Talking about duration (hace, desde hace)

This guide explains how to say how long something has been happening or how long ago it happened in Spanish using "hace" and "desde hace." You will see when to use each form, how to build sentences, lots of natural examples, and common mistakes to avoid. In English the ideas usually translate as "ago," "for," or "since."

What do 'hace' and 'desde hace' mean?

- "hace" can mean "ago" (a point in the past) or form a duration expression with "hace + time + que + [verb]" meaning "it has been / I have been... for [time]."
- "desde hace + [time]" means "for [a duration] (and still true now)." It always refers to a period that continues up to the present.
- "desde + [date / point]" or "desde que + [clause]" means "since" (a starting point).

Examples (quick look):
- "Llegó hace una hora." — "He arrived an hour ago." (hace = ago)
- "Hace tres años que estudio español." — "Ive been studying Spanish for three years." (hace ... que + present = for)
- "Vivo aquí desde hace cinco aos." — "Ive lived here for five years." (desde hace = for a duration)
- "Vivo aquí desde 2018." — "Ive lived here since 2018." (desde = since a point)

When do I use 'hace'?

1) 'hace' = "ago" (talking about a past event)
- Use this when you want to say how long ago something happened.
- Common patterns:
- Verb (preterite) + hace + time: "Llegf3 hace dos horas." — "He arrived two hours ago."
- Hace + time + que + preterite: "Hace dos horas que llegf3." — same meaning.

Examples:
- "Juan se graduf3 hace cinco aos." — "Juan graduated five years ago."
- "Me llamf3 hace diez minutos." — "He called me ten minutes ago."
- "Hace un mes que terminamos el proyecto." OR "Terminamos el proyecto hace un mes." — "We finished the project a month ago."

2) 'Hace + [time] + que + [present]' = "for" (duration that continues now)
- Use this to say how long something has been happening up to the present moment. Spanish usually uses the present tense here (not the English present perfect).
- Pattern: "Hace + time + que + present-tense-verb."

Examples:
- "Hace tres aos que estudio espaol." — "Ive been studying Spanish for three years."
- "Hace dos horas que te espero." — "Ive been waiting for you for two hours."
- Negative: "Hace tres meses que no fumo." — "I havent smoked for three months." (Notice the negative before the verb: no fumo)

Notes:
- Changing the verb to preterite in this structure will change the meaning to "ago." Compare:
- "Hace tres aos que trabajo aqued." = "Ive been working here for three years." (present; still working)
- "Hace tres aos que trabaje9 aqued." = "I worked here three years ago." (preterite; not necessarily now)

When do I use 'desde hace' and 'desde'?

1) 'desde hace + [duration]' = "for [duration]" (action continues now)
- Pattern: Present-tense-verb + desde hace + [time], or simply start sentence with "Desde hace + [time], ..." but the most natural is verb first.

Examples:
- "Trabajo aqued desde hace cinco aos." — "Ive worked here for five years."
- "No como carne desde hace dos aos." — "I havent eaten meat for two years."
- "No hemos jugado al tenis desde hace mucho tiempo." — "We havent played tennis for a long time."

2) 'desde' = "since" (a specific starting point) or 'desde que + clause'
- Use "desde" with a specific date, day or moment, or use "desde que" followed by a clause (a complete clause with a verb).

Examples:
- "Vivo aqued desde 2018." — "Ive lived here since 2018."
- "No lo veo desde el martes." — "I havent seen him since Tuesday."
- "Vivo aqued desde que me case9." — "Ive lived here since I got married."

Comparison (same idea, different forms):
- "Hace tres aos que vivo aqued." = "Vivo aqued desde hace tres aos." = "Ive lived here for three years."
- But: "Vivo aqued desde 2018." cannot be replaced by "Hace 2018 que vivo aqued." (wrong).

How do I form sentences? (patterns and word order)

Key patterns to remember:
- Ongoing duration (action still true now):
- "Hace + [time] + que + [present]"
- "Hace cinco dedas que estudio para el examen." — "Ive been studying for the exam for five days."
- "[Present] + desde hace + [time]"
- "Estudio para el examen desde hace cinco dedas." — same meaning.
- "Llevar + [time] + gerund" (alternative)
- "Llevo cinco dedas estudiando para el examen." — same meaning.

