The German Verb haben (to have) — Full Conjugation
After this lesson you can say what you have, and use the haben phrases where English says “I am”.
Do this first: Personal pronouns
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I have a brother.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
Do you have time?
5 / 8 · Choose
How do Germans normally say “I am hungry”?
6 / 8 · Choose
How do you say “I am thirsty”?
7 / 8 · Choose
“I am afraid” in German is…
8 / 8 · Choose
How do you say “I am 30 years old”?
In short
German “to have” is haben: ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben. Only the du and er/sie/es forms are irregular — they drop the b.
How it works
Haben is the German verb “to have”. It is much friendlier than sein: four of the six forms follow the normal pattern, and only du hast and er hat break it by dropping the b.
Beyond possession, haben carries a whole family of everyday expressions where English uses “to be”: Ich habe Hunger (“I am hungry”), Ich habe Durst (“I am thirsty”), Ich habe Angst (“I am afraid”). Learn these as fixed phrases — translating the English directly will produce something German speakers do not say.
Haben is also the main helper verb for the past tense (lesson 29): Ich habe gearbeitet, “I worked”. Together with sein it accounts for a very large share of everything you will say in your first year.
| Person | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | I have |
| du | hast | you have (informal) |
| er / sie / es | hat | he / she / it has |
| wir | haben | we have |
| ihr | habt | you have (plural, informal) |
| sie / Sie | haben | they have / you have (formal) |
| German | Literally | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich habe Hunger. | I have hunger. | I am hungry. |
| Ich habe Durst. | I have thirst. | I am thirsty. |
| Ich habe Angst. | I have fear. | I am afraid. |
| Ich habe Recht. | I have right. | I am right. |
| Ich habe Zeit. | I have time. | I am free. |
Examples
- Ich habe einen Bruder.I have a brother.
- Hast du Zeit?Do you have time?
- Er hat ein Auto.He has a car.
- Sie hat zwei Kinder.She has two children.
- Wir haben eine Frage.We have a question.
- Habt ihr Hunger?Are you hungry?
- Sie haben keine Zeit.They have no time.
- Ich habe heute frei.I have the day off today.
- Haben Sie eine Reservierung?Do you have a reservation?
- Das Zimmer hat ein Fenster.The room has a window.
Mistakes to avoid
✗ Ich bin hungrig… (as a default)
✓ Ich habe Hunger.
Ich bin hungrig is not wrong, but Ich habe Hunger is what people actually say. Use the haben version and you will sound native.
✗ Du habst ein Auto.
✓ Du hast ein Auto.
du drops the b: hast, not habst. Same for er/sie/es — hat, not habt.
✗ Ihr hast Zeit.
✓ Ihr habt Zeit.
ihr habt keeps the b. Only du and er/sie/es lose it.
✗ Ich habe 30 Jahre.
✓ Ich bin 30 Jahre alt.
Age uses sein in German, not haben — unlike French or Spanish. This one catches Romance-language speakers constantly.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| haben | to have | |
| der Hunger | hunger | |
| der Durst | thirst | |
| die Angst | fear | |
| die Zeit | time | |
| das Auto | car | |
| das Kind | child | plural: die Kinder |
| die Frage | question | |
| das Fenster | window | |
| frei | free, off (work) |
Kulturnotiz
Ich habe Recht — “I am right” — is worth knowing early, and so is the softer Da hast du Recht (“you have a point there”). German conversation tends to concede a point explicitly rather than letting it pass, and that phrase is the standard way to do it.
Common questions
+Why is it du hast and not du habst?
Sound change, worn smooth by heavy use. The b dropped out of the du and er/sie/es forms centuries ago because those forms are said constantly. The other four forms kept it.
+Should I say Ich habe Hunger or Ich bin hungrig?
Both are correct German, but Ich habe Hunger is far more common in speech. Use it as your default and keep hungrig for writing or emphasis.
+Why is age Ich bin 30 and not Ich habe 30?
German uses sein for age, like English. French, Spanish and Italian use “have”, which is why speakers of those languages so often produce Ich habe 30 Jahre.
+When is haben used for the past?
For most verbs: Ich habe gegessen, “I ate”. Verbs of motion and change of state take sein instead — Ich bin gegangen. Lesson 29 covers which is which.