I dont understand the phrase "Hace calor"
I don't understand the phrase "Hace calor" or "Hace frio" for example. I t doesn't make sense to me. As I know the word "Hace" mean -"to do". Soo, why it's makes sense to say "do heat" or "do cold? Thank you!
6 Answers
Hi.
Have a look at this: 1.14 - Weather and the Verb Hacer
And don't translate everything you see. You cannot always catch the literal equality.
It's not really all that odd. In English, we say "it IS cold." In Spanish, we say "it IS MAKING cold." If anything, it makes you wonder, "What is this 'it?'"
You don't understand what "Hace calor" means? Go to Seville, Spain, in July - August, and when you reach 53º C (128º F) and you hear people use it, even if you don't speak any Spanish, you'll understand it... perfectly!! You'll never forget it, actually.
That's what teachers call to learn through context, as oppose to attempt literal translations. It works so much better!!!
Using the verb 'hacer' (to make or to do) for weather expressions is an idiom, it completely makes sense to a spanish speaker but it sounds funny to an english speaker.
In english if you say "it makes hot" it doesn't make much sense It's the same sort of thing in spanish, if you say "está calor hoy" it doesn't make much sense when talking about weather.
Likewise, if you want to say that you are cold, you would use 'tener' (to have) instead of 'estar' Tengo calor - I am hot You wouldn't say "I have hot" in english, this doesn't make sense. It also doesn't make much sense to say "estoy calor"
'Tener' is used on quite a few other expressions like this, with words like frío, dolor, hambre, sed, sueño
As I understand it (and I am up for correction) hace is referring to "it", as in the weather.
So it's like saying the weather does heat or cold. In English we'd say "It (the weather) is hot/cold".