haber
/ah-BEHR/
to have
Haber used as a helping verb indicates an action that has been completed, like having eaten a meal.
📝 In Action
Yo he viajado a España dos veces.
A2I have traveled to Spain two times.
¿Nunca has probado el gazpacho?
A2Have you never tried gazpacho?
Cuando llegamos, la película ya había empezado.
B1When we arrived, the movie had already started.
Para mañana, habré terminado el informe.
B2By tomorrow, I will have finished the report.
💡 Grammar Points
Your Trusty Helping Verb
Think of 'haber' as a 'helping verb'. It teams up with another verb to form tenses that talk about past experiences. It's always followed by a verb ending in -ado or -ido, like 'he comido' (I have eaten).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing 'Haber' and 'Tener'
Mistake: "To say 'I have a car', a learner might say: 'Yo he un coche.'"
Correction: The correct way is: 'Yo tengo un coche.' Use 'tener' for possession (to have things) and 'haber' for actions (to have done something).
⭐ Usage Tips
Two 'Haves' in Spanish
In English, we use 'have' for everything ('I have a dog' and 'I have seen a movie'). Remember that Spanish splits this into two jobs: 'tener' for owning things and 'haber' for completing actions.
The form 'Hay' means "There is" or "There are," showing that something exists in a location.
haber(Verb)
there is / there are
?to express existence
there was / there were
?past existence
,there will be
?future existence
📝 In Action
Hay un gato en el jardín.
A1There is a cat in the garden.
Hay muchas nubes hoy.
A1There are a lot of clouds today.
Había una fiesta anoche.
A2There was a party last night.
Hubo un accidente en la carretera.
B1There was an accident on the highway.
No creo que haya problema.
B1I don't think there is a problem.
💡 Grammar Points
One Form Fits All: 'Hay'
The best part about 'hay' is that it means both 'there is' and 'there are'. You use the same word whether you're talking about one thing or many things. It never changes!
Only One Form Per Tense
This use of 'haber' is special because it only uses the 'he/she' form of the verb. For example, in the past it's 'había' (there was/were) or 'hubo' (there was/were), and in the future it's 'habrá' (there will be).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'Son' or 'Están' instead of 'Hay'
Mistake: "To say 'There are three books', a learner might say: 'Son tres libros.'"
Correction: The correct way is: 'Hay tres libros.' Use 'hay' to say that something exists. Use 'ser' (son) to describe what something is ('Los libros son rojos') or 'estar' (están) to say where it is ('Los libros están en la mesa').
⭐ Usage Tips
Hubo vs. Había
Use 'hubo' to talk about an event that happened and finished, like 'Hubo un concierto' (There was a concert). Use 'había' to describe a scene or situation in the past, like 'Había mucha gente' (There were a lot of people).
As a noun, 'Haber' refers to financial assets or the credit side of an account, visualized here as accumulated wealth.
📝 In Action
El contador revisó el debe y el haber de la cuenta.
C1The accountant checked the debit and credit of the account.
El haber total de la compañía es impresionante.
C1The company's total assets are impressive.
⭐ Usage Tips
For Accountants Only
You'll almost never hear this in daily conversation. It's specific to business and finance. It's good to recognize, but you probably won't need to use it yourself.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: haber
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly says 'I have seen that movie'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest difference between 'haber' and 'tener'?
The simplest way to remember is: 'tener' is for owning things ('tengo un libro' - I have a book), while 'haber' is for doing things ('he leído un libro' - I have read a book). They both translate to 'have' in English, but they have different jobs in Spanish.
Why doesn't 'hay' change for plural things, like 'hay un coche' and 'hay dos coches'?
Because this form of 'haber' is what we call an 'impersonal' verb. It doesn't have a specific subject doing the action. Its only job is to state existence, so it stays in one simple form, which makes it easier for you!
What's the difference between 'había' and 'hubo'?
Both mean 'there was' or 'there were'. Use 'había' to set a scene or describe an ongoing situation in the past (e.g., 'Había mucho tráfico' - There was a lot of traffic). Use 'hubo' for a specific event that happened and ended (e.g., 'Hubo un choque' - There was a crash).