A Key Expression You’ll Hear All the Time
If you’re learning Spanish, one expression you’ll want to understand and start using is “hacer caso”. You’ll hear it often in conversations—especially when someone wants to talk about listening to advice, paying attention, or following directions.
Let’s break it down so you can feel confident using it!
💬 What Does Hacer Caso Mean?
In English, hacer caso roughly translates to:
- To pay attention
- To listen to someone
- To take someone seriously
- To follow advice or directions
It’s often used with an indirect object pronoun, like me, te, le, nos, les, etc.
🧩 How to Use Hacer Caso in a Sentence
Here’s the structure:
👉 Hacer + [indirect object pronoun] + caso
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hazme caso. | Pay attention to me. / Listen to me. |
| No le hicieron caso. | They didn’t listen to him/her. |
| ¿Por qué no me haces caso? | Why don’t you listen to me? |
| Siempre le hace caso a su mamá. | He always listens to his mom. |
| Tenemos que hacerle caso al doctor. | We have to follow the doctor’s instructions. |
You can also negate it to say someone is ignoring you:
🛑 No me hizo caso.
(He/she ignored me.)
🧠 Why It’s Useful
This expression is a natural way to express something that doesn’t translate well with just “listen” or “pay attention.” It’s used with people of all ages and in both formal and informal settings.
🎯 Practice These Common Phrases
- ¡Hazme caso! – Listen to me!
- ¿Por qué no le hiciste caso al maestro? – Why didn’t you listen to the teacher?
- No le hagas caso. – Don’t pay attention to him/her.
- Siempre le hace caso a su entrenador. – He/she always follows their coach’s advice.
🌍 Real-Life Tip
In Latin American culture, you might hear this expression used by parents, teachers, doctors, or even in everyday friendships. It’s a key part of sounding natural and fluent in Spanish conversations.
