{"id":137996,"date":"2020-09-28T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-28T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/tener-vs-haber\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T21:38:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T02:38:58","slug":"tener-vs-haber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/tener-vs-haber\/","title":{"rendered":"Tener vs Haber: What&#8217;s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In Spanish, there are two words for \u201cto have.\u201d\u00a0<em>Tener <\/em>(to have) and <em>haber<\/em> (to have) are an interesting part of the Spanish language but they can also be a tad confusing, especially for beginning learners.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, we&#8217;ve untangled the \u201cto have\u201d mess so you know exactly how these Spanish verbs work.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<h2>Main Differences Between <em>Tener<\/em> and\u00a0<em>Haber<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>While both can be translated into English as &#8220;to have,&#8221;\u00a0<em>tener<\/em> and\u00a0<em>haber<\/em> have unique functions in Spanish.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Tener<\/em> <\/strong>(to have) expresses possession, age, obligation and states of being.<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Haber\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(to have, to be) expresses existence and can be used as a helping verb to form compound tenses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, how do you know which one to use? Read on for a full breakdown of their functions.<\/p>\n<h2>When to Use <em>Tener<\/em> in Spanish<\/h2>\n<p>Let&#8217;s start off with this quick lesson on <em>tener<\/em> from our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FluentUSpanish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"Gulqzr26aWM\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<p><em>Tener<\/em> is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/most-common-irregular-spanish-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">irregular verb<\/a>, so it doesn\u2019t take on the typical &#8211;<em>er<\/em> endings when it\u2019s conjugated.<\/p>\n<p>Conjugate\u00a0<em>tener<\/em> in the simple present like this:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-153333\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-153333\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Spanish<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Yo tengo<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">I have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>T\u00fa tienes<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>\u00c9l\/ella\/usted tiene<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">He\/she\/you (formal) have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Nosotros tenemos<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">We have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Vosotros  ten\u00e9is<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You (plural) have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Ustedes tienen<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You (plural) have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Ellos\/ellas tienen<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">They have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-153333 from cache -->\n<p>The verb <em>tener<\/em> can be used in quite a few ways, so let&#8217;s take a look at how to employ it.<\/p>\n<h3>To show possession<\/h3>\n<p>First, use <em>tener<\/em> <strong>to say that you have something.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Tengo las entradas de b\u00e9isbol en mi bolso.<br \/>\n<\/em>(I have the baseball tickets in my purse.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Tienen helado.<br \/>\n<\/em>(They have ice cream.)<\/p>\n<h3>To talk about appearance<\/h3>\n<p>When you want <strong>to comment on an appearance,<\/strong> such as a physical detail, use the verb <em>tener<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Mi abuela tiene ojos grises.<br \/>\n<\/em>(My grandmother has gray eyes.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ese hombre de la bicicleta tiene una linda sonrisa.<br \/>\n<\/em>(That man on the bicycle has a nice smile.)<\/p>\n<h3>To express age<\/h3>\n<p>Use\u00a0<em>tener<\/em> <strong>to say how old someone or something is.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Yo tengo 25 a\u00f1os.<\/em><br \/>\n(I am 25 years old.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Su perro tiene tres a\u00f1os.<\/em><br \/>\n(His dog is three years old.)<\/p>\n<h3>To show states of being<\/h3>\n<p><em>Tener<\/em> is also used <strong>to express bodily states, feelings or emotions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Yo tengo fr\u00edo.<\/em><br \/>\n(I am cold.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Tenemos miedo de esa casa espeluznante.<\/em><br \/>\n(We are scared of that creepy house.)<\/p>\n<h3>To talk about illness<\/h3>\n<p>Similarly,\u00a0<em>tener<\/em> is used<strong> to discuss pain and illness,<\/strong> much like we use &#8220;have&#8221; in English.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ella tiene dolor de cabeza.<\/em><br \/>\n(She has a headache.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Luis se va a ir a su casa porque tiene dolor de est\u00f3mago.<\/em><br \/>\n(Luis is going to go home because he has a stomachache.)<\/p>\n<h3>To express obligation<\/h3>\n<p>When you want<strong> to say that something has to be done,<\/strong> use the phrase <em>tener que.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Nosotros tenemos que ir a la playa.<br \/>\n<\/em>(We have to go to the beach.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Rosa tiene que hacer su tarea.<br \/>\n<\/em>(Rosa has to do her homework.)<\/p>\n<h3>To say &#8220;I feel like&#8230;&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>And finally, use the phrase\u00a0<em>tener ganas de<\/em> to say &#8220;I feel like&#8230;&#8221; in Spanish.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Tengo ganas de ir a nadar.<\/em><br \/>\n(I feel like going swimming.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ana tiene ganas de cenar comida italiana.<\/em><br \/>\n(Ana feels like having Italian food for dinner.)<\/p>\n<h2>When to Use <em>Haber<\/em> in Spanish<\/h2>\n<p>Like <em>tener<\/em>, <em>haber <\/em>is also an irregular verb.<\/p>\n<p>But don&#8217;t fret! Here&#8217;s how to conjugate it in the simple present:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-163333\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-163333\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Spanish<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Yo he<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">I have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>T\u00fa has<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You have <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>\u00c9l\/ella\/usted ha<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">He\/she\/you (formal) have <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Nosotros hemos<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">We have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Vosotros hab\u00e9is<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You (plural) have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Ustedes han<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You (plural) have <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Ellos\/ellas han<\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">They have<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-163333 from cache -->\n<p>For a full conjugation of\u00a0<em>haber<\/em>, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/haber-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Haber<\/em> has two primary functions, which we&#8217;ll look at now.