Use Hace + length of time + que + the preterite tense in Spanish to say how long ago something happened

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Learn how to say how long ago something happened with "hace" in Spanish

To express "how long ago" something happened, in Spanish you use:

Hace + [length of time] + que + verb in El Pretérito Indefinido

 Have a look and listen to these examples:

-¿Dónde está Jaime? -Hace dos horas que se fue.-Where is Jaime? -He left two hours ago.

Hace dos días que pasó el accidente.The accident happened two days ago.

Hace una década que terminé mis estudios.I finished my studies a decade ago.

Careful, because in Spanish this structure needs to be placed at the beginning of the sentence as shown in the examples above.

You cannot use a specific date between hace and que. It must be a "length of time" (un minuto, dos horas, seis meses, un año...)

"Hace ayer que fuimos al cine."

"Hace el otro día que tuvimos una discusión."

See also Use "hace" for "ago" with the preterite tense (El Pretérito Indefinido) as an alternative to Hace + [lengh of time] +que.

To see other uses of "hace" to express time see also:

 

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Examples and resources

Hace dos días que pasó el accidente.The accident happened two days ago.
Hace una década que terminé mis estudios.I finished my studies a decade ago.
-¿Dónde está Jaime? -Hace dos horas que se fue.-Where is Jaime? -He left two hours ago.
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