If you freeze between he hecho and hice, do not start with English "have done" vs "did". Start with two checks: where is this Spanish meant to sound natural, and is the time window still open?
This keeps showing up for learners because textbooks often teach one clean rule, while real Spanish exposes you to Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and online Spanish in the same week. The practical goal is not to memorize every regional exception. It is to choose a safe default before you type.
The practical answer first
He hecho is the pretérito perfecto compuesto: haber in the present plus a past participle. Hice is the pretérito perfecto simple, usually called the preterite in English-learning materials.
In much of Spain, he hecho is common for something that happened in an unfinished or still-relevant time window: hoy he hecho tres llamadas. In much of Latin America, a speaker may naturally prefer hoy hice tres llamadas for the same finished events. Both can be grammatical; the region and the speaker's time perspective matter.
The Region + Time-Window Check
- Pick your audience first. Spain-leaning Spanish can use he hecho more often for today's events. Latin America-leaning Spanish usually leans harder on hice for finished events.
- Ask whether the time window is still open. Hoy, esta semana, and este mes can invite he hecho, especially in Spain.
- Check for a closed past marker. With ayer, anoche, el año pasado, or hace dos horas, hice is the safer learner default.
- Separate life experience from dated events. Nunca he hecho eso asks about life experience. Lo hice en 2024 pins the event to a past point.
Fast comparison table
| What you mean | Spain-leaning default | Latin America-leaning default |
|---|---|---|
| Something finished today | Hoy he hecho la reserva. | Hoy hice la reserva. |
| Something finished yesterday | Ayer hice la reserva. | Ayer hice la reserva. |
| Life experience | Nunca he hecho eso. | Nunca he hecho eso. / Nunca hice eso in some regions. |
| Recent result that matters now | He terminado; ya puedo salir. | He terminado or ya terminé, depending on region and style. |
Examples you can type without overthinking
Use hice when the sentence answers "when exactly?"
- Hice la tarea anoche. = I did the homework last night.
- Lo hice hace una hora. = I did it an hour ago.
- Hice el curso en 2025. = I did the course in 2025.
Use he hecho when the sentence points back from now
- He hecho tres llamadas hoy. = I have made three calls today.
- No he hecho mucho esta semana. = I have not done much this week.
- Nunca he hecho una entrevista en español. = I have never done an interview in Spanish.
If your Spanish target is mainly Mexico, Colombia, Central America, the Caribbean, or many online Latin American contexts, you can often switch today's finished events to hice without losing meaning: hoy hice tres llamadas. If your target is Spain, keep he hecho active for same-day and current-period updates.
A 12-minute typing loop
- Write four real "today" lines from your life: work done, messages sent, meals eaten, errands finished.
- Write four closed-past lines using ayer, la semana pasada, en 2025, and hace una hora.
- Choose an audience label: Spain-leaning, Latin America-leaning, or mixed.
- Type each line twice: once for Spain, once for Latin America, only where the contrast matters.
- Recall tomorrow without notes before checking your examples.
This fits well after the broader Spanish past-tense loop: that article trains viewpoint; this one trains region and time-window choice. If you are learning for meetings, travel, or client messages, pair it with the Spanish-for-work conversation plan so the examples come from situations you actually need.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Translating English mechanically. English "I have done" does not automatically require he hecho in every Spanish region.
- Assuming Latin America is one rule. Usage varies inside Latin America, so treat the preterite as a default, not a universal law.
- Thinking Spain never uses hice. Closed past markers still strongly favor the simple preterite.
- Trying to sound local everywhere. For mixed audiences, clarity beats hyper-local precision.
FAQ
Is he hecho wrong in Latin America?
No. It is used, especially for experience, ongoing relevance, and in some regions more than others. The safer simplification is that many Latin American speakers use hice more often for finished events.
Is hice wrong in Spain?
No. Hice is normal for closed past time markers such as ayer, la semana pasada, and en 2024. Same-day events are where many Spain-leaning speakers prefer he hecho.
Should beginners learn both forms?
Yes. Even if you choose one regional default, you need to recognize both because Spanish media, classes, apps, and native speakers mix regional norms.
What should I use in a work message?
Use the clearest time marker. For Spain-leaning Spanish, hoy he enviado el informe is natural. For Latin America-leaning Spanish, hoy envié el informe is often the safer default.
Evidence notes
- Learner-demand signal: learner discussions keep asking how he comido/he hecho differs from comí/hice, especially across Spain and Latin America. See Use of Present Perfect Tense in Latinoamerica and TIL that present perfect and past perfect tenses are rarely used in everyday Mexican Spanish.
- Academic support for regional variation: Martínez-Atienza de Dios (2023), ELUA, Perfect-Perfective Variation across Spanish Dialects (2022), and González, Jara Yupanqui & Kleinherenbrink (2019).
- Current learner-facing grammar context checked against recent resources: Preply Spanish past tense guide, updated May 2026 and Elon.io Latin American Spanish present perfect vs preterite.