Haber To have

To Have The verb “to have” is used in three different ways in English: to have something (possession) to have to do something (obligation) to have done something (reference to an activity) Consider the following examples: I have a wagon. I have to study for a test. I have been to the zoo.

Tener vs. Haber Tener is used to talk about possession and obligation. Haber is used to refer to actions. Haber can be confusing at first, but mastering it is a big step toward mastering Spanish. Tenses that use haber are referred to as perfect tenses.

Using “to have” to talk about actions I have seen that movie. I would have spoken to her. I will have graduated by then. I had been waiting for an hour.

Haber Haber can be conjugated into any tense, just like any other verb. Present (he, has, ha…), Preterit (hube, hubiste, hubo…), Imperfect (había, habías, había…), etc. However, haber never stands alone. It is always accompanied by another verb, in the past participle form. (See next slide) Haber is irregular in many tenses.

Past Participle The past participle of a verb is formed by removing the ending (–ar, –er, or –ir) and adding –ado (for –ar verbs) or –ido (for –er or –ir verbs). When used with haber, the participles are not modified according to number or gender. There are many irregular past participles.

Present Perfect This is where things get a little confusing. The present perfect is used to talk about things that have happened, meaning that it actually refers to the past; however, the present tense of haber is used. (This same confusion exists in English, we just don’t ever think about it.) Yo he hablado con ella. I have spoken to her. Past participle of haber Present yo form of haber.

Haber in different Tenses Present he hemos has ha han Preterit hube hubimos hubiste hubo hubieron Imperfect había habíamos habías habían I have talked to her. Yo he hablado con ella. I had talked to her. Yo hube hablado con ella. (This is very uncommon; the imperfect is generally used instead.) I had talked to her. Yo había hablado con ella. Conditional habría habríamos habrías habrían Future habré habremos habrás habrá habrán I would have talked to her. Yo habría hablado con ella. I will have talked to her. Yo habré hablado con ella.

Practice Using what you have just learned, try to translate the following sentences: I have eaten dinner. You have visited your friends. We had already arrived. He would have made good grades. They will have called already.