Verb "haben" (to have)
Das Verb "haben"
Haben means to have and conjugates as ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben. The only irregularity is that du and er drop the b of the stem, and German uses haben in many expressions where English uses to be, such as Ich habe Hunger for I am hungry.
Conjugate and use haben in everyday contexts.
Rules & Explanations
Verb haben Introduction
Einführung: Das Verb haben
haben = to have. The second most important verb in German. You use it to say what you own, how old you are, and in many expressions. I have, you have, he has — in German: ich habe, du hast, er hat.
haben changes its form for every pronoun, just like sein. Also, German uses haben for some things where English uses to be: I am hungry = Ich habe Hunger (I have hunger). I am 25 = Ich bin 25 (this one uses sein!).
In English, to have is simple: I have, you have, he has. Only he/she/it changes (has). German haben also changes for each pronoun, but more than English.
Ich habe einen Hund. Du hast Zeit. Er hat Hunger.
I have a dog. You have time. He is hungry.
Every pronoun has a different form. And notice: He is hungry = Er hat Hunger (he has hunger)!
haben is the second verb you need. Together with sein, you can make most basic sentences.
Conjugation of haben
Konjugation von haben
Notice: ich habe, wir haben, sie/Sie haben — these three use hab-. du hast, er hat — these drop the b!
ich habe, wir haben, sie haben = hab-. du hast, er hat = ohne b!
| Pronoun | haben | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | have | Ich habe ein Auto. |
| du | hast | have | Du hast Recht. (You are right.) |
| er/sie/es | hat | has | Er hat Hunger. (He is hungry.) |
| wir | haben | have | Wir haben Zeit. |
| ihr | habt | have | Ihr habt Glück! (You all are lucky!) |
| sie/Sie | haben | have | Sie haben zwei Kinder. |
du hast and er hat drop the B from hab-. Everything else keeps hab-: habe, haben, habt.
habe-hast-hat-haben-habt-haben. du and er/sie/es drop the B!
Common Mistakes
-
✗ Ich hat einen Hund.
✓ Ich habe einen Hund.
ich goes with habe, not hat. hat is for er/sie/es.
-
✗ Er habe Hunger.
✓ Er hat Hunger.
er goes with hat, not habe. habe is for ich.
haben Expressions (German uses have where English uses be!)
haben-Ausdrücke
| De | En | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hunger haben | to be hungry | Ich habe Hunger. (I am hungry.) |
| Durst haben | to be thirsty | Ich habe Durst. (I am thirsty.) |
| Angst haben | to be scared | Ich habe Angst. (I am scared.) |
| Recht haben | to be right | Du hast Recht. (You are right.) |
| Glück haben | to be lucky | Wir haben Glück! (We are lucky!) |
| Lust haben | to feel like / to want | Ich habe Lust auf Kaffee. (I feel like coffee.) |
haben = to be in these expressions!
German says I have hunger instead of I am hungry. Same for thirst, fear, and luck!
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
- ▸haben = to have. The second most important verb.
- ▸ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben
- ▸du hast and er hat drop the B from hab-
- ▸German says I have hunger (not I am hungry), I have thirst (not I am thirsty)
- ▸haben is also used for Recht haben (to be right) and Glück haben (to be lucky)
Examples
Ich habe einen Hund.
I have a dog.
habeich + habe. Hund = masculine → einen (accusative).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| habe | have |
| einen | a (accusative) |
| Hund | dog |
Du hast Recht.
You are right.
hastdu + hast. Recht haben = to be right. German says: You have right!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Du | you |
| hast | have |
| Recht | right (noun) |
Er hat Hunger.
He is hungry.
hater + hat. German says: He has hunger! Not: He is hungry.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Er | he |
| hat | has |
| Hunger | hunger |
Wir haben Zeit.
We have time.
habenwir + haben. Same form as the infinitive!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wir | we |
| haben | have |
| Zeit | time |
Ihr habt Glück!
You all are lucky!
habtihr + habt. Glück haben = to be lucky.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ihr | you all |
| habt | have |
| Glück | luck |
Sie haben zwei Kinder.
They have two children.
habensie/Sie + haben.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sie | they |
| haben | have |
| zwei | two |
| Kinder | children |
Ich habe Durst.
I am thirsty.
habeDurst haben = to be thirsty. German says: I have thirst!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| habe | have |
| Durst | thirst |
Hast du eine Frage?
Do you have a question?
HastQuestions: verb first! Hast du...? = Do you have...?
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hast | have (du) |
| du | you |
| eine | a |
| Frage | question |
Practice Exercises
8 interactive exercises
Ich ___ ein Auto.
Ich ___ ein Auto.
You got on this topic's exercises.
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Common questions about the German verb haben
How do you conjugate haben in German?
The forms are ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt and sie/Sie haben. Three forms keep the full stem hab-, and only du hast and er hat drop the b. Everything else follows the ordinary present-tense endings, so haben is far more regular than sein and easier to memorise.
Why do Germans say Ich habe Hunger instead of I am hungry?
German treats hunger as a thing you possess rather than a state you are in, so it uses haben plus a noun. The pattern covers a whole family of expressions: Ich habe Durst (thirsty), Ich habe Angst (scared), Du hast Recht (right), Wir haben Glück (lucky). Translating them word for word with sein produces sentences no German would say.
When do I use haben and when sein?
Use haben for possession and for the fixed noun expressions such as Hunger, Durst, Angst, Recht, Glück and Zeit. Use sein for identity, location, feelings expressed with adjectives and descriptions: Ich bin müde, Ich bin in Berlin. A quick test: if the German sentence contains a noun after the verb, haben is usually correct.
What does Du hast Recht mean in German?
It means you are right. Literally it says you have right, because German expresses being correct as possessing correctness. It is a set phrase, so Recht is capitalised and no article appears. The same construction gives Ich habe Recht (I am right) and, with the opposite meaning, Du hast Unrecht (you are wrong).
Is haben used for the past tense in German?
Yes, and that is the second reason it matters so much. Later on, haben becomes the helping verb of the Perfekt, the everyday past tense: Ich habe gearbeitet (I have worked), Wir haben gelernt. Learning the six present-tense forms now pays off twice, because the same forms carry the past tense for most German verbs.