hice/hiciste/hizo/hicimos/hicieron
Preterite of Hacer
Hacer (to do/make) is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The stem changes from 'hac-' to 'hic-', and the third-person singular form uses a 'z' ('hizo').
How It Works
The verb hacer is one of the most common irregular verbs in the preterite tense. Instead of using the regular endings for -er verbs, it undergoes a stem change and uses a special set of endings.
The stem changes from hac- to hic- for most forms. Here are the full conjugations:
- yo hice (I did/made)
- tú hiciste (you did/made)
- él/ella/usted hizo (he/she/you did/made)
- nosotros/as hicimos (we did/made)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes hicieron (they/you all did/made)
Important Note: In the third-person singular (él, ella, usted), the stem letter c changes to a z, resulting in hizo. This is a spelling change to preserve the soft 's' sound. If it were spelled 'hico', it would be pronounced with a hard 'k' sound ('ee-ko').
Examples (5)
- Yo hice mi cama esta mañana.
I made my bed this morning.
Word by Word: I made my bed this morning.
- ¿Qué hiciste ayer por la tarde?
What did you do yesterday afternoon?
Word by Word: What did-you yesterday for the afternoon?
- Mi hermano hizo la cena para todos.
My brother made dinner for everyone.
Word by Word: My brother made the dinner for everyone.
- Nosotros hicimos un muñeco de nieve.
We made a snowman.
Word by Word: We made a doll of snow.
- Los estudiantes hicieron un buen trabajo.
The students did a good job.
Word by Word: The students did a good work.
Common Mistakes
Using a regular '-er' preterite ending for the third person.
Ella hació un pastel.Ella hizo un pastel.'Hacer' is completely irregular in the preterite. The third-person singular form is 'hizo'. The regular ending '-ió' is never used.
Forgetting the spelling change from 'c' to 'z' in 'hizo'.
Él hico la tarea.Él hizo la tarea.To maintain the soft 's' sound before the 'o', the 'c' must change to a 'z'. 'Hico' would be pronounced with a hard 'k' sound.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the irregular preterite forms of 'hacer', learners must first be familiar with the verb's meaning from the present tense, understand the general logic of preterite endings for -ER verbs, and know the subject pronouns to correctly apply each conjugation.
- hago/haces/hace/hacemos/hacenHacer Present Tense
Understanding the meaning and basic usage of the verb 'hacer' (to do/make) in the present tense is essential before learning its past forms.
Foundations - -í/-iste/-ió/-imos/-isteis/-ieronPreterite -ER/-IR Verbs
The preterite of 'hacer' is irregular, but it still shares some ending patterns with regular -ER/-IR preterite verbs, such as the -iste, -imos, and -ieron endings.
Level 2 - yo/tú/él/ella/ustedSubject Pronouns (Singular)
Knowledge of subject pronouns is necessary to understand which person each conjugated form of 'hacer' corresponds to.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- Preterite for Completion
This explains the general use of the preterite tense, which is the context for all forms of 'hice', 'hiciste', 'hizo', etc. It's used for finished actions in the past.
Level 2 - fui/fuiste/fue/fuimos/fueronPreterite of Ser/Ir
Like 'hacer', 'ser' and 'ir' are also highly irregular in the preterite. Comparing them helps you practice common irregular patterns.
Level 2 - tuve/tuviste/tuvo/tuvimos/tuvieronPreterite of Tener
'Tener' is another common verb with an irregular stem in the preterite ('tuv-'). It follows a similar ending pattern to 'hacer' (-e, -iste, -o, etc.).
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice hice/hiciste/hizo/hicimos/hicieron in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Spanish lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
