Phrase · 📜 Narrating past events
Hacía dos años que no lo veía.
I hadn’t seen him for two years.
B1narrating past eventsAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Hacía1verbit had beenhacer · imperfect · 3rd sing.dosdeterminertwoañosnounyearsaño · masc. · pl.que1conjunction(that)noadverbnotlo2object pronounhim3rd sing. · direct objectveía2verbI sawver · imperfect · 1st sing..
- Hacía → que: hacía + time + que
- dos → años: pl.
- lo → veía: object of ver
Word for word: “It made two years that I didn’t see him.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1hacía + time + que + imperfect = had been … for, up to a past moment: the past of hace … que. Time expressions: hace, desde, desde hace, hace … que →
- 2lo = him, before the conjugated verb; veía is the irregular imperfect of ver. Direct object pronouns and personal a →
Variations
- Hacía dos años que no la veía.
- No lo veía desde hacía dos años.