Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say To Do in Spanish: Hacer & Its Many Uses
Hacer · verb · ah-SEHR
"To do" in Spanish is hacer, one of the most versatile and frequently used verbs in the language. It covers both "to do" and "to make" and appears in countless expressions — from weather (hace frío) to questions (¿qué haces?). It's highly irregular, so learning its conjugation patterns is essential.
Pronounce hacer as ah-SEHR. The h is silent in Spanish. The yo form is hago (AH-goh), not haco. In the preterite: hice (EE-seh), hiciste, hizo.
¿Qué vas a hacer hoy?
What are you going to do today?
To Do in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for to do, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| hacer | to do | ah-SEHR | Default, widely understood |
| realizar | to do | to carry out, accomplish (formal) | |
| lista de tareas | to do | to-do list | |
| lista de pendientes | to do | to-do list (Latin America) |
How Native Speakers Use Hacer
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking what someone is doing
¿Qué estás haciendo? No te he visto en todo el día.
What are you doing? I haven't seen you all day.
¿Qué haces? or ¿Qué estás haciendo? are the two most common ways to ask what someone is doing.
Making plans
Vamos a hacer una fiesta para su cumpleaños.
We're going to throw a party for his birthday.
Hacer covers to make, to throw (a party), to prepare, and to build — context determines the meaning.
Completing a to-do list
Ya terminé todo lo que tenía en mi lista de pendientes.
I already finished everything on my to-do list.
Lista de pendientes and lista de tareas both translate to-do list; pendientes is more common in Mexico.
Using realizar for formal accomplishment
El equipo realizó el proyecto en tres meses.
The team completed the project in three months.
Realizar conveys accomplishing or carrying out something — more formal and specific than hacer.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Hacer
Conjugating yo as haco instead of hago
Incorrect: Yo haco la tarea todos los días.
Correct: Yo hago la tarea todos los días.
Hacer has an irregular yo form: hago, not haco. This g-insertion is shared by other verbs like poner (pongo) and tener (tengo).
Pronouncing the h in hacer
Incorrect: hah-SEHR (aspirating the h)
Correct: ah-SEHR (silent h)
In standard Spanish, the letter h carries no sound at all, which means hacer is pronounced ah-SEHR. Hacer sounds like it starts with an a. This applies to all h-initial Spanish words: hoy, hablar, hombre.
Lock in To Do Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Hacer used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using hacer in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear ¿Qué vas a hacer hoy? while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About To Do in Spanish
- How do you say to do in Spanish?
- To do in Spanish is hacer. It means both "to do" and "to make." For example, "¿Qué vas a hacer?" means "What are you going to do?" and "Voy a hacer la cena" means "I'm going to make dinner."
- How do you say to-do list in Spanish?
- A to-do list is "lista de tareas" or "lista de pendientes." In many Latin American offices, you'll also hear "pendientes" on its own to mean outstanding tasks: "¿Cuáles son tus pendientes?" (What's on your to-do list?).
- Why is hacer so irregular?
- Hacer is one of Spanish's most irregular verbs because of its high frequency — heavily used words tend to resist regularization over time. Key irregularities: hago (present yo), hice/hizo (preterite), haré (future), and hecho (past participle). Memorizing these forms through exposure is more effective than drilling rules.