TENER vs HABER - 3 Ways to Use "To Have" Verbs in Spanish

In this video I’m going to show you how to think about the Spanish verbs tener vs haber.
Specifically, you’re going to learn when to use each of these Spanish verbs accurately despite the fact that they are both the translation of the English verb “to have”.
With that said, here is a quick preview of what you’ll learn:
- How to use the Spanish verb tener to talk about possession and ownership
- How the Spanish verb haber is slightly more complicated than most Spanish verbs and how you should think about it.
- How to use Spanish verb haber using the impersonal form
- How to use verb haber in the form we need to talk about events in the past
Check out the previous video mentioned in the lesson:
• ESTE vs ESTA vs ESTO -...
Español de la Semana - Subscribe to the newsletter for more tips on learning conversational Spanish: www.realfastsp...

[@realfastspanish]

How else can you use the Spanish verbs 'tener' and 'haber'?

[@sharathrao85]

Could you please make a video on the difference between Tener + Participio and Haber + Participio? Thanks in advance.

[@alim.4274]

It's really fun to learn watching with all real life videos using the words and facts (ex. word origin).

[@silvestrenet]

@@sharathrao85 To Have Tener Haber (there is or there are) (to be) (pueden/pudieron) haber(Quantity) sido varias personas testigos del crimen (Yo) tengo (averiado/dañado/roto) el televisor/la (televisión/tv) I have the television(Tv) broken (Y0) había tenido una casa en New York por dos años I had had a house in New York for (about) two years. tener and haber follow the same rules as in English. Tener is : when you have something or something belongs to you. haber is : more or less when there is something or that someone or something is include is about quantity. Ex. To have Tengo un carro. To have --haber We have participated Nosotros hemos participado haber in spanish is often to say "habemos" when we include oneself in a group (habemos: including me) (hay: not including me) varias personas en la calle (there are : not including me) several people on the street. There are several people (and myself/including me ) on the street

[@jeromepowell643]

Where do i sign up for the School....i love the method used to dissect the language to easily understand it..I've been addicted to the videos since seeing it today and i would love to become a student. Look forward to favorable response

[@martinaavalos6825]

*Real Fast Spanish* Mí gramática Española, nunca fue mí fuerte pero aquí va: (Yo) Tengo frío. (Tu) Tienes miedo. (El/Ella) Tiene un arma en su cartera. (Nos) Tenemos un proyecto. (Ellos) Tienen hambre. (Yo) He estudiado muy poco. (Tu) Has ganado. (El) Ha sabido posicionarse. (Nos) Hemos sido grandes conquistadores. (Ellos) Han tenido suerte. *En España usan el vosotros*

[@filmworksusa]

Really like the use you make of short clips featuring Spanish speakers. Very cool and helpful.

[@realfastspanish]

Glad you like them! 😀

[@ryuorkai]

@@realfastspanish Please credit those short clips. Thank you

[@DavidBee]

@@ryuorkai He's already doing a ton of work putting these videos together!

[@TimeIdle]

It's a clear illustration that when he speaks I understand him. Cut to the clip, no idea what they just said. :)

[@calebadams4149]

Just found your videos. I really appreciate how you include clips of native speakers using your example sentences!

[@realfastspanish]

Glad you like them! 😊

[@AMcDub0708]

The American colloquial version of “es lo que hay” would be “it is what it is”

[@bappppp]

gracias. eso es lo que estaba pensando.

[@imkojo29]

It is what it izzzzzzz🤣

[@Homoskedastic1]

American? lol. As opposed to "English"?

[@bappppp]

@@Homoskedastic1 yes. American english is different from other versions of English.

[@AMcDub0708]

@@Homoskedastic1 Yeah, American, cuz I don’t know if other English speaking countries have the same colloquialisms as in America duh

[@Lloyddobler]

Comprehensive and intelligent explanation with illuminating examples, which are always important for better understanding. Also, I like the way you blend in native speakers. Thanks.

[@realfastspanish]

Thanks for the feedback and kind words!!

[@ChristiaanCorthier]

Really enjoy the lesson... love how you incorporated short clips from Spanish tv and film. You make Spanish grammer fun which isnt the easy thing to do.

