Translating 'Ago' in Spanish

The usual way of saying in Spanish that something happened some period of time ago is to use the verb hace (a form of hacer, "to make") followed by the period of time.

The phrase using hace can come at the beginning of the sentence or following the verb. The main verb of the sentence is most commonly used in the preterite (simple present) tense, although other past tenses are possible.

Here are some examples of this usage of hace:

• Hace cinco años nuestra escuela fue acreditada. (Five years ago, our school was accredited.)
• Es algo que aprendí hace poco tiempo. (It is something I learned a short time ago.)
• La historia de la ciudad comenzó hace mucho tiempo. (The story of the city began a long time ago.)
• Hace tres años estaba preparado para salir de casa. (Three years ago, I was prepared to leave home.)
• Hace muchos años un hombre anciano me dijo una historia que su madre le había dicho. (Many years ago an old man told me a story that his mother had told him.)
• Es el editor del programa, desde su primera emisión hace cuatro años. (He is the editor of the program, since its first broadcast four years ago.)
• ¿Por qué hace un momento me criticabas? (Why were you criticizing me a little while ago?)

An hace tiempo phrase is sometimes used following a preposition, as in these examples:

• El dólar cae a niveles de hace cinco años. (The dollar is falling to levels of five years ago.)
• Hasta hace un momento estudiaban. (They were studying until a moment ago.)

If the main verb in a sentence using an hace tiempo phrase is in the present tense, it means that the action began the stated time ago and is continuing:

• Hace 20 años que negociamos con Brasil. (We have been trading with Brazil for 20 years.)
• Hace dos años que tenemos este programa. (We have had this program for two years.)
• Hace diez años que no voy a Guatemala. (It has been 10 years since I went to Guatemala.)