Ways to Translate When Something Happened in Spanish

Ways to Translate When Something Happened in Spanish The usual way of saying in Spanish that something happened some period of time ago is to use the verb hace, which is  a form of hacer, to make, followed by the period of time. Using Hace to Express Time That Has Passed To express a period of time ago, a phrase using hace can come at the beginning of the sentence or can follow the verb. The main verb of the sentence is most commonly used in the preterite, or the simple past tense, although other tenses are possible. The literal translation of hace  can be understood to mean ago, it has been or it was. Spanish Sentence English Sentence Hace cinco aos nuestra escuela fue acreditada. Five years ago, our school was accredited. Es algo que aprend hace poco tiempo. It is something I learned a short time ago. La historia de la ciudad comenz hace mucho tiempo. The story of the city began a long time ago. Hace tres aos yo estaba preparado para salir de casa. Three years ago, I was prepared to leave home. Hace muchos aos un hombre anciano me dijo una historia que su madre le haba dicho. Many years ago, an old man told me a story that his mother had told him. Es la editora del programa, desde su primera emisin hace cuatro aos. She is the editor of the program, since its first broadcast four years ago. Por qu hace un momento me criticabas? Why were you criticizing me a little while ago? Using Hace  as Part of a Prepositional Phrase Similar to English, an expression of time can be used as part of a prepositional phrase immediately following a preposition. Spanish Sentence English Sentence El dlar cae a niveles de hace cinco aos. The dollar is falling to levels of five years ago. Hasta hace un momento estudiaban. They were studying until a moment ago. Using Hace  to Express the Ongoing Passage of Time If the main verb in a sentence using an hace tiempo phrase is in the present tense, it means that the action began the stated time ago and is continuing. Spanish Sentence English Sentence Hace 20 aos que negociamos con Brasil. We have been trading with Brazil for 20 years. Hace dos aos que tenemos este programa. We have had this program for two years. Hace diez aos que no voy a Guatemala. It has been 10 years since I went to Guatemala. Hacer  and the Interruption of Time Hacer can be used to talk about  actions in the past that were interrupted. These expressions are useful for talking about something that had been going on when something else happened. In this case, use hacà ­a as the verb form of hacer  and use the active verb in the imperfect past tense. Spanish Sentence English Sentence Haca dos semanas que lea el libro cuando lo perd. I had been reading the book for two weeks when I lost it. Haca un ao que estudiaba espaol cuando viaj a Colombia. I had been studying Spanish for one year when I traveled to Colombia. Dorma haca ocho horas cuando son el reloj. I had been sleeping for eight hours when the alarm went off. Jugbamos con el perro desde haca 15 minutos cuando empez a llover. We had been playing with the dog for 15 minutes when it began to rain.