[@carolm9996]

Andrew, you have outdone yourself!!! Love, love, love this video. Thank you so much. Buen trabajo amigo 🤗

[@realfastspanish]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@shamimgough1714]

I've got gaps in learning Spanish. Finally you've sorted it out for me. Thanks, your a good teacher

[@weksauce]

You left out the third main case! (The universe) has or had person/animal/thing. Habia un macho. Habia una vez. Hay is NOT there is/ there are. It's (the universe) has.

[@steuarthoce3451]

Yeah, literally speaking, sure. But if you were to translate the meaning of that into a realistic and natural English sentence, it WOULD still be there is/are. In English, there are phrases like “there’s an app for that” or “there are times when _____” because in English we use “there are” or “there is” to mean “there exists” which (I think) is what your “the universe has” usage is getting at.

[@weksauce]

@@steuarthoce3451 No, the only replacement is "there" vs "the universe" (or "god"). You can say exists in both languages, you can say has in both languages, you can say to be in both languages. "Alli ha(y)" would be the literal spanish, which is perfectly valid, but nobody uses it. I kinda like the English construction "there" because it contains a tiny bit of information, you have to start thinking of not-here when you parse it.

[@corateacher]

Until this video, it never occurred to me that "tener" and "haber" could be confused as meaning the same thing. Given all the weird mistakes I've made on my language journey, I'm glad that I didn't have this one. Nevertheless, as always, your video was very good. I really like the video clips you use. Is there any way that you could play the video clips twice? You always pronounce the sentences twice, but the video clips just go by so quickly!

[@realfastspanish]

Thanks for the feedback and the suggestion 😀

[@Greeter16]

Cora, I just rewind it to hear it again.

[@sebwimedo]

Oh man I feel like I'll never be able to understand how fast spanish people speak

[@alissonarboleda]

As a newbie native spanish tutor. ¡Gracias! I had never noticed that.

[@Cesarc2]

Esto es casi igual de complicado que lo de SER y ESTAR.

[@MaltronUFO]

I really prefer a teacher whose main language is English like this guy. He's far easier to understand for me as sort of a beginner. I have watchhed the videos by Anna the Spanish lady and she is really cool but she's nowhere near as good of a true teacher as perhaps this guy. She has a really nice personality but I'm really not impressed with her overall teaching skills from the perspective of an English-speaking person trying to learn Spanish. I've always had a really hard time figuring out this language despite playing around with it for 3 or 4 years. I live in Ecuador and I just use Spanglish all the time and I never seem to progress at all beyond that. So I'm trying to actually learn the language and I just started looking at KZbin videos. I've used Duolingo but it's so slow it's ridiculous. So far this guy looks quite good. I'm going to check out other teachers whose main language is English as well.

[@tahliakidder2515]

Where are the clips from? Can you give channel names if they’re from KZbin. Amazing video, I loved the use of the clips.

[@yourface4248]

"es lo que hay" is probably close to "it is what it is".

[@ЮрийИванцив]

Great video! There is a lot of useful information on this channel! I'd like to recommend the excellent book by Yuriy Ivantsiv Polyglot Notes: Practical Tips for Learning a Foreign Language. This workshop contains many methods for learning a foreign language, showing how to use modern technology. The practicum will help everyone who is studying a foreign language on their own or with a teacher! Good luck to everyone! Thanks to the author for the work!

[@nicosmind3]

Just discovered your channel cause I heard the sentence "no podría haber estado más equivocado" meaning I couldn't have been more wrong, and it made me wonder about the uses of haber vs tener, and got to admit I'm still a little confused haha

[@realfastspanish]

Yes, it's not easy! But, if you focus on the idea of possession versus an action in time, it will start to unravel.

[@johntyy88]

I just learned “he estado ___”. He estado estudiando cada día. And now this is thrown out there. 🤯

[@ghenulo]

He does what?

[@Liam-10]

Really amazing explanation 😍❤️ GRACIAS señor 🌹🤍

[@luxy9002]

DEBÍ HABER TENIDO éste maestro antes 🙊

[@17Goop]

This video was awesome. Your teaching method is incredibly easy to follow.

