Use "hace" for "ago" with the preterite tense (El Pretérito Indefinido)

How to say "ago" in Spanish

In Spanish, to say ago we use the invariable word "hace". It is generally used with El Pretérito Indefinido.

Have a look at the following examples:

Yo conocí a Susana hace 6 meses.I met Susana 6 months ago.

Ella me dejó hace un año.She left me a year ago.

Mi padre se jubiló hace un mes.My dad retired a month ago.

Nosotros redecoramos la casa hace unos meses.We redecorated our house a few months ago.

Notice how after hace there is always a time frame expressing a length of time, e.g dos meses, un año, una década..., not a specific date. Combining hace with a specific date is incorrect:

Me casé hace el 5 de enero.

Bear in mind that if the action happened very recently, i.e a few minutes ago, we tend to use El Pretérito Perfecto instead in Español peninsular.

For example:

He visto a tu novio hace un segundo.
I saw your boyfriend a second ago.

See also:

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Ella me dejó hace un año.She left me a year ago.
Mi padre se jubiló hace un mes.My dad retired a month ago.
Nosotros redecoramos la casa hace unos meses.We redecorated our house a few months ago.
Yo conocí a Susana hace 6 meses.I met Susana 6 months ago.
Thinking...