Grammar · Verbs

The German verb haben

haben means “to have”. It expresses possession and also serves as an auxiliary in the perfect tense.

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Present tense

Conjugating haben

In the second and third person singular, the b disappears from the stem: du hast, er hat.

PersonSingularPersonPlural
ichhabewirhaben
duhastihrhabt
er / sie / eshatsie / Siehaben

Meaning

haben as a main verb

As a main verb, haben normally takes an accusative object.

  • Ich habe einen Bruder.
  • Lea hat eine neue Wohnung.
  • Wir haben heute keine Zeit.
  • Hast du Hunger?
Case

The person who has something is nominative; the thing possessed is usually accusative.

Past events

haben as an auxiliary

Most German verbs form the perfect tense with a form of haben and a past participle.

  • Ich habe Deutsch gelernt.
  • Du hast die Aufgabe gelöst.
  • Wir haben lange gearbeitet.

Quick check

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