Spanish
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Spanish.
hacer el currículum vítae
The Spanish phrase 'hacer el currículum vítae' translates to 'make the curriculum vitae' in English. This is an expression used when one needs to prepare or create their resume or CV that lists their work experience, education, skills, and achievements. Curriculum Vitae is a term borrowed from Latin, used globally, that refers to a comprehensive document showcasing an individual's career and academic progression in detail.
hacer el vago
The Spanish phrase 'hacer el vago' translates to 'to be lazy' in English. This is often used in contexts where someone is avoiding work, not doing anything productive, or generally exhibiting lazy behavior.
hacer errores
The Spanish term 'hacer errores' translates to 'make mistakes' in English. This phrase is commonly used in conversational Spanish when discussing a situation or action that resulted in an undesired effect or outcome. It is usually applied in a learning or teaching context to discuss the inevitably human experience of making mistakes. In summary, 'hacer errores' symbolizes the acknowledgement of our fallibility and the opportunity it presents for learning and growth.
hacer escalada
The Spanish term 'hacer escalada' translates to 'climbing' in English. It's a verb phrase commonly used to refer to the physical activity of climbing, particularly in the context of outdoor sports or activities. This can involve scaling structures such as mountains, cliffs or artificial climbing walls. In certain contexts, it may also refer to metaphorical or figurative climbing, such as opening one's way to success.
Example sentences with hacer escalada →hacer fotocopias
The Spanish phrase 'hacer fotocopias' translates to 'make photocopies' in English. It is often used in a workplace or school setting where documentation needs to be duplicated. 'Hacer' is a verb that means 'to make' or 'to do', and 'fotocopias' is the plural form of 'fotocopia' which means 'photocopy'. Therefore, 'hacer fotocopias' literally means to make or do photocopies.
hacer fotos
The Spanish phrase 'hacer fotos' is directly translated to English as 'make photos'. However, it is more commonly understood as 'take photos', matching the action of capturing an image with a camera.
Example sentences with hacer fotos →hacer frente a el fracaso escolar
Confronting school failure, or 'hacer frente a el fracaso escolar' in Spanish, is a term that refers to addressing and managing situations in which a student is not achieving their potential in an academic setting. This can involve a range of interventions, such as remedial courses, vocational training, counselling, or various psychological and social supports. It's a multifaceted approach aimed at improving a student’s academic performance and ensuring they can achieve their educational goals. This term is often used in discussions surrounding educational policy and strategy.
hacer frente a una situación
The Spanish phrase 'hacer frente a una situación' carries the meaning of 'addressing a situation' in English. This suggests dealing with, handling, or confronting a particular circumstance or scenario. The phrase could be used in various contexts, from personal situations to professional or business-related events. Depending on the condition at hand, addressing a situation can entail different actions to be taken, but overall, it signifies the active involvement or response to it.
Example sentences with hacer frente a una situación →hacer frío
The phrase 'hacer frío' in Spanish translates to 'to be cold' in English. This is commonly used to describe cold weather, not how a person is feeling. For instance, you would say 'hace frío' to mean 'it's cold' when referring to the weather. Note that this phrase is generally used about the weather and not about objects or environments. It is an important phrase to learn as it is commonly used in conversations about weather conditions.
Example sentences with hacer frío →hacer gimnasia
'Hacer gimnasia' is a Spanish phrase that translates to 'do gymnastics' in English. It is a verb phrase used to denote the activity of participating in gymnastics, which is a sport that involves exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. The practice of this sport can take place in various contexts such as recreational, school, or competitive environments. Similar to English, the phrase 'hacer gimnasia' may also be used metaphorically in Spanish to refer to any complex or difficult situation requiring agility or careful maneuvering.
hacer huelga
The Spanish phrase 'hacer huelga' translates to 'go on strike' in English. 'Hacer' means 'to do' or 'make' and 'huelga' means 'strike'. It is a term used in labour or industrial settings, where workers refuse to do their jobs as a form of protest, often to demand better working conditions or pay. So, when the workers 'hacen huelga' they are going on a strike.
hacer ilusión
'Hacer ilusión' does not literally translate to 'make illusion' in English. It is a Spanish expression which means 'to be excited' or 'to look forward to something'. It's used when something makes you feel hopeful or happy, usually something you are anticipating with joy or eagerness. For example, 'Me hace ilusión ver a mis amigos' translates to 'I'm excited to see my friends'.
hacer la cama
'Hacer la cama' is a Spanish phrase that translates to 'make the bed' in English. It's a common task related to tidying one's living space after waking up. The verb 'hacer' means 'to do' or 'to make', and 'la cama' means 'the bed'. Together, they form a command or instruction to make the bed neat and tidy.
hacer la compra
The Spanish phrase 'hacer la compra' literally translates to 'make the purchase' in English. However, it is often used in everyday conversation to refer to the act of going shopping, especially for food and household items. For example, you might say 'Voy a hacer la compra' to mean 'I'm going to do the shopping'. This phrase is useful to know when talking about daily activities in Spanish.
hacer la declaración de la renta
The Spanish phrase 'hacer la declaración de la renta' translates to 'make the income statement' in English. This phrase is often used in the context of personal finance and business, where income statements are used to review the revenue and expenses during a specific period. Thus, when someone says 'hacer la declaración de la renta' in Spanish, they are referring to the process of preparing, finalizing, and presenting their income statement.
