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Dijo que allí hacía mucho calor.

Dijo que allí hacía mucho calor.
She said it was very hot there.
From Lesson 516:Reporting what people said (aquí → allí, me aconsejó que)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Dijo que allí hacía mucho calor.

Why is hacía in the imperfect tense here instead of the preterite (hizo)?
When describing weather in the past, Spanish typically uses the imperfect tense (hacía) because it sets the scene or provides background information. The preterite (hizo) would be used only if you were focusing on a specific, completed timeframe, such as saying it was hot for exactly two hours.
How does this sentence demonstrate Spanish reported speech rules?
This is a classic example of reported speech (estilo indirecto). If the original speaker's quote was in the present tense (hace mucho calor), reporting it in a past tense like dijo que forces the present tense verb to shift back one step in time into the imperfect tense (hacía).
The English translation says 'very hot', so why do we use mucho instead of muy?
In English, 'hot' is an adjective, so you use 'very'. In Spanish weather expressions, calor is a noun meaning 'heat'. Because you are literally saying 'it was making a lot of heat', you must use the adjective mucho to modify the noun calor. You cannot use muy with a noun.
Could I use ahí instead of allí in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the nuance of distance. In Spain, allí is used for a place that is far away from both the speaker and the listener. Ahí usually refers to a place closer to the listener. Since the person is talking about a separate, distant location where it was hot, allí is the most natural fit.

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