hacer
Hacer means make and do — but it also does weather, time expressions, and causatives. One of the most overloaded verbs in Spanish.
hacer (do/make)
The default verb for doing and making — covers both where English uses two different words.
Haz los deberes. / Haz la cama.
Do your homework. / Make the bed.
Both 'do' and 'make' use hacer. Spanish doesn't distinguish — context handles it.
Hace lo que puede.
He does what he can.
General doing. The verb of effort and action.
¿Qué haces?
What are you doing? / What do you do?
Both the present action and profession can be asked this way. Context (or tense) clarifies.
hacer (weather + time)
Weather and time elapsed both use hacer — with no subject pronoun, and always singular.
Hace frío / calor / viento / sol.
It's cold / hot / windy / sunny.
Weather uses hacer impersonally. Never 'está frío' for the weather (that's for objects being cold to touch).
Hace tres años que vivo aquí.
I've been living here for three years.
Hace + time + que = how long something has been happening. Present tense for ongoing situations.
Hacía mucho que no te veía.
It had been a long time since I'd seen you.
Imperfect hacer for past elapsed time. Common opener after a gap.
Tricky bit
'Hace' for weather is impersonal — never 'él hace frío.' And 'hacer' as a causative: 'Me hizo reír' (he made me laugh), 'Lo hizo llorar' (it made him cry). The causative hacer + infinitive is a structure English learners consistently miss.