Understanding desde, desde que, desde hace, hace
Not feeling well? "Desde esta maƱana no he estado muy bien" means "I havenāt been well since the morning."
When desde, desde que, desde hace, and hace are first introduced to Spanish students, questions ensue. All these words just seem bottomline confusing. Hereās to simplicity.
1. Desde + place
When meaning āfrom,ā use desde.Ā
- La vi desde la ventana – I saw her from the window.Ā
- Ella llamĆ³ a su novio desde Montevideo – She called her boyfriend from Montevideo.Ā
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2. Desde + specific date
Desde (without que) precedes a specific time or date, including: el aƱo 2000 (the year 2000), ayer (yesterday), anteayer (before yesterday), anoche (last night), ahora (now). Desde could also be translated as āsince.ā You can use desde hace with present indicative, present perfect, preterite indefinite, the gerund, and even preterite imperfect.Ā
- Vivo en Nueva York desde el 1999 – Iāve been living in New York since 1999.
- Desde esta maƱana no he estado muy bien – I havenāt been well since the morning.Ā
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3. Desde + que + conjugated verb
When referring to a specific moment when something occurred, use desde que. The conjunction que introduces a conjugated verbs. In this sense, desde means āsinceā as well.Ā
- Desde que se mudĆ³ a los Estados Unidos, habla muy bien el inglĆ©s – He speaks very good English since having moved to the U.S.
- Desde que estoy casada casi no hago deporte – I barely exercise since getting married.
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4. Desde hace + period of time
When referring to actions that started in the past and are ongoing in the present, use desde hace. Desde hace is used with the gerund and the present perfect, but it is not used with the preterite indefinite or the imperfect.Ā
- Vivo en Bolivia desde hace tres aƱos – Iāve been living in Bolivia for three years.
- Ellos estĆ”n de visita desde hace dos dias – They have been visiting for two days.Ā
5. Hace + period of time + que + verb in present tense or preterite indefinite
This is used the same way as desde hace to refer to the present. However, it is necessary to include the que conjunction. You cannot use hace + period of time + que with the present perfect, gerund, imperfect, only with the present indicative or preterite indefinite. In some instances, the translation will be āsinceā orĀ āfor.ā Using the same examples as with desde hace above with present indicative:
- Hace tres aƱos que vivo en Bolivia – Iāve been living in Bolivia for three years.
- Hace dos dĆas que ellos estĆ”n de visita – They have been visiting for two days.Ā
The following examples use the preterite indefinite. In this case, when we use hace + period of time + que means āago.ā
- Hace cinco aƱos que me divorciĆ© – I got divorced five years ago.Ā
- Hace unas horas que terminĆ© la tarea – I finished my homework a few hours ago.Ā
Desde hace could be potentially placed at the beginning or towards the end of a sentence, but it is more natural to place it towards the end.
6. Preterite indefinite + hace + period of time
Same uses as hace + period of time + que + preterite indefinite above, but two things change: 1) hace is placed towards the end of the sentence; 2) the conjunction que is eliminated. Even though hace could be placed at the end of the sentence in the present tense for colloquial speech, the standard is to place hace at the beginning with either the present or preterite indefinite or at the end with the preterite. The preterite indefinite is the only verb tense that will allow hace to ble placed at the end of the sentence. Using the examples from above:Ā
- Me divorciĆ© hace cinco aƱos – I got divorced five years ago.Ā
- TerminĆ© la tarea hace unas horas – I finished my homework some hours ago.
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Exercises with desde, desde que, desde hace, hace
Now that you know and understand some of the differences, try the exercises below. Do not be thrown off by the translation. They conjugation can be slightly different in English, but the meaning is the same. Iāve translated the sentences so they sound as natural as possible.Ā
- Te quiero ____________________ te conocĆ – Iāve loved you since I met you.Ā
- Āæ____________________ cuanto tiempo que conoces a Lourdes? – How long have you know Lourdes?
- Le mandamos la carta ____________________ BogotĆ” – We sent him the letter from BogotĆ”.Ā
- Estuvo casada ____________________ el aƱo 2001 hasta el 2009 – She was married from 2001 to 2009.Ā
- ____________________ te dije la verdad no quieres hablar conmigo. No es justo – Ever since I told you the truth, you wonāt talk to me. Itās not fair.
- Ellos fueron a Montreal ____________________ tres semanas – They went to Montreal three weeks ago.Ā
- ____________________ seis meses que tuve un hijo – I had a child six months ago.Ā
- Tuve un hijo _____________________Ā seis meses – I had a child six months ago.Ā
- ____________________ 10 aƱos estudio espaƱol, francĆ©s y un poco de italiano – Iāve been studying Spanish, French, and Italian for 10 years.Ā
- ____________________ dos dias no come bien. Ha estado un poco enfermo – He hasnāt been eating well for two days. Heās been a bit sick
Answers: 1. desde que; 2. hace; 3. desde; 4. desde; 5. desde que; 6. hace; 7. hace; 8. hace; 9. desde hace; 10. desde hace
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