haben
to have
Expresses possession or belonging.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe ein neues Fahrrad.
I have a new bicycle.
haben
to have
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Meanings
haben
to have
Serves as an auxiliary verb to form compound past tenses, such as the present perfect and past perfect.
EXAMPLE
Er hat den ganzen Tag gearbeitet.
He worked all day.
haben
to have
Describes a state, feeling, or characteristic of a person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Hast du Hunger?
Are you hungry?
haben
to have
Describes the presence of features or parts.
EXAMPLE
Das Haus hat einen großen Garten.
The house has a large garden.
etwas gegen jemanden/etwas haben
to have something against someone/something
To feel dislike or have something against a person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe nichts gegen deinen Vorschlag, aber er ist schwer umzusetzen.
I have nothing against your suggestion, but it is hard to implement.
zu tun haben mit
to have to do with
To be related to something or be involved with something.
EXAMPLE
Seine schlechte Laune hat mit seiner Arbeit zu tun.
His bad mood has to do with his work.
Usage tips
Auxiliary verb for the perfect tense
'Haben' (to have) is the most important auxiliary verb for forming the present perfect tense. It is combined with the past participle of the main verb, which stands at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe gestern einen interessanten Artikel gelesen.
I read an interesting article yesterday.
Common mistake: necessity
To express necessity, English 'to have to', German uses the modal verb 'müssen' (must / to have to). The construction 'etwas zu haben' means that you possess something, not that you have to do something.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss morgen früh aufstehen.
I have to get up early tomorrow.
Modal verb substitute
The structure 'haben + zu + infinitive' expresses an obligation or necessity, similar to 'müssen' (must / to have to). This form is often used in more formal or written contexts.
EXAMPLE
Alle Mitarbeiter haben die neuen Sicherheitsregeln zu beachten.
All employees must observe the new safety rules.
Typical collocations
'Haben' (to have) is used in many fixed expressions for feelings and states. Typical examples are: Hunger haben (to be hungry), Durst haben (to be thirsty), Angst haben (to be afraid), Glück haben (to be lucky), or Recht haben (to be right).
EXAMPLE
Keine Sorge, du wirst Glück haben bei der Prüfung.
Don't worry, you will be lucky on the exam.
Fixed expression with dative
The expression 'mit etwas/jemandem zu tun haben' (to have to do with something/someone) describes a connection or relationship. The preposition 'mit' always requires the dative here.
EXAMPLE
Seine Entscheidung hat nichts mit dir zu tun.
His decision has nothing to do with you.
Fixed expression with accusative
To express dislike, you use the phrase 'etwas gegen jemanden/etwas haben' (to have something against someone/something). The preposition 'gegen' always takes the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe nichts gegen deinen neuen Freund.
I have nothing against your new boyfriend.
Compare with
haben vs sein
to be
Sein and haben both form the perfect tense, but the choice depends on the specific verb and how it is used. With an intransitive change of location or state, sein is usually used; with a transitive use and an accusative object, haben is used.
haben
Sie hat das Auto nach Hause gefahren.
She drove the car home.
sein
Sie ist mit dem Auto nach Hause gefahren.
She drove home in the car.
In real life
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