Deutsch · A1 · verb · 4 minutes
Haben: present tense
Express possession and common states with two shortened singular forms.
Understand the choice
Haben covers possessions and many states that English expresses with be. Learn Zeit haben, Hunger haben, Angst haben, and recht haben as whole units.
Core rule: Haben loses b in du hast and er/sie/es hat; all other present forms retain hab-.
Notice it in context
Wir haben Zeit, aber du hast Hunger.
We have time, but you are hungry.
Haben agrees with wir; hast agrees with du and carries the expression Hunger haben.
Ich habe eine Frage.
I have a question.
Habe is first-person singular; Frage is the accusative object.
Hat er heute keine Zeit?
Does he have no time today?
Hat precedes the subject in a yes/no question.
What to remember
- Keine Zeit haben means have no time; nicht Zeit is not the normal phrase.
- Ihr habt is the only present form ending -bt.
Common trap: Do not say ich bin Hunger. German uses haben: ich habe Hunger.