A happy child proudly holding up a freshly baked and decorated cake.

hice

/ee-seh/

VerbA1irregular er

I did?General actions,I made?Creating or preparing something

Also:I packed?As in 'hice la maleta' (I packed the suitcase),I asked?As in 'hice una pregunta' (I asked a question),I took?As in 'hice un viaje' (I took a trip)

Quick Reference

infinitivehacer

gerundhaciendo

past Participlehecho

📝 In Action

Hice mi tarea anoche.

I did my homework last night.

Hice un pastel de chocolate para la fiesta.

I made a chocolate cake for the party.

Ayer hice ejercicio en el parque.

Yesterday I exercised in the park.

¿Qué hice mal?

What did I do wrong?

Word Connections

Synonyms

realicé (I carried out / I performed)
elaboré (I elaborated / I prepared)

Antonyms

deshice (I undid)

Common Collocations

hice la cama – I made the bed
hice una pregunta – I asked a question
hice la compra – I did the grocery shopping
hice un amigo – I made a friend

💡 Grammar Points

A Specific Past Action

Use 'hice' to talk about a single, completed action in the past. Think of it like a snapshot: the action started and finished. For example, 'Ayer hice un pastel' (Yesterday I made a cake) - the cake-making is done!

Watch out for 'hizo'!

The form for 'he/she/you (formal) did' is 'hizo'. The 'c' changes to a 'z' to keep the 's' sound. You'll see this pattern in other verbs, so it's a good one to remember.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up 'hice' and 'hacía'

Mistake: "Cuando era niño, hice mi tarea todos los días."

Correction: Cuando era niño, hacía mi tarea todos los días. Use 'hacía' for repeated or ongoing actions in the past (what you 'used to do'). Use 'hice' for a specific, finished action (what you 'did' once).

Forgetting the 'c' to 'z' change

Mistake: "Mi hermano hico la cena."

Correction: Mi hermano hizo la cena. Remember, for 'él/ella/usted', the verb 'hacer' changes to 'hizo' in this past tense to keep the pronunciation right.

⭐ Usage Tips

Two-for-One: 'Did' and 'Made'

In English, you have two different words, 'did' and 'made'. Spanish keeps it simple! 'Hice' covers both. So 'I did my homework' and 'I made a sandwich' both use 'hice'.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

yohago

túhaces

él/ella/ustedhace

nosotroshacemos

vosotroshacéis

ellos/ellas/ustedeshacen

preterite

yohice

túhiciste

él/ella/ustedhizo

nosotroshicimos

vosotroshicisteis

ellos/ellas/ustedeshicieron

imperfect

yohacía

túhacías

él/ella/ustedhacía

nosotroshacíamos

vosotroshacíais

ellos/ellas/ustedeshacían

subjunctive

present

yohaga

túhagas

él/ella/ustedhaga

nosotroshagamos

vosotroshagáis

ellos/ellas/ustedeshagan

imperfect

yohiciera

túhicieras

él/ella/ustedhiciera

nosotroshiciéramos

vosotroshicierais

ellos/ellas/ustedeshicieran

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: hice

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses a past tense form of 'hacer'? 'Ayer, yo ___ la cena para mi familia.'

📚 More Resources

Word Family

hacer(to do, to make) - verb

hecho(fact, deed / done, made) - noun/adjective

deshacer(to undo) - verb

hacedor(maker, creator) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it 'hizo' for 'he/she did' but 'hice' for 'I did'? Why not 'hico'?

Great question! It's to keep the sound consistent. In Spanish, the letter 'c' before an 'o' makes a hard 'k' sound (like in 'coco'). To keep the soft 's' sound of 'hacer', the spelling changes to 'z', giving us 'hizo'. This happens with many verbs!

What's the difference between 'hice' and 'hacía'?

Think of it this way: 'hice' is for something you DID (a single, finished action), like 'Hice la tarea' (I did the homework). 'Hacía' is for something you USED TO DO or WERE DOING (a repeated or ongoing action), like 'Hacía la tarea cuando llamaste' (I was doing the homework when you called).