hacen
“hacen” means “they do” in Spanish. It has 4 different meanings depending on context:
they do
Also: you (plural) do
📝 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.
they make
Also: you (plural) make
📝 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?
it is
📝 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.
they make [someone feel/do something]
Also: they cause
📝 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.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: hacen
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'hacen' to mean 'they make' (create)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
'Hacen' comes from the verb 'hacer', which traces its roots back to the Latin word 'facere'. 'Facere' meant 'to do' or 'to make', a double meaning that Spanish has kept to this day. Many English words like 'factory', 'fact', and 'manufacture' also come from this same Latin root!
First recorded: 10th century (as 'facer')
Cognates (Related words)
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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!