Example sentences with hacer la declaración de la renta →hacer la digestión
The Spanish phrase 'hacer la digestión' translates to 'make digestion' in English. This phrase is used in Spanish when referring to the process our bodies undertake after eating to break down food and absorb the nutrients. However, a more common English equivalent might be 'to digest food'.
hacer la lista de la compra
The Spanish phrase 'hacer la lista de la compra' translates to 'make the purchase list' in English. This can be used in various contexts related to preparing a list of items that need to be bought from a store or market. It can involve groceries, household items, clothes, and more.
hacer la primera comunión
The Spanish phrase 'hacer la primera comunión' translates to 'make the first communion' in English. It refers to the Christian tradition, most common in the Roman Catholic church, in which a person, usually a child, receives the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. It is a solemn and important event and usually involves a special church service and celebration.
hacer la tesis (doctoral)
The Spanish phrase 'hacer la tesis (doctoral)' translates to 'make the doctoral thesis' in English. It is used in the academic context, often when a student is assigned or chooses to construct a lengthy, detailed study or argumentation in their field of study, for their doctoral degree. This is usually the final requirement before the student can graduate with a doctoral degree.
hacer las maletas
The Spanish phrase 'hacer las maletas' is translated as 'packing' in English. It is often used when someone is preparing their luggage for a trip or for moving. In this context, 'hacer' translates as 'to do' or 'to make', and 'las maletas' translates as 'the suitcases'. Thus, a more literal translation might be 'to make the suitcases', but in practice it refers to packing things into your luggage or baggage.
Example sentences with hacer las maletas →hacer los deberes
The Spanish expression 'hacer los deberes' translates to 'do homework' in English. This is commonly used in an educational setting, referring to the tasks assigned to students to be completed outside of class. Just as students in English-speaking countries are often required to do homework, students in Spanish-speaking countries are expected to 'hacer los deberes'.
hacer mal tiempo
The Spanish phrase 'hacer mal tiempo' translates to 'bad weather' in English. This is generally used to describe an unpleasant or undesirable state of the atmosphere involving phenomena such as rain, snow, cloudiness, thunderstorms, or extreme temperature. For instance, when there's a storm or it's raining heavily, the Spanish would say 'hace mal tiempo'.
Example sentences with hacer mal tiempo →hacer muecas
The Spanish phrase 'hacer muecas' translates to 'make silly faces' in English. It's a common phrase used to describe the action of intentionally distorting your facial expression for comedic or dramatic effect, often to entertain children, express disapproval, or theatrical performances. In Spanish, 'hacer' translates to 'make' or 'do', and 'muecas' translates to 'grimaces' or 'faces', giving us 'make faces' or 'do grimaces'. However, the context often suggests a more silly, humorous undertone, thus 'make silly faces' is a fitting translation.
hacer peatonal el centro urbano
The Spanish phrase 'hacer peatonal el centro urbano' translates to 'to make the urban center pedestrian' in English. This means transforming a downtown or city center area into a zone where only foot traffic is allowed, i.e., cars and other motor vehicles are not permitted. This is often done to promote a more peaceful environment, to encourage walking and other forms of active transportation, or to create a more comfortable and engaging street life for residents and visitors.
hacer penitencia
The Spanish phrase 'hacer penitencia' translates to 'to do penance' in English. This refers to the act of showing regret for a wrongdoing, usually in a religious context, by performing an action or series of actions determined by a spiritual guide or religious leader. In some cases, this could include prayer, confession, or acts of charity and service. The usage of this phrase is neither colloquial nor common, but highly specific to religious discussions or texts.
Example sentences with hacer penitencia →hacer publicidad
The Spanish phrase 'hacer publicidad' translates to 'do advertising' or 'publicity' in English. It generally refers to the process of creating advertisements and distributing them to promote a particular product, business, or cause. Depending on the context, it may also entail raising awareness or generating publicity for an event, individual, or issue.
Example sentences with hacer publicidad →hacer quinielas
The Spanish phrase 'hacer quinielas' translates to 'make quinies' in English. This term is primarily used in countries like Spain and it refers to the act of betting in a pool, usually related to sporting events, especially football. It can also mean making predictions, usually about sports, but it can also be applied in a broader sense to any type of prediction or guessing games. However, the phrase might not be universally understood in all Spanish-speaking regions, as it heavily depends on local colloquialisms and the prevalent culture.
hacer secundarios
The Spanish term 'hacer secundarios' literally translates to 'make secondary' in English. However, in certain contexts, it can colloquially mean 'side', such as activities or tasks done apart from one's main job or purpose or secondary effects of an incident. Note that this phrase is not commonly used to mean 'side' in everyday Spanish. A more accurate translation for 'side' is 'lado' or for 'side effect' is 'efecto secundario'.
hacer senderismo
The Spanish phrase 'hacer senderismo' translates to 'hiking' in English. This phrase is often used in the context of outdoor recreational activities, where individuals or groups walk or march for long distances, particularly in rural or wilderness settings. A person who does this activity is commonly known as a 'senderista' in Spanish, or a hiker in English.
hacer testamento
The English explanation for the Spanish phrase 'hacer testamento' is 'make will'. This phrase refers to the legal document in which a person stipulates how their assets and personal matters should be handled after their death. This concept involves a degree of planning, as it requires foresight and decision-making. Its usage is common in legal contexts or among lawmakers, lawyers, and professionals involved in estate planning.