Spanish: Saying 'ago' and 'last' for past time
Learn to place past events in time in Spanish with hace ... for 'ago' and pasado/último for 'last', using common Latin American forms.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Spanish, you do not translate 'ago' with a single word that sits after the time phrase the way English does. Instead, Spanish normally uses hace before the length of time: hace dos días means 'two days ago'. For 'last', Spanish uses pasado or último, which agree with the noun. This lesson gives you the core patterns for talking about when past events happened, beyond just saying 'yesterday'.
By the end, you can…
- say how long ago something happened using hace + time.
- use pasado and último correctly with common time expressions.
- ask and answer when a past event happened.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Hace dos días.
Two days ago.
AH-seh dohs DEE-ahs
Use hace before the time period. It does not change for gender or number.
La vi hace dos días.
I saw her two days ago.
lah bee AH-seh dohs DEE-ahs
Object pronoun la comes before the verb; hace dos días goes at the end.
La semana pasada.
Last week.
lah seh-MAH-nah pah-SAH-dah
Pasado agrees with semana, a feminine noun, so it becomes pasada.
El mes pasado.
Last month.
el mehs pah-SAH-doh
Mes is masculine, so pasado stays -o. Common in Latin American Spanish.
El año pasado.
Last year.
el AH-nyoh pah-SAH-doh
A very common time marker for completed past events.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern for 'ago' is hace + time expression. Hace tres horas means 'three hours ago'. Hace una semana means 'a week ago'. Hace mucho tiempo means 'a long time ago'. The verb usually goes in the preterite when the event is finished: Llegó hace una hora, 'He arrived an hour ago'. You can also ask ¿Cuánto tiempo hace?, 'How long ago?' or 'How long has it been?'.
When to use it
Use pasado or último for 'last' with time nouns. Pasado usually follows the noun: la semana pasada, el mes pasado, el año pasado. Último can also follow the noun and often adds the idea of 'most recent': la última vez, 'the last time'. With feminine nouns, pasado becomes pasada and último becomes última. In much of Latin America, pasado is more common in everyday speech for 'last week/month/year', while último is also understood.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Cuándo viste a Marta?
When did you see Marta?KWAN-doh BEES-teh ah MAR-tahLa vi hace tres días.
I saw her three days ago.lah bee AH-seh trehs DEE-ahs¿Y fuiste al médico la semana pasada?
And did you go to the doctor last week?ee FWEES-teh al MEH-dee-koh lah seh-MAH-nah pah-SAH-dahSí, fui el martes pasado.
Yes, I went last Tuesday.see fwee el MAR-tehs pah-SAH-dohA little context goes a long way
In Latin American Spanish, pasado is very common for 'last' with week, month, and year. Último is also correct and often means 'the most recent one'. In Spain, both are used, but word order and frequency can differ slightly.
One thing to watch for
Saying *Vi a ella dos días atrás* as the normal everyday way to mean 'I saw her two days ago'.
Try this instead: The standard neutral pattern is La vi hace dos días. Atrás can appear in some expressions, but hace + time is the core structure to learn first.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I called you two hours ago'?
Show a sample answer
Te llamé hace dos horas.
Hace + time expresses 'ago'. Te is the object pronoun for 'you'. Other word orders are possible, but this is the standard pattern.
2Complete with the correct form: la semana ____.
Show a sample answer
pasada
Semana is feminine, so pasado becomes pasada: la semana pasada.
3Translate: 'Last year we traveled to Mexico.'
Show a sample answer
El año pasado viajamos a México.
El año pasado means 'last year'. Viajamos can be preterite for a completed past event.
For 'ago', put hace before the time: hace dos días. For 'last', use pasado or último and make it agree: la semana pasada, el mes pasado, el año pasado.
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