¿Hacían ustedes bailar? (Did you used to dance?)
• Si, hacíamos bailar professionalmente (Yes, we used to dance professionally.)

Thankfully, while hacer has an irregular stem (har-), you can still use the regular -er verb endings for this one.

The Future Tense of Hacer

ConjugationTranslationyo hareI will dotú harásYou (informal) will doél/ella/ello/uno haráHe/she/one will dousted haráYou (formal) will donosotros haremosWe will dovosotros haréisYou all (informal) will doellos/ellas haránThey will doustedes haránYou all (formal) will do

Here’s how the future tense of hacer can be applied in a sentence:

• ¿Harán el trabajo este fin de semana? (Will they do the work this weekend?)
• Sí, ¡y todos ustedes harán algo para ayudar también! (Yes, and all of you will do something to help too!)

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