[@gretchenhopkins3921]

Thank you so much for your short clear explanations. You are now my go to for any questions I have in my beginning to learn Spanish journey!

[@JustMe-to8te]

Hay mucha música hecha POR ESE CAMINO, is incorrect because POR ESE CAMINO is a word by word translation from the English phrase THAT WAY. it should be: Hay mucha música hecha DE ESA MANERA”.

[@maxturgeon89]

Ligthbulb moment! I had no idea hay was a form of haber, but now I see that it resembles the French "il y a". Thanks!

[@PC_Pete]

By far the best and most intuitive Spanish resource out there. Mantener el buen trabajo!

[@realfastspanish]

Awesome, thanks @PC Pete!!

[@ghenulo]

The more of his videos I watch, the more I'm glad I chose German. Je mehr seiner Videos ich mir ansehe, desto froher bin ich, dass ich mich für Deutsch entschieden habe.

[@FroniHawk]

I love your examples because they teach other subtle phrases that are so helpful!!! Thank you!!

[@kevindigo22]

What is confusing about this to me is that you start out by declaring that the verb tener (tengo, I have) is used for the word "have" in the context of possession or ownership. But when you use the phrase "tengo que.." (I have to....), it is the form of the word "have" in English that relates to the need or obligation to do something now or in the future, not related to possession or ownership. And then there are the two uses of haber, impersonal and auxiliary, which are completely different. Who said Spanish was going to be easy.

[@Muhahahahaz]

Haber is basically always an auxiliary verb (except for “hay” which just always means “there is/are”) Tener is the only one that can be used as a “real” verb where something is happening. There are many different expressions involving tener, but there’s always something happening (not just an auxiliary verb) Tener hambre = To be hungry Tener sed = To be thirsty Tener que = To have to (do something) Tener miedo = To be frightened Tener sueño = To be sleepy Tener X años = To be X years old Etc.

[@Muhahahahaz]

And yeah, with a more literal translation, you can still think of tener as “possession” Tengo hambre = “I have hunger” is just the Spanish way of saying you’re hungry 🙂

[@alicjatanecka9044]

¿Qué significa: tenía planificado, tenía presupuestado? ¿Puede explicarlo, por favor?

[@MaltronUFO]

This guy in immediately explains the difference between haber and tener, whereas that Spanish-speaking lady Anna takes forever to even make that super important crucial point. I watched her similar video on the subject and after about 10 minutes she still had not explained even what the word itself meant. And she's hard to understand because she doesn't speak or pronounce good English herself!

[@KathyAdamsClark]

Great format. A little lesson in Spanish to start the day! I like the 3-minute format.

[@realfastspanish]

Thanks Kathy!! 😀

[@MsJenniferjulia]

The conjugation always misses de "you" (vosotros). For example "habais dicho". Why is that? There is no difference in English but there surely is in Spanish.

[@naishalubega3756]

The clips are cool asf caballero..Big up...new subscriber

[@dagoattman]

Is the auxiliary form of haber is the same as when you make "have" a contraction with the pronoun. Examples: I've You've He's/She's (he/she has) We've

[@jamesfreese4700]

Another helpful and info laden video-keep them coming!!!!

[@laingman0727]

I really can't stand Spanish. I would be walking around talking about I can't encounter my keys

[@anneb3097]

A great video as usual. Thank you! A question: In the sentence No hay nada que celebrar. I don’t understand the use of que. It translates as ‘to’ in English here- but what’s the grammatical origin of the structure?

[@mitchellbenoit3689]

12:46pm cst. Can you, please, help me receive the newsletter. It never shows up in my email or spam folder. Thanks.

[@smanasvi]

It's wonderful how you use small clips in between to explain the usage.

[@realfastspanish]

I'm glad you like the clips! 😊

[@noahspace969]

Teacher please more videos you are really great I love your simple pedagogy , am not even an English native but I understand you ❤

[@andreszhoutsang9645]

funny thing is that the synonim of "tener que" is "haber de". E.g. Tengo que hacer la compra = He de hacer la compra

[@adgepeterb]

Best explanation and I've watched many om KZbin

[@zoellar11]

Very helpful to me for understanding the verb HABER. Thanks!

