Translation of "did"

Question

For writing questions, I'm having trouble translating the word "did". I know the verb hacer in the preterite, means did. But doesn't some sentences mean did on their own?

Ex. Qué firmó ayer? What did he sign yesterday?

So, did just translates on its own in that sentence? My question is do I have to add hacer in there or no?

Answer 1

Hi, rooky. Welcome to SpanishDict.

"Did" in the English sentence is an auxiliary verb that's necessary to form questions and negatives. There is no such thing in Spanish, because the form of the verb already indicates that you're referring to a past activity. And because it's a completed action, you can use the preterit and say:

¿Qué firmó ayer?

Answer 2

Wow, thanks guys that helped a lot.

De nada :) - Issabela, Oct 24, 2009

Answer 3

agreed. Spanish verbs work a lot harder than English verbs do. An English verb alone says the action and an approximation of the time, but a Spanish verb alone says the subject, the action, and when it occurred. A Spanish verb doesn't need "did".