Hacer in the Spanish present tense
Hacer means to do or to make and appears in routines, tasks, weather expressions and many common phrases.
Its yo form is hago. The other present forms keep the hac- stem and use regular -ER endings: haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis and hacen.
Hago for yo; hac- plus regular -ER endings elsewhere
Use hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis and hacen. Let the subject choose the form and let the noun or phrase after hacer clarify whether English uses do, make or another expression.
1. Meaning and form in context
Use hago only with yo. Hacer also forms expressions such as hacer ejercicio, hacer una pregunta, hacer frío and hacer la cama; learn the whole expression instead of translating do or make word for word.
2. A contrast worth noticing
The -go irregularity does not spread to the other persons: tú haces and ella hace, not tú hagos or ella haga. Haga belongs to the present subjunctive or to a formal command, not to this indicative lesson.
3. Let the subject guide the form
Spanish often omits a subject pronoun, but each exercise provides enough context to identify the person. Choose the form from meaning and agreement, not from the nearest noun.
4. Common mistakes
The infinitive hacer must change to hago for this subject and context.
The infinitive hacer must change to haces for this subject and context.
The infinitive hacer must change to hace for this subject and context.
5. A reliable method
- Identify who performs the action.
- Use hago only for yo.
- For every other person, keep hac- and choose the regular -ER ending.
- Read hacer together with its complete expression.