The verb haben is one of the most common and important verbs in German. It means "to have" and is used to express possession, form perfect tenses, and sometimes appear in fixed expressions. Below are its conjugations in the present, simple past (imperfect), and past participle forms, along with examples.
Conjugations
Present Tense
| Pronoun | German | English | Example (German) | Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | I have | Ich habe ein Buch. | I have a book. |
| du | hast | you have | Du hast Zeit. | You have time. |
| er/sie/es | hat | he/she/it has | Sie hat Hunger. | She is hungry. |
| wir | haben | we have | Wir haben Hausaufgaben. | We have homework. |
| ihr | habt | you (pl.) have | Ihr habt Recht. | You (pl.) are right. |
| sie/Sie | haben | they/you have | Sie haben viele Freunde. | They have many friends. |
Wir ___ Hausaufgaben.
haben
Wir (we) uses 'haben' as the plural form: 'Wir haben Hausaufgaben' means 'We have homework.'
Simple Past (Imperfekt)
| Pronoun | German | English | Example (German) | Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | hatte | I had | Ich hatte Zeit. | I had time. |
| du | hattest | you had | Du hattest Glück. | You were lucky. |
| er/sie/es | hatte | he/she/it had | Er hatte keine Schule. | He had no school. |
| wir | hatten | we had | Wir hatten Spaß. | We had fun. |
| ihr | hattet | you (pl.) had | Ihr hattet Recht. | You (pl.) were right. |
| sie/Sie | hatten | they/you had | Sie hatten viel zu tun. | They had a lot to do. |
Past Participle
Formed with ge-...-t
| Form | German | English | Example (German) | Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| past participle | gehabt | had | Ich habe das Buch gehabt. | I have had the book. |
Usage: Used with haben as an auxiliary verb to form perfect tenses.
Examples
Present Tense
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich habe einen Hund. | I have a dog. |
| Du hast zwei Geschwister. | You have two siblings. |
| Wir haben heute frei. | We have today off. |
Wir ___ Hausaufgaben.
haben
Wir (we) uses 'haben' as the plural form: 'Wir haben Hausaufgaben' means 'We have homework.'
Simple Past
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich hatte einen Vogel. | I had a bird. |
| Ihr hattet einen Fehler gemacht. | You (pl.) had made a mistake. |
| Sie hatten viel Spaß. | They had a lot of fun. |
Forming Perfect Tense
haben + past participle
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich habe das Buch gehabt. | I have had the book. |
| Wir haben viel gegessen. | We have eaten a lot. |
| Sie haben gesprochen. | They have spoken. |
Key Takeaways
- haben means "to have" and is used for possession and forming perfect tenses.
- It is irregular in some forms (e.g., du hast, er hat, ich hatte).
- The past participle is gehabt, used with haben to form perfect tenses.
- It is one of the two most important auxiliary verbs in German (the other is sein).
Which two auxiliary verbs are most important in German for forming perfect tenses?
- haben
- sein
The two main auxiliary verbs in German perfect tenses are 'haben' and 'sein.'
What is the past participle of 'haben'?
gehabt
The past participle of 'haben' is 'gehabt,' used with 'haben' to form perfect tenses.
Flashcards (1 of 22)
- Pronoun: ich
- English: I have
- Example (English): I have a book.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
