Breakdown of Hace dos noches que observo los anillos del planeta.
los
the (masculine plural)
el planeta
the planet
del
from the / of the
la noche
the night
que
that / than
dos
two
hacer
(of time) for / ago
observar
to observe
el anillo
the ring
Questions & Answers about Hace dos noches que observo los anillos del planeta.
Why does the Spanish sentence use the present tense observo when the English translation says "I have been observing"?
When an action started in the past but is still happening right now, Spanish uses the present tense. Because you are still observing the rings tonight, you use the present tense observo along with the hace... que structure.
Why do we use the word hace here? Doesn't that mean "he/she/it makes"?
Yes, hace comes from the verb hacer (to make or do). In time expressions, Spanish literally says "It makes two nights that I observe..." (Hace dos noches que observo...). It is just the standard way to express that you have been doing something for a specific amount of time!
Could I change the order of the sentence and put the time at the end?
Wait, why is it del planeta? Shouldn't a word ending in "-a" be feminine?
Planeta is a special exception! It is a masculine word (el planeta), which is why we use the contraction del (de + el = del) to say "of the planet." It joins other common masculine words ending in "-a", like el problema and el mapa.
Learn Hace dos noches que observo los anillos del planeta and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free