haben
to have, to possess · to have (auxiliary verb for perfect tense) · to have (in expressions)
Haben means 'to have' and is one of the most common German verbs. It is used for possession, as an auxiliary verb to form the perfect tense, and in many fixed expressions. Learners should know that haben is irregular and its forms change a lot.
What haben means
- to have, to possess — talking about owning things, having qualities, or having people in your life
- to have (auxiliary verb for perfect tense) — used with a past participle to talk about completed actions, e.g., 'Ich habe gegessen' (I have eaten)
- to have (in expressions) — in fixed phrases like 'Angst haben' (to be afraid), 'Zeit haben' (to have time), 'Recht haben' (to be right)
Heard in real German videos
Lines where haben was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.
- Ich habe keine Angst vor euch.I'm not afraid of you.
- McKenzie hat den Film gesehen.McKenzie has seen the film.
- Der Junge hat Talent.The boy has talent.
Example sentences
- Ich habe einen Bruder.I have a brother.
- Wir haben heute viel zu tun.We have a lot to do today.
- Sie hat gestern einen Film gesehen.She saw a film yesterday.
- Hast du Zeit?Do you have time?
Grammar
| Present (ich/du/er) | habe / hast / hat |
|---|---|
| Simple past | hatte |
| Perfect | hat gehabt (with haben) |
| Separable | no |
| Case it takes | accusative |
Haben is irregular: the du and er/sie/es forms drop the 'b' (hast, hat). The past participle is 'gehabt'.
Common phrases
- Angst habento be afraid
- Zeit habento have time
- Recht habento be right
- Hunger habento be hungry
- Durst habento be thirsty
The mistake English speakers make
English speakers often forget to conjugate haben correctly, especially using 'habe' with 'ich' and 'hat' with 'er/sie/es'. Also, they may use 'haben' where German uses 'sein' for the perfect tense of movement verbs, e.g., 'Ich bin gegangen' not 'Ich habe gegangen'.
Don’t confuse it with
- sein — Sein means 'to be' and is used as the auxiliary for verbs of movement or state change in the perfect tense, while haben is used for most other verbs.
Questions learners ask
How do you conjugate haben in the present tense?
ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben.
When do you use haben as an auxiliary verb?
Use haben to form the perfect tense with most verbs, especially transitive verbs and those that do not indicate a change of state or movement. For example: 'Ich habe gegessen' (I have eaten).
What is the difference between haben and sein in the perfect tense?
Haben is used with most verbs, while sein is used with verbs of movement (e.g., gehen, fahren) and change of state (e.g., aufwachen, sterben). For example: 'Ich bin gegangen' (I went) but 'Ich habe gegessen' (I ate).