<\/p>\n<h3><em>Haber<\/em> as an impersonal verb<\/h3>\n<p>One form of <em>haber<\/em> means <strong>\u201cthere is\u201d or \u201cthere are.\u201d<\/strong> <em>Hay<\/em> is a tiny but mighty word\u2014Spanish speakers use it all the time!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Hay un coche grande en la calle.<\/em> <br \/>\n(There is a big car in the street.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Hay muchas bicicletas amarillas en el parque.<br \/>\n<\/em>(There are many yellow bicycles in the park.)<\/p>\n<h3><em>Haber<\/em> as an auxiliary verb<\/h3>\n<p><em>Haber<\/em> can also function as an auxiliary or &#8220;helper&#8221; verb to form compound tenses in Spanish. That means it accompanies the main verb of a sentence to form a verb phrase.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the two verbs are used<strong> to express an action that has been or will be completed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ha bailado en el teatro.<\/em> <br \/>\n(He has danced in the theatre.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ellos ya se han ido.<\/em> <br \/>\n(They have already gone.)<\/p>\n<h2>Resources to Practice <em>Tener<\/em> vs <em>Haber<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s no denying it. The <em>tener<\/em> vs <em>haber<\/em> challenge is <strong>one of the most intricate bits of Spanish grammar.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But you&#8217;ll get the hang of it.\u00a0All you need to do is practice!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quia.com\/rr\/143871.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Quia<\/a> <\/strong>has a fun, fast-paced little game where you can <strong>practice using <em>tener<\/em>.<\/strong> This game is great for small pockets of spare time.<\/li>\n<li>With <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FluentU<\/a> <\/strong>you can look up any word\u2014like <strong><em>tener<\/em> <\/strong>and <strong><em>haber<\/em><\/strong>\u2014in FluentU&#8217;s dictionary to see the definition, videos that use the word in context and example sentences. <p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/NativeAd-Spanish.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/spanish.tolearnfree.com\/free-spanish-lessons\/free-spanish-exercise-77736.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spanish to Learn Free<\/a> <\/strong>asks you to <strong>type the answers<\/strong> to complete each blank. With no options available, you can really see how well you know the tested words.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sporcle.com\/games\/MoMosMoProblems\/spanish-basic-verbs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sporcle&#8217;s time challenge<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0asks learners to choose the correct answers for fill-in-the-blank sentences. You&#8217;ll gain valuable skills by learning to think quickly and <strong>respond without hesitation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/study.com\/academy\/practice\/quiz-worksheet-conjugating-tener-in-the-past-tense.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Study.com<\/a><\/strong> offers practice with <strong><em>tener<\/em> and its usage.<\/strong> Click on the <strong>&#8220;Lesson&#8221;<\/strong> or <strong>&#8220;Course&#8221;<\/strong> tabs to expand your knowledge of this important verb.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Tener<\/em> and <em>haber<\/em> are used daily in conversations, music and television. They&#8217;re essential backbones of the Spanish language.<\/p>\n<p>Get familiar with their grammar rules and use these two verbs often.<\/p>\n<p>With enough practice, you\u2019ll \u201chave\u201d it eventually\u2014I promise!<\/p>\n<h2>And One More Thing\u2026<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and <strong><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> will then love FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\nOther sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You\u2019ll learn Spanish as it\u2019s actually spoken by real people.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1234 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-1.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts.<\/strong> You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don\u2019t know, you can add it to a vocab list.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19339\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-2.png\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-interactive-subtitled-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nReview a complete interactive transcript under the <strong>Dialogue<\/strong> tab, and find words and phrases listed under <strong>Vocab<\/strong>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1235 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-3.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-songs\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nLearn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU\u2019s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you\u2019re on.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1236 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-4.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-music-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you\u2019re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned.<strong> Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they\u2019re learning with the same video.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Spanish, there are two words for \u201cto have.\u201d\u00a0Tener (to have) and haber (to have) are an interesting part of the Spanish language but they can also be a tad&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":784,"featured_media":137997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Tener vs Haber: What's the Difference? | FluentU Spanish Blog","description":"Learning when to use tener vs haber can be a tricky part of learning Spanish. If they both mean \"to have,\" how do you know which one to use? Read this to learn when to use tener and haber, what each one is used for and how to conjugate them in the simple present."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[590,593],"tags":[],"coauthors":[294],"class_list":["post-137996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spanish","category-spanish-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/784"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137996"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252347,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137996\/revisions\/252347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137996"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=137996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}