hacen
/AH-sen/
they do
Ellos hacen ejercicio. (They do exercise.) This shows them performing an action.
hacen(Verb)
they do
?performing an action or activity
you (plural) do
?formal or in Latin America for a group
📝 In Action
¿Qué hacen los niños en el parque?
A1What are the children doing in the park?
Mis padres hacen ejercicio todas las mañanas.
A1My parents do exercise every morning.
Ustedes hacen un gran trabajo en equipo.
A2You all do a great job as a team.
💡 Grammar Points
Who is 'hacen' for?
Use 'hacen' when you're talking about what 'they' (ellos/ellas) or 'you all' (ustedes) are doing right now or as a habit. It's the plural form.
⭐ Usage Tips
'Do' vs. 'Make'
Unlike English, Spanish uses the same verb, 'hacer', for both 'do' (actions) and 'make' (creations). The meaning comes from what follows the verb.
Los panaderos hacen pan. (The bakers make bread.) This illustrates the meaning 'they make/create'.
hacen(Verb)
they make
?creating or preparing something
you (plural) make
?formal or in Latin America for a group
📝 In Action
Mis abuelos hacen el mejor pan del mundo.
A1My grandparents make the best bread in the world.
Los carpinteros hacen muebles de madera.
A2The carpenters make wooden furniture.
¿Ustedes hacen café por la mañana?
A1Do you all make coffee in the morning?
⭐ Usage Tips
Think 'Create'
When you see 'hacer' followed by a noun for a physical object or food (like 'cama', 'cena', 'muebles'), it almost always means 'to make'.
En el desierto, hacen mucho calor. (In the desert, it is very hot.) This represents the weather usage of the verb.
📝 In Action
En Sevilla en agosto, hacen cuarenta grados.
A2In Seville in August, it's forty degrees.
Dicen que mañana hacen temperaturas más bajas.
B1They say that tomorrow it will be lower temperatures.
💡 Grammar Points
Weather Talk: 'hace' vs. 'hacen'
Most Spanish speakers use 'hace' for weather ('hace calor', 'hace 30 grados'). But in some places, like Spain, people say 'hacen 30 grados', matching the verb to the plural 'grados' (degrees). Both are understood!
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'ser' or 'estar' for Temperature
Mistake: "Son 30 grados."
Correction: Hacen 30 grados. (or Hace 30 grados). For weather and temperature, Spanish uses the special verb 'hacer'.
Las cebollas te hacen llorar. (Onions make you cry.) This depicts a plural subject causing a reaction.
hacen(Verb)
they make [someone feel/do something]
?causing a reaction or change
they cause
?producing an effect
📝 In Action
Sus chistes siempre me hacen reír.
B1Their jokes always make me laugh.
Las películas tristes hacen llorar a mi hermana.
B1Sad movies make my sister cry.
Las cebollas te hacen llorar.
A2Onions make you cry.
💡 Grammar Points
Sentence Structure: 'Make someone do something'
The pattern is: [The cause] + hacen + [the other verb in its base form]. For example, 'Los chistes (cause) hacen reír (base form)'.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: hacen
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'hacen' to mean 'they make' (create)?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'hace' and 'hacen'?
'Hace' is for a single person or thing ('él/ella hace' - he/she does), while 'hacen' is for multiple people or things ('ellos/ellas hacen' - they do). Think of it like the difference between 'does' and 'do' in English.
Why is the verb 'hacer' so irregular?
Many of the most common verbs in Spanish, like 'hacer', are irregular because they've been used so much over centuries that their sounds have changed and smoothed out in ways that newer, less common verbs haven't. For example, 'hac-ré' was hard to say, so it became 'haré'. It's a sign of a very old and important verb!