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How to Say ‘A while ago’ in Mexican Spanish

Hace rato

AH-theh RAH-toh

[AH-theh RAH-toh]

💬 Usage Tip: hace plus a length of time means "ago". Swap in the time: hace una hora "an hour ago".

Phrase Breakdown

Hace

[AH-theh]

It’s been

'Hace' can mean it’s been when referring to an amount of time passing.

Example

Hace ya mucho tiempo.

It’s been a long time.

rato

[RAH-toh]

a while

A short period of time.

Example

Esperé un rato antes de llamarle.

I waited a while before calling you.

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