haben

to have

German Irregular

The German verb "haben" means "to have" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "haben" across all 7 tenses.

How to Conjugate "haben" in the Present Tense

Präsens Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe
du you (informal) hast
er/sie/es he/she/it hat
wir we haben
ihr you all (informal) habt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben
Sie hat viel Arbeit heute.
She has a lot of work today.

How to Conjugate "haben" in the Simple Past Tense

Präteritum Completed actions in the past (written/formal)
Person English Conjugation
ich I hatte
du you (informal) hattest
er/sie/es he/she/it hatte
wir we hatten
ihr you all (informal) hattet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hatten
Er hatte viele gute Ideen.
He had many good ideas.

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How to Conjugate "haben" in the Present Perfect Tense

Perfekt Completed actions (spoken German)
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe gehabt
du you (informal) hast gehabt
er/sie/es he/she/it hat gehabt
wir we haben gehabt
ihr you all (informal) habt gehabt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben gehabt
Er hat keine Zeit gehabt.
He has had no time.

How to Conjugate "haben" in the Past Perfect Tense

Plusquamperfekt Actions completed before another past action
Person English Conjugation
ich I hatte gehabt
du you (informal) hattest gehabt
er/sie/es he/she/it hatte gehabt
wir we hatten gehabt
ihr you all (informal) hattet gehabt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hatten gehabt
Er hatte Glück gehabt.
He had had luck.

How to Conjugate "haben" in the Future Tense

Futur I Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
ich I werde haben
du you (informal) wirst haben
er/sie/es he/she/it wird haben
wir we werden haben
ihr you all (informal) werdet haben
sie/Sie they/you (formal) werden haben
Er wird morgen Geburtstag haben.
He will have a birthday tomorrow.

How to Conjugate "haben" in the Subjunctive I Tense

Konjunktiv I Indirect speech and formal requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe
du you (informal) habest
er/sie/es he/she/it habe
wir we haben
ihr you all (informal) habet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben
Er meint, er habe Hunger.
He thinks that he is hungry.

How to Conjugate "haben" in the Subjunctive II Tense

Konjunktiv II Hypothetical situations and polite requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I hätte
du you (informal) hättest
er/sie/es he/she/it hätte
wir we hätten
ihr you all (informal) hättet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hätten
Er hätte gerne ein neues Auto.
He would like to have a new car.

Frequently Asked Questions About "haben"

Is "haben" regular or irregular in German?
"Haben" is an irregular German verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "haben" mean in English?
The German verb "haben" means "to have" in English.
How do you conjugate "haben" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Präsens): ich → habe, du → hast, er/sie/es → hat, wir → haben, ihr → habt, sie/Sie → haben.
How many tenses does "haben" have in German?
"Haben" is conjugated across 7 tenses in German: Present, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future, Subjunctive I, Subjunctive II.

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