Hice e Ice
(Did/Made and Hoist)

In this learning pill we bring one of the first false friends between English and Spanish: ‘ice’. In Spanish it is the third person of the conditional of the verb ‘izar’ (to hoist, lift). The translation of the English word ‘ice’ into Spanish is ‘hielo’. In Spanish, the verb ‘ice’ maybe easily confused with “hice”, which is from the verb ‘hacer’ (to do/ make). Let’s start with a brief explanation of one of the letters of the Latin alphabet responsible for a number of spelling mistakes: the hache (“H”). Because it is ‘mute’ in all Spanish words, except when preceded by C (ch), when it sounds pretty much the same as in English, But many words use it and it is mandatory to write it. Otherwise, the meaning of the word changes completely. So, following this rule, ‘hice’, which comes from the verb ‘To do’ and is used when we want to say that we have created something or done some kind of action, always use the ‘H’. Don’t forget to write it! A completely different example is the case of ‘Ice’, which comes from the verb ‘Izar’, and is a term used for those occasions when something is lifted off the ground by pulling on the rope on which it is hanging. Confused? Use the image below as a mnemonic resource. Here are some other example phrases that can help you to clarify these two concepts even more and to know when to use ‘Ice’ or I did:  

¿Qué hace la grúa? Iza el hielo.

What does the crane do? Lift the ice.

Anoche hice la cena

I made the dinner last night.

El capitán me pide que ice las velas del barco

The captain asks me to hoist the sails of the ship

El pasado fin de semana no hice los deberes

I didn’t do my homework last weekend.

Por favor, ice la bandera a media asta en señal de luto

Please hoist the flag at half-mast in mourning.