Hace, I don't understand how to use it

Question

In Latino Spanish they say 'Hace' in a sentence like this: "Que tiempo hace?" "Hace calor, hace sol"

Which to me translates as: "What weather do? Do heat, do sun"

Am I missing something? Why not say: "It is hot" "Esta is calor"

Thanks

If this is your first attempt to learn a "foreign" language, you will learn to think in new ways about how words are used. English presents the same challenge to those learning it. And right now you probably are missing something, but you will find it! - Jubilado, Sep 4, 2013

Answer 1

Am I missing something? Why not say: "It is hot" "Esta is calor"

You don't say that because in Spanish you say "hace calor" to communicate the idea of "It's hot". You're learning a new language and somethings you just have to accept.

Buena suerte with your studies!

So true amigo - ian-hill, Sep 3, 2013

Answer 2

Hace holds a special place in Spanish. It doesn't make any logical sense, you just have to accept it and memorize its uses. The main two uses are with expressions of weather and time.

I tried to locate a lesson on this and failed. Maybe someone else will provide a link to a lesson.

I copied this from the dictionary. I hope it helps.

Hacer verb impersonal

1. (tiempo meteorológico)

• hace frío/sol/viento -> it's cold/sunny/windy

• hace buen/mal tiempo -> the weather is good/bad

• hace un día precioso -> it's a beautiful day

1. (tiempo transcurrido)

• hace diez años -> ten years ago

• hace mucho/poco -> a long time/not long ago

• hace dos sábados -> the Saturday before last

• hace un mes que llegué -> it's a month since I arrived

• no la veo desde hace un año -> I haven't seen her for a year

Answer 3

Yes it is as simple as that

Uff! hace calor hoy! =It makes heat today-- it is hot!

The translations do not follow english.

" ¿Que tiempo hace hoy?"= how is the weather today?

" Hace frio"= it makes cold ( today)

Answer 4

You could look here for more information about hacer

Always good to reference the site! - Jubilado, Sep 4, 2013

Answer 5

Same thing for us with that "do"

;-D

Edit: Imagine my suprise:

-Why you come here to eat every day?

-Oh, you have to ask "Why do you come here to eat everyday"

-Ah, thank you. I look for it in the dictionary and it says "to do" = hacer

Plop!

;-D

Jaja. I don´t doubt that a bit. What seems really foreign, seems really foreign, and, bidirectionally. - rogspax, Sep 4, 2013

You bet, check my edit. - chileno, Sep 4, 2013

Answer 6

Hi,

In Latino Spanish they say 'Hace' in a sentence like this: "Que tiempo hace?" "Hace calor, hace sol"

I´m pretty sure they do that in A L L forms of Spanish.

Which to me translates as: "What weather do? Do heat, do sun"

You could also translate it as what makes the weather (i.e. what does the weather make). And Makes heat. And makes sun. But all of those miss the point by a bit, which is, that you can´t expect languages to translate word for word.

Am I missing something? Why not say: "It is hot" "Esta is calor"

Yes, my sentence above, to which I´ll add, that different languages are not simply the same thoughts and manners of thought, but just with different spelling and pronounciation. If they were, all´s we´d need would be a dictionary.

But in reality, it is no where near that direct. One of the first things you can do when learning a new language, is to unload your expectations of how it should do things, and start accepting how it actually does do things. It will be different, and it will help to think flexibly. To stretch and say to yourself ¨Oh, I see how that could make sense¨ or ¨Sure,that´s a different perspective or method of expression, but I guess it really IS kind of the same.¨

I think learning new languages has two simultaneous components.

1) Learning new ways of saying things.

2) Letting go of your old ways.

Be super open minded, and it will all start clicking.

Buena suerte.

Roger

well said Roger! - teasip, Sep 4, 2013