sein or haben — Which German Verb Do You Need?
After this lesson you can choose correctly between the two most common German verbs.
Do this first: haben — to have
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 am hungry.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I am 30 years old.
5 / 8 · Choose
How do you say "I am cold"?
6 / 8 · Choose
How do you say "I am thirsty"?
7 / 8 · Choose
How do you say "you are right"?
8 / 8 · Choose
Which one is used for possessions?
In short
Use sein for what something *is* — identity, origin, job, state, location. Use haben for what someone *has* — possessions, family, and a fixed set of feelings where English says "I am": Ich habe Hunger, Ich habe Angst.
How it works
You now know both verbs individually. The question is which one a given sentence wants, and most of the time the answer is obvious: sein describes, haben possesses. Ich bin müde describes a state; Ich habe ein Auto states a possession.
The trouble is the overlap, and it runs in both directions. German uses haben for a group of physical and emotional states where English uses "to be": Hunger, Durst, Angst, Recht, Glück. Learn these as fixed phrases — Ich habe Hunger, never Ich bin Hunger.
And it runs the other way for age and for feeling cold or warm. Age takes sein, unlike French or Spanish: Ich bin 30 Jahre alt, never Ich habe 30 Jahre. But temperature takes a dative construction that uses neither in the way you would expect: Mir ist kalt, not Ich bin kalt — which would mean you are a cold-hearted person.
| Use sein for | Use haben for |
|---|---|
| identity — Ich bin Anna. | possessions — Ich habe ein Auto. |
| origin — Ich bin aus Irland. | family — Ich habe zwei Kinder. |
| job — Ich bin Lehrerin. | time — Ich habe Zeit. |
| state — Ich bin müde. | sensations — Ich habe Hunger. |
| location — Ich bin zu Hause. | appointments — Ich habe einen Termin. |
| age — Ich bin 30. | illness — Ich habe Fieber. |
| 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 Glück. | I have luck. | I am lucky. |
| English | Wrong | Right |
|---|---|---|
| I am 30 years old | Ich habe 30 Jahre. | Ich bin 30 Jahre alt. |
| I am cold | Ich bin kalt. | Mir ist kalt. |
| I am hungry | Ich bin Hunger. | Ich habe Hunger. |
Examples
- Ich bin Lehrerin und ich habe zwei Kinder.I am a teacher and I have two children.
- Er ist müde, aber er hat keine Zeit.He is tired, but he has no time.
- Ich habe Hunger.I am hungry.
- Ich bin 30 Jahre alt.I am 30 years old.
- Mir ist kalt.I am cold.
- Wir haben einen Termin um zehn.We have an appointment at ten.
- Sie ist zu Hause.She is at home.
- Hast du Angst?Are you afraid?
- Du hast Recht.You are right.
- Das Kind hat Fieber.The child has a temperature.
Mistakes to avoid
✗ Ich bin Hunger.
✓ Ich habe Hunger.
Hunger, Durst, Angst, Recht and Glück all take haben. Learn them as blocks, not by translating.
✗ Ich habe 30 Jahre.
✓ Ich bin 30 Jahre alt.
Age takes sein in German, as in English. This is the standard error for French, Spanish and Italian speakers.
✗ Ich bin kalt.
✓ Mir ist kalt.
Ich bin kalt says you are a cold person. To say you feel cold, German uses the dative: mir ist kalt, dir ist warm.
✗ Ich bin einen Termin.
✓ Ich habe einen Termin.
Appointments, time and plans are things you have, not things you are.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| sein | to be | |
| haben | to have | |
| der Hunger | hunger | |
| der Durst | thirst | |
| die Angst | fear | |
| das Glück | luck, happiness | |
| das Recht | right | |
| das Fieber | fever, temperature | |
| der Termin | appointment | |
| müde | tired |
Kulturnotiz
Du hast Recht — "you are right" — is heard far more often in German conversation than its English equivalent, and so is the softer Da hast du Recht ("you have a point there"). German discussion tends to concede a point out loud rather than letting it pass silently, which can read as unusually blunt agreement to English speakers. It is not flattery; it is just how the conversation is structured.
Common questions
+What is the simplest rule?
sein for what something is — identity, origin, job, state, location, age. haben for what someone has — possessions, family, time, appointments. Then learn the haben-sensation phrases as fixed blocks.
+Why is it Ich habe Hunger and not Ich bin hungrig?
Ich bin hungrig is grammatically fine but far less common. Germans treat hunger as something you have. Use the haben version as your default.
+Why is age sein and not haben?
German follows English here, not the Romance languages. Ich bin 30 Jahre alt. Speakers of French, Spanish or Italian produce Ich habe 30 Jahre almost automatically.
+Why is Mir ist kalt not Ich bin kalt?
Because Ich bin kalt describes your personality — cold-hearted. Physical sensations use a dative construction: mir ist kalt, mir ist warm, mir ist schlecht.