- Past event ("ago"):
- "[Preterite] + hace + [time]"
- "Volve9 hace dos semanas." — "I returned two weeks ago."
- "Hace + [time] + que + [preterite]"
- "Hace dos semanas que volve9." — similar meaning.

- Since a point in time:
- "[Present] + desde + [date / point]"
- "Trabajo aqued desde 2019." — "Ive worked here since 2019."
- "[Present] + desde que + [clause]"
- "No tengo auto desde que me mude9." — "I havent had a car since I moved."

Examples with different word orders (all natural):
- "Llegf3 hace una hora." / "Hace una hora que llegf3." — "He arrived an hour ago."
- "Hace tres aos que estudio espaol." / "Estudio espaol desde hace tres aos." / "Llevo tres aos estudiando espaol." — all: "Ive been studying Spanish for three years."

Negatives and questions

Negatives:
- Two equivalent ways to say "I havent done X for [time]":
1) "Hace + [time] + que + no + [present]"
- "Hace dos dedas que no duermo bien." — "I havent slept well for two days."
2) "No + [present] + desde hace + [time]"
- "No duermo bien desde hace dos dedas." — same meaning.

Questions (ask how long):
- "1Cue1nto tiempo hace que estudias espaol?" — "How long have you been studying Spanish?"
- "1Desde cue1ndo vives aqued?" — "Since when do you live here?"

Answers can use any of the duration patterns:
- "Hace cinco aos que vivo aqued." / "Vivo aqued desde hace cinco aos." / "Vivo aqued desde 2018."

Common mistakes to avoid

- Using the wrong tense with "hace" changes the meaning.
- Correct: "Hace tres aos que trabajo aqued." (I still work here.)
- Wrong if you mean "ago": "Hace tres aos que trabaje9 aqued." (This implies you worked there three years ago, not now.)

- Mixing "desde" and "desde hace":
- Wrong: "Vivo aqued desde hace 2018." (You should say "desde 2018" or "desde hace seis aos".)

- Saying "hace + [time]" with present tense incorrectly to mean "ago":
- Wrong: "Hace dos aos estudio aqued." (If you want to say "I studied here two years ago" use preterite: "Estudie9 aqued hace dos aos" or "Hace dos aos que estudie9 aqued.")

- Confusing "hace" with the auxiliary "ha" (from "haber"). They sound similar in speech but have different uses: "Hace dos aos" (time expression) vs "ha comido" (has eaten).

Related expressions and alternatives

- "Llevar + [time] + gerund": "Llevo dos aos estudiando espaol." = "Ive been studying Spanish for two years." (very common in spoken Spanish)
- "Hace tiempo que...": "Hace tiempo que no te veo." = "I havent seen you in a long time."
- "Ya hace + [time] + que...": "Ya hace cinco aos que trabajamos juntos." = "Weve already been working together for five years."
- "Durante / por": used for durations in other contexts (especially completed past actions). Example: "Estuve en Me9xico por dos semanas." = "I was in Mexico for two weeks." Use carefully depending on tense and meaning.

Quick summary and tips

- Use "hace + time + que + present" or "present + desde hace + time" to say "for" (action started in the past and continues now).
- Use "verb (preterite) + hace + time" or "hace + time + que + preterite" to say "ago."
- Use "desde + [date/point]" or "desde que + clause" to say "since" (a starting point).
- Watch the verb tense: present vs preterite changes whether the action continues now or happened in the past.
- Alternatives: "llevar + gerund" is very natural to express ongoing duration.

Glossary

- Duration: the length of time something lasts (e.g., two hours, three years).
- Point in time: a specific moment or date when something started (e.g., 2018, last Monday).
- Present tense: verbs that describe current states/habits (e.g., "estudio").
- Preterite: the simple past tense in Spanish for completed actions (e.g., "estudie9").
- "hace": here used as an impersonal time expression meaning "ago" or as part of "hace + time + que" meaning "it has been / for."
- "desde hace": "for [a duration]" (up to now).
- "desde": "since" (a starting point).

That covers the main uses of "hace" and "desde hace." Use the example patterns above to practice recognizing whether Spanish speakers are talking about an action that is still happening (use present + "hace" or "desde hace") or about an action that happened at some time in the past (use preterite + "hace" or "hace + ... + que" with preterite).