[@nwetyinwin3788]

Very explicit lesson ! Thanks!

[@carnidaess]

the random video references are so funny 😭

[@russgilbertson8689]

For me , I got confused. I will have to work on it.

[@necrogon22]

I remember tripping over the triple verbs in a row with the infinitive in the middle but its the same in english, "I could have said" / "pude haber dicho". That really messed with my brain at first

[@cambio161_official]

Thank you for this video.😊 It us atleast distinguishable between the two.

[@pawtleopard]

Oh my god I've been trying to find someone to explain the Spanish equivalent of quote "to have to" and this is the best. ❤️

[@julianmelamed1611]

Andrew I am an intermediate student. The logic with this translation in the following sentence however still is confusing to me. "There has to be encough food for everyone" "Tiene que haber suficiente comida para todas" Here both tener and haber are used in the same sentence and yet there is no physical possession as usually needed with tener. Also why not use subjunctive as this is expressing a desire. Gracias como siempre

[@sgrant9814]

He dicho is different than yo dije. With he dicho something else must follow but with dije it is said and done n nothing more need be said. dije que no estoy en casa....vs.......He dicho esto muchas veces antes. So they really are NOT the same.

[@katrinabrow6254]

I really like these videos but i live in Spain so it would be great to include the Vosotros conjugation

[@DaBlondDude]

Is there a difference between "hay" to distinguish present from future?

[@PeterRodgers-xc5en]

Why do you not use 3rd person plural in the conjugation of verbs?

[@KimWik-n6v]

do you teach Spanish? I am looking for a Spanish teacher

[@Islandlifefornow]

Fortunately I was only exposed to tener. So this is a good expansion lesson. Thank you sir!🙏🏼

[@kwangbaekim2437]

tengo que escucha a este vidio por todo el dia! Gracias por ensenar Espanol con tus perfecto ingles.es facil para endender.

[@BeemingJoint]

adjectives I need to know more of that way I can understand how to use these verbs, he has ha hamos han those are the endings y'all and haste for Spain too

[@trevorstewart2053]

Why do you leave out the you vosotros form in your explanation of verbs?

[@yourface4248]

tengo una carro y he conducido 100k kilometros .

[@YM-ue1lh]

Your voice is so soothing I almost forgot I am learning.

[@djfearross4144]

I thought you were actually going to talk about the word ' haber'

[@smrtzttspanishenglishtutor67]

Great video but the way you hay is like AHÍ.

[@andrewmoore8480]

"Es lo que hay" : would a more intuitive English expression for this be "We are where we are" ie. "We´re not in a very good position but we can´t do anything about it, so we might as well put up with it and get on with our lives..."?

[@realfastspanish]

I like it, it's a good suggestion 😊

[@alwayslearning7672]

How about ' it is what it is'?

[@YouTubeKN2JM]

So well explained thank you so much

[@zigman3105]

I understand the tener. I will just remember the tener uses.

[@hasangoksu8237]

Perfect video.We are waiting a lot of verb videos like this. 👍

[@realfastspanish]

Glad you liked it 👍

[@claireg.5758]

gracias pero porqué no hay la persona "vosotros" ? por favor

[@Westindian.]

What about tenia y había. Por ejemplo, había lluvia or tenia lluvia ??

[@gerlautamr.656]

Había lluvia is the correct way

[@christianjimenez6004]

To be more precise you should say : Había llovido. Sounds weird if you say Había lluvia. ( I speak Spanish ) and I don't know any sentence where you can say " había lluvia " You can say: Se había anunciado lluvia para ese día.

[@karhukivi]

@@christianjimenez6004 Otra vez, de acuerdo!

[@AbdouSanneh-bf7xr]

I love the way explain 😊 que= to from u

[@TheHoriginal]

Canadian teaching Spanish. Love it

[@leonaudacity5313]

Straight to the point, no misunderstanding 🤙

[@mjperfume1523]

Andrew why do u have speak rapido rapido?

