Question 1

How exactly does hace mean "ago" in hace cinco siglos?

Accepted Answer

Hace comes from the verb hacer (to make/do), but in time expressions, it is used to measure time backward from the present. So, hace cinco siglos translates literally to "it makes five centuries," which is the standard way Spanish expresses "five centuries ago."

Question 2

Could I put the time expression at the beginning, like ¿Hace cinco siglos él emigró a Argentina?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! In Spanish, you can place the hace + [amount of time] expression either at the beginning or the end of the sentence. Both word orders are completely natural and mean the exact same thing.

Question 3

Why do we use a before Argentina instead of en?

Accepted Answer

We use a (to) because the verb emigrar (to emigrate) involves physical movement toward a destination. If he were already living there and doing an action in a fixed location, you would use en (in), but since he moved to the country, you must use a.

Question 4

Why does emigró have an accent mark on the final 'o'?

Accepted Answer

The accent mark shows that the spoken stress is on the last syllable, which tells us it is the past tense (preterite) form meaning "he emigrated." Without the accent, emigro would be the present tense form meaning "I emigrate."

Question 5

Why do we use the preterite tense (emigró) here instead of the imperfect tense?

Accepted Answer

The preterite is used for completed actions that happened at a specific point in the past. Phrases like hace cinco siglos pinpoint exactly when the action occurred and finished in the timeline, which almost always triggers the preterite tense.

¿Él emigró a Argentina hace cinco siglos?

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