Hacer is one of the first verbs you learn in Spanish — and also one of the last you fully master. Most beginners pick it up as “to do” or “to make,” which covers a lot of ground, but native speakers use hacer in ways that go well beyond those two translations.
Weather, feelings, cooking, and even stubborn children all fall within its reach. Here are the five meanings that will take your understanding of hacer to the next level.
1️⃣ Hacer = to do / to make
The core meaning, and the one you’ll use most. Whenever you’re doing an activity or making something happen in a general sense, hacer is your verb.
- Hago ejercicio en casa. – I exercise at home.
- ¿Qué haces los fines de semana? – What do you do at weekends?
2️⃣ Hacer = to be (weather)
In Spanish, the weather doesn’t just “be” cold or hot — it “makes” cold or hot. Hacer is the standard verb for describing weather conditions, and it’s completely fixed. You can’t swap it for ser or estar.
- Hace frío hoy. – It’s cold today.
- En verano hace mucho calor en el sur de España. – In summer it’s very hot in the south of Spain.
⚠️ Weather with hacer: Always impersonal! → ✅ Hace frío. ❌ Yo hago frío.
3️⃣ Hacer = to make / to prepare (food)
When you’re in the kitchen, hacer is a natural, very common verb for preparing meals in everyday speech.
- Hago la cena. – I make dinner.
- Esta noche hago una tortilla española. ¿Te quedas? – Tonight I’m making a Spanish omelette. Are you staying?
4️⃣ Hacer = to cause a feeling or state
When something causes you to feel a certain way, Spanish uses hacer + adjective or noun. It’s a simple, elegant structure that comes up constantly in real conversation.
- Mi trabajo me hace feliz. – My work makes me happy.
- Esa canción me hace llorar siempre. – That song always makes me cry.
5️⃣ Hacer caso = to pay attention / to listen to
This fixed expression is one every Spanish learner needs in their toolkit. Hacer caso means to pay attention to someone or take notice of what they say — and it’s used just as often in the negative.
- El niño no me hace caso. – The child doesn’t pay attention to me.
- Te dije que llevaras paraguas y no me hiciste caso. – I told you to take an umbrella and you didn’t listen.
💡 Note: “llevaras” is a past form you’ll hear often after “decir que”. Focus on understanding the meaning for now.
Hacer is one of those verbs where the more Spanish you consume, the more you realise just how often it appears.
The weather expressions and hacer caso in particular are things you’ll encounter every single day — so getting comfortable with them early will pay off fast. Start noticing hacer in the wild and you’ll be surprised how quickly these five meanings become second nature.
🗣️ Shadowing Practice
Play the audio and repeat each phrase immediately after the speaker, trying to sound as close as possible. All phrases are taken from the examples above.
❤️ Daily Spanish in 1 minute
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