Haber is an irregular auxiliary verb used to form compound tenses, such as the present perfect (he hablado), past perfect (había comido), and future perfect (habré escrito). It is always followed by a past participle (e.g., hablado, comido).
There are three main uses of haber:
- Auxiliary verb for compound tenses (e.g., he hablado)
- Impersonal expressions meaning "there is" or "there are" (e.g., hay un libro)
- Occasionally used in formal or literary contexts to mean "must" or "have to" (e.g., ha de venir)
Haber does not change form to agree with the past participle and does not exist as a main verb meaning "to have" for possession—that role belongs to tener.
Conjugations
Here are the most common forms of haber relevant to forming compound tenses and impersonal expressions. Notice only the stem changes for some tenses, but the endings follow regular -er patterns.
Indicative
| Spanish Pronoun | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | he | hube | había | habré | habría |
| tú | has | hubiste | habías | habrás | habrías |
| él/ella/usted | ha (hay) | hubo | había | habrá | habría |
| nosotros | hemos | hubimos | habíamos | habremos | habríamos |
| vosotros | habéis | hubisteis | habíais | habréis | habríais |
| ellos/as/ustedes | han | hubieron | habían | habrán | habrían |
- Note: hay (there is/are) is used only in the third person singular. hubo (preterite) can mean “there was/were” or be used in literary contexts.
Subjunctive
| Spanish Pronoun | Present | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | haya | hubiera/hubiese | hubiere |
| tú | hayas | hubieras/hubieses | hubieres |
| él/ella/usted | haya | hubiera/hubiese | hubiere |
| nosotros | hayamos | hubiéramos/hubiésemos | hubiéremos |
| vosotros | hayáis | hubierais/hubieseis | hubieres |
| ellos/as/ustedes | hayan | hubieran/hubiesen | hubieren |
- Note:* The future subjunctive is now mostly literary or legal.
Past Participle Patterns
The past participle is formed by removing the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding -ado (for -ar verbs) or -ido (for -er and -ir verbs).
| Verb Infinitive | Past Participle (Spanish) | Past Participle (English) |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablado | spoken |
| comer | comido | eaten |
| vivir | vivido | lived |
| escribir | escrito | written |
| hacer | hecho | done/made |
| abrir | abierto | opened |
- Note: Some past participles are irregular (marked with ).
Usage
Haber pairs with a past participle to express actions that have been completed relative to another time.
Example of Present Perfect
Los estudiantes han estudiado para el examen.
The students have studied for the exam.
Common Expression
- Hay un problema. — There is a problem.
- No hay leche. — There is no milk.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use "haber" to express possession. Use tener instead:
- Correct: Tengo dos hermanos.
- Incorrect: *Hago dos hermanos.
- Always use the third person singular forms (hay, hubo, habrá) for impersonal statements:
- Correct: Hay tres gatos en la casa.
- Incorrect: *Hayan tres gatos en la casa.
Tips
- Focus on memorizing the irregular stems: h- (he, has, ha), hub- (hube, hubiste, hubo...), hay- (hay), habr- (habré...), and habr-ía for conditional.
- Remember: haber + past participle = compound tense (e.g., he visto, habían llegado).
- Use hay for "there is" or "there are" in present; había for "there was/were" (imperfect); hubo for "there was/were" (preterite, often in narratives).
Flashcards (1 of 18)
- Present: he
- Preterite: hube
- Imperfect: había
- Future: habré
- Conditional: habría
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
