Introduction
Learning how to talk about time in Spanish can be confusing at first. Two common words learners mix up are desde and hace. Both relate to time, but they are used in different structures and have different meanings. This article explains the rules, gives clear examples, and helps you choose the correct form in everyday conversation.
Overview: desde vs hace
Desde and hace both connect actions or states to time, but they do that in two opposite directions.
Desde points from a specific starting point in the past up to now. Think of it as a beginning date or moment: starting when. Desde often pairs with a point in time (a date, a year, a day, a moment).
Hace expresses how much time has passed since an event or how long something has been happening. It often appears with a time period (days, months, years) and can be used with different verb tenses. Use hace to indicate duration or elapsed time: how long.
How to use desde
Basic rule
Use desde to mark the starting point of an action or situation that continues to the present. The structure is usually desde + point in time. You can use it with a present tense verb to indicate continuity.
Common sentence patterns
From a date or year:
Desde 2010 trabajo en esta empresa.
From a day or moment:
Vivo aquí desde el lunes.
Te espero desde las ocho.
From a clause or event:
No fumo desde que nacieron mis hijos.
With verbs and tenses
Typically pair desde with the present tense to say something started in the past and still holds:
Estudio español desde 2018.
You can also use desde with perfect tenses to refer to actions that affect the present:
No he comido desde ayer.
Prepositions and contractions
When desde is followed by the definite article el, no contraction is used (unlike de + el = del). Examples:
Desde el viernes, desde la mañana.
How to use hace
Basic rule
Use hace to express how much time has elapsed. The basic formula is hace + time period + que + verb, or verb + hace + time period for some constructions. Hace can pair with present or past tenses depending on meaning.
Common sentence patterns
To say how long ago something happened:
Hace tres años que fui a México.
Fui a México hace tres años.
To say how long something has been happening (ongoing):
Hace dos horas que estudio.
Estudio desde hace dos horas.
Variations and equivalents
Spanish offers two equivalent ways for ongoing actions:
Hace dos años que trabajo aquí.
Trabajo aquí desde hace dos años.
Both are correct and mean the same thing: the action started in the past and continues now. Notice the difference: the first uses the hace + tiempo + que structure; the second combines desde with hace to emphasize duration.
Side-by-side examples
Start point vs elapsed time:
Start point (desde):
Vivo en Madrid desde 2019.
This tells the exact starting year.
Elapsed time (hace):
Vivo en Madrid desde hace tres años.
This tells how long, not the exact start date.
Event ago vs ongoing:
Event ago:
Hace cinco minutos llamé a Ana.
The action occurred five minutes ago and is completed.
Ongoing duration:
Hace cinco minutos que estudio.
Or: Estudio desde hace cinco minutos.
These indicate the activity started five minutes ago and continues now.
Detailed grammar rules and structure
1. Desde as starting point
Use desde + specific start (date, time, moment, event). The verb after the subject is usually present if the action continues. Examples:
Desde enero estudio piano.
Desde el accidente, tiene miedo de conducir.
2. Hace with elapsed time (completed past)
Use hace + time period + (que) + preterite to say when an action happened:
Hace dos días que fui al cine.
Also: Fui al cine hace dos días.
3. Hace with duration (ongoing)
Use hace + time period + que + present or present + desde hace + time period to express duration up to the present:
Hace tres años que estudio medicina.
Estudio medicina desde hace tres años.
4. Positioning of que
The word que is optional in some constructions. With the preterite, using que after hace is common:
Hace una semana que viajé.
You can drop que and say: Viajé hace una semana.
5. Negative sentences
To say something has not happened for a period, use no + present with desde hace or no + present perfect with desde:
No he visto a Marta desde el lunes.
No veo a Marta desde hace tres días.
Common learner mistakes and how to avoid them
Mistake 1: Using desde with a time period instead of a point in time. Wrong: Desde tres años estudio aquí. Correct: Estudio aquí desde 2018 or Estudio aquí desde hace tres años.
Mistake 2: Confusing hace for a starting point. Wrong: Vivo aquí hace 2019. Correct: Vivo aquí desde 2019 or Vivo aquí desde hace tres años.
Mistake 3: Mixing tenses unnecessarily. When using desde with a starting point that continues, prefer present or present perfect. When using hace to indicate past completed actions, use the preterite.
Usage and cultural notes
In spoken Spanish, both European and Latin American varieties use these constructions, but there are slight preferences. Some speakers prefer hace + tiempo + que more often, while others use desde hace. Both are widely understood.
When asking about duration, native speakers often ask ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que…? This is equivalent to How long has it been since… or How long have you been… in English. Example: ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias español?
Colloquial shortcuts exist: instead of ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que vives aquí?, many might simply ask ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas aquí? Both are natural; llevar + gerund is another common way to express duration.
More examples with explanations
Example 1:
Trabajo en esta empresa desde 2015.
Explanation: Desde marks a clear starting year; the action continues now.
Example 2:
Trabajo en esta empresa desde hace seis años.
Explanation: Desde hace expresses duration; it tells how long without specifying the exact start date.
Example 3:
Fui a la playa hace dos semanas.
Explanation: The action is completed and happened two weeks ago. Use preterite with hace for elapsed time.
Example 4:
Hace dos semanas que no como carne.
Explanation: This emphasizes the duration of not eating meat up to now.
Example 5:
No he visto a Luis desde el viernes.
Explanation: Desde with present perfect emphasizes that the situation (not seeing Luis) stretches from Friday to the present.
Quick reference cheat-sheet
Use desde when you want to say starting point: desde + date/time/moment.
Use hace for elapsed time or duration: hace + time period + (que) + verb. Or verb + hace + time period for completed past actions.
Use desde hace to say duration with present tense: subject + verb + desde hace + time period.
Conclusion
Mastering desde and hace helps you speak about time more precisely. Remember that desde marks a starting point and usually pairs with a specific date, moment, or event, while hace indicates elapsed time or duration and pairs with time periods. With the examples and patterns in this article, you should feel more confident choosing the correct form in everyday Spanish conversations.
