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How to Say "ago" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “ago” is “hace” — use 'hace' when referring to a specific amount of time that has passed before the present moment, directly translating 'ago'..

English → Spanish

hace

/ah-say//ˈase/

VerbA2General
Use 'hace' when referring to a specific amount of time that has passed before the present moment, directly translating 'ago'.
A person waving goodbye as a car drives away down a long road, representing an event that happened in the past.

Examples

Terminé el libro hace dos días.

I finished the book two days ago.

Compramos esta casa hace diez años.

We bought this house ten years ago.

Hace mucho tiempo que no la veo.

I haven't seen her for a long time.

Two Ways to Say 'Ago'

You can put 'hace' before or after the main action. Both 'Llegué hace una hora' and 'Hace una hora que llegué' mean 'I arrived an hour ago'.

From 'Ago' to 'For'

If the action is still happening, 'hace' changes its meaning from 'ago' to 'for'. Compare: 'Fui a España hace un año' (I went to Spain one year ago) vs. 'Vivo en España hace un año' (I have lived in Spain for one year).

Translating 'Ago' Directly

Mistake: “Learners sometimes try to find a separate word for 'ago' and place it at the end of the sentence like in English.”

Correction: In Spanish, 'ago' is built into the phrase with 'hace'. Always use the structure 'hace + time period'.

atrás

/ah-TRAHS//aˈtɾas/

AdverbA2General
Use 'atrás' to indicate a point in time that is a certain duration before now, often interchangeable with 'hace' but can sometimes feel more like 'back' or 'behind'.
A scene showing a very large, mature oak tree next to a small, recently planted sapling, symbolizing the passage of time.

Examples

Nos conocimos tres años atrás.

We met three years ago.

Tiempo atrás, no existían los teléfonos inteligentes.

A while back, smartphones didn't exist.

Dejó su país muchos años atrás.

He left his country many years ago.

Talking About the Past

To say 'ago', you can use the pattern '[time period] + atrás'. For example, 'dos semanas atrás' (two weeks ago). It means the same as 'hace + [time period]', like 'hace dos semanas'.

hacer

/ah-sehr//a'seɾ/

VerbA2General
This refers to the verb 'hacer' (to do/make) used in its present tense conjugation 'hace' to denote past time, functioning identically to the 'hace' entry above.
An old-fashioned pocket watch resting on a stack of books, symbolizing the passage of time.

Examples

Llegué a España hace dos meses.

I arrived in Spain two months ago.

Comí hace una hora.

I ate an hour ago.

Hace dos años que vivo aquí.

I have been living here for two years.

Two Formulas for Time

To say 'ago', use: 'hace + time + que + verb in past' OR 'verb in past + hace + time'. To say 'for' (duration), use: 'hace + time + que + verb in present'.

Using the Wrong Verb Tense

Mistake: “Hace un año, vivo en Madrid.”

Correction: Hace un año, viví en Madrid. (A year ago, I lived in Madrid). When 'hace' means 'ago', the action is finished, so use a past tense. If you mean you *still* live there, say 'Hace un año que vivo en Madrid'.

hacía

/ah-SEE-ah//aˈsia/

VerbB1General
Use 'hacía' (imperfect tense of 'hacer') when talking about a duration of time in the past from a past perspective, or to express 'since' a long time ago.
A visual representation of duration: a small, green sprout next to a large, mature oak tree, symbolizing the passage of years.

Examples

Hacía tres años que no la veía.

It had been three years since I had seen her.

Hacía mucho tiempo que esperábamos ese momento.

We had been waiting for that moment for a long time.

Se mudó a Chile hacía diez años.

He moved to Chile ten years ago.

The 'Hacía... que' Formula

This structure is super useful. Use 'Hacía + [time] + que + [another verb in the same past tense]' to say that an action had been happening for a certain amount of time. For example, 'Hacía dos horas que esperaba' (I had been waiting for two hours).

Using the Wrong Tense

Mistake: “Hacía dos años que no la vi.”

Correction: Hacía dos años que no la veía. When you start with `hacía`, the verb that follows the `que` usually stays in the same descriptive past tense. Both parts describe the ongoing situation in the past.

Confusing 'hace' and 'atrás'

Learners often wonder if there's a strict rule between 'hace' and 'atrás'. In most everyday contexts referring to 'ago', 'hace' is the most common and natural choice. 'Atrás' is also correct but less frequent for simply stating time elapsed.

Related Translations

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