Language Transfer Spanish notes
Lesson 13
Hacer and Everyday Questions
Language Transfer Complete Spanish is by Mihalis Eleftheriou. Listen to the original audio first; use these notes for revision.
New vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| hacer | to do / to make (h silent) |
| hago | I do / I make (irregular -go verb) |
| hace | he/she/it does / you (formal) do |
| hacen | they do |
| haces | you (informal) do |
| qué | what |
| poder | to be able to / can |
| puedo | I can (stem change o→ue) |
| puede | he/she/it/you (formal) can |
| pueden | they can |
| puedes | you (informal) can |
| esperar | to wait / to hope (from "expectation") |
| llegar | to arrive |
| compro | I buy |
| necesario | necessary |
| contrario | contrary / opposite |
Key phrase: ¿Qué haces? = What are you doing? (very common greeting)
Verb ending pattern for -er/-ir
-
Take off -r, add -n → they: hacen, comen
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Take off -r, add -s → you informal: haces, comes
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué haces? | What are you doing? |
| Lo hace. | You (formal) are doing it. |
| Lo hacen. | They are doing it. |
| Lo haces. | You are doing it. |
| ¿Puedes venir? | Can you come? |
| ¿No puedes venir? | Can't you come? |
| ¿Por qué no puedes venir? | Why can't you come? |
| Quiero saber por qué no puedes venir. | I want to know why you can't come. |
| No puedo hacerlo ahora. | I can't do it now. |
| Espero. | I wait / I hope. |
Key notes
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Hacer is an -er verb with the irregular hago form for I do / I make.
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¿Qué haces? is one of the most common everyday questions in Spanish.
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Esperar can mean both to wait and to hope.
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Poder is the first clear o -> ue stem-changing verb in the course: puedo, puede, puedes, pueden.