haber
“haber” means “to have” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
to have
📝 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.
there is / there are
Also: there was / there were, there will be
📝 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.
assets
Also: credit
📝 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.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
🔀 Commonly Confused With
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: haber
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly says 'I have seen that movie'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'habēre', which meant 'to have, to hold, to possess'. Over time in Spanish, its job of 'possessing' was mostly taken over by the verb 'tener', and 'haber' specialized into its roles as a helping verb and a verb of existence.
First recorded: 9th century
Cognates (Related words)
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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).