[@babubhaiparekh]

Excellent teaching ❤

[@waltersalinas248]

You can use haber as kind of "soft destiny" or fulfilment.... Yo he de graduarme...... / Tengo que graudarme.........(Eventually I will graduate) ( I have to graduate ) (it is my destiny) It can overlap with the statement of having something to do The basic form is "haber de" He de graduarme Has de graduarte Ha de graduarse Hemos de graduarnos, etc

[@kostaskladakis8938]

How do you say I want to have? and I will have to have bought the house by next year?

[@gerlautamr.656]

I want to have = Quiero tener. I will have bought the house by next year = Tendré que haber comprado la casa para el próximo año. Remember that you can't translate some phases word by word.This is the case in the second phrase.

[@LeandroGrullon-Devora]

Hello. Thank you. I am a native Spanish speaker. You have explained the topic very well, and understandably.

[@mojojojoe100]

i can't see why the sentence at 11:30 would start with yo if the sentence at 10:30 doesn't start with yo

[@gerlautamr.656]

Because "yo" is optional.Although most of the time native speakers skip it, just like the other personal pronouns.

[@sanctealphonse4510]

tengo hecho un par de llamadas

[@Bit-while_going]

It's like they set out to purposely confuse the northerners. Wait, wasn't Spain invaded by vandals? Maybe they did!

[@ro5197]

Va a ser desorden porque desorden es lo que hay = There is going to be chaos/entropy because chaos/entropy is all there is. (Close translation for those who are wondering.) Side note: Love your videos my guy

[@lindajames7759]

That’s great, thanks 🇬🇧❤

[@gooseberry769]

Sometimes you forget to translate your examples. Thank you for what you do.

[@mariedermott1534]

Tus videos son fantásticos para aprender español. Realmente he mejorado desde que los descubrí. Es como una mina de oro de vocabulario y frases en español. Gracias por todo.

[@jemspider]

It's easy for the bilingual to understand this things because in Filipino language we used, "Meron, Mayroon, May" and also sino and pero is like but, but our sino is "kundi" , and pero is "pero, or ngunit"

[@franksmith9497]

Dado que soy un hablante de nivel intermedio bajo, su enseñanza es muy útil para la comprensión. Gracias. . ¿Tienes una escuela de aprendizaje de conversación en español?

[@francesearly9702]

Quito saber más concierne el verbo “poder”, especialmente cuando es conectando con otro verbo, como “poder ser.” Gracias. Aprecio mucho sus vídeos claros y matices.

[@goodnews33]

My Merriam-Webster's Dictionary says I can say "tenia pensado escribirte" meaning I have been thinking of writing to you. Is that correct? Can I conjugate tener instead of haber to form the present perfect tense?

[@realfastspanish]

Translation is sometimes an art and sometimes science. We could translate the Spanish into English as "I thought..." or "I was thinking..." which means we don't need the present perfect in English for this translation.

[@silvestrenet]

@@realfastspanish I would say in spanish: "I had thought writing you" more close to spanish version.

[@MsDebbie123456]

Super helpful! Thank you!

[@jamesbomb7068]

If both have different meaning then why both mean to have?

[@realfastspanish]

Hola James, "to have" can behave with a different meaning in English too: "I have a pen in my hand" (possession), "I have done my homework" (talking about the past).

[@kathmackell2849]

¿Por qué no incluiste “habéis”?

[@gerlautamr.656]

El enseña el español de America, y "habéis" se usa solo en España.

[@germainegovaart800]

Geweldige uitleg!! MUCHAS gracias! 12:05

[@rightbackhero3869]

Thank you for the help im gonna share this video!

[@realfastspanish]

Awesome thank you!

[@isikpamir]

tener puesto......ponerse ?

[@aryansameer7869]

You made it Supereasy. Can You suggest me a book to learn Esnañol in better way.

[@Mendozinho]

Es lo que hay = it is what it is

[@lorishocket3948]

Just found your videos and I love them. You are an amazing teacher. Are you still adding content or sending a newsletter? Want to learn more!

[@pickleballlyne4102]

Simple is best when learning new concepts. Excellent podcast.

[@waynereeser6101]

I've listened to the talk show host (5:37) say 'pero esto, que es?' over and over. I hear 'pero todo, que es'. Am I wrong?

[@lynnechamberlain2758]

Wonderful explanation of tener v haber. Gracias!