A simple, colorful storybook illustration of a child flying a red kite in a sunny field. Three faint, translucent versions of the child are shown immediately behind the main figure, suggesting a repeated past action or habit.

hacías

ah-SEE-ahs

VerbA1irregular er

you used to do?past habits/repeated actions (tú),you were doing?ongoing past action (tú)

Also:you used to make?past creation/production (tú),you were making?ongoing past creation (tú)

Quick Reference

infinitivehacer

gerundhaciendo

past Participlehecho

📝 In Action

Cuando eras niño, ¿qué deportes hacías?

When you were a child, what sports did you use to play (do)?

Llegué a tu casa mientras hacías la cena.

I arrived at your house while you were making dinner.

Siempre hacías la tarea justo antes de irte a dormir.

You always used to do your homework right before going to sleep.

Word Connections

Synonyms

realizabas (you were carrying out)
construías (you were building (for 'make'))

Common Collocations

hacías ejercicio – you used to exercise
hacías planes – you were making plans

💡 Grammar Points

The Imperfect Tense's Job

This form ('hacías') describes actions that were ongoing or repeated many times in the past. Think of it as 'I used to...' or 'I was...ing'.

Imperfect vs. Preterite

Use 'hacías' (Imperfect) for habits or descriptions (e.g., 'You used to study'). Use 'hiciste' (Preterite) for a single, completed action (e.g., 'You did it yesterday').

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing 'Hacías' and 'Hiciste'

Mistake: "¿Qué hiciste cuando eras niño?"

Correction: ¿Qué hacías cuando eras niño? (Use 'hacías' because 'when you were a child' describes a long period or habit.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Describing Background

'Hacías' is perfect for setting the scene. For example, 'Mientras tú hacías la maleta, yo leía' (While you were packing the suitcase, I was reading).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedhace

yohago

túhaces

ellos/ellas/ustedeshacen

nosotroshacemos

vosotroshacéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhacía

yohacía

túhacías

ellos/ellas/ustedeshacían

nosotroshacíamos

vosotroshacíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedhizo

yohice

túhiciste

ellos/ellas/ustedeshicieron

nosotroshicimos

vosotroshicisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedhaga

yohaga

túhagas

ellos/ellas/ustedeshagan

nosotroshagamos

vosotroshagáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhiciera/hiciese

yohiciera/hiciese

túhicieras/hicieses

ellos/ellas/ustedeshicieran/hiciesen

nosotroshiciéramos/hiciésemos

vosotroshicierais/hicieseis

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: hacías

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'hacías' to describe a past habit?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

hacer(to do, to make) - verb

hecho(fact, deed) - noun

deshacer(to undo, to destroy) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'hacías' the only irregular imperfect form of 'hacer'?

No. The verb 'hacer' is irregular in many tenses, but the imperfect forms (hacía, hacías, hacíamos, etc.) are actually very regular! The only truly irregular imperfect verbs are *ir* (to go), *ser* (to be), and *ver* (to see).

Why does 'hacer' mean both 'to do' and 'to make'?

Many languages use one core verb for both concepts. Think of it as 'to cause something to exist' (make) or 'to cause an action to happen' (do). Context always makes the meaning clear.