The haber conjugation is quite tricky. That’s what one of my Spanish teachers once said, and I partially agree with her. Though even many native Spanish speakers aren’t always able to conjugate haber correctly, I am sure you will always get it right if you follow this guide.
Ready to learn about the conjugation of haber? Today we will show you how to conjugate haber as an impersonal and auxiliary verb. Pay close attention to the conjugations we will show you today because they are all a little different from each other. Let’s go!
How to Conjugate Haber in Spanish
Haber is a very special Spanish verb. It is equivalent to the auxiliary verb have. However, it can also mean there is or there are. Oh! And according to RAE, it meant to own long ago.
Spanish Verbals of Haber
| Infinitive | haber |
| Gerund | habiendo |
| Participle | habido |
Impersonal Verb Haber
In Spanish, the verb haber is commonly used as an impersonal verb. Impersonal verbs only occur in third person singular forms. When haber is used as an impersonal verb, it means there is or there are and expresses existence.
- Hay mucha basura.
(There is a lot of trash.) - Hay dos platos en la mesa.
(There are two dishes on the table.) - Hubo una explosión en la fábrica.
(There was an explosion in the factory.) - Hubo muchas guerras en esa época.
(There were many wars at that time.) - Habrá una fiesta mañana.
(There will be a party tomorrow.) - Habrá muchos estudiantes.
(There will be many students.)
Important! Never use haber in plural forms to express existence.
- ✅ Hubo muchos accidentes. (correct)
- ❌ Hubieron muchos accidentes. (incorrect)
Conjugation of the Impersonal Verb Haber
There are only 16 forms of the impersonal verb haber in Spanish. All these forms belong to the haber indicative and the haber subjunctive mood.
Many call the following verb forms of haber the “hay conjugation” because this is the only conjugation in which the form hay appears.
Indicative Mood
You’ll notice that none of the verb forms below conjugate for all pronouns (you, he, she, etc.). It’s because impersonal verbs don’t really have subjects.
Tiempos Simples – Simple Tenses
Presente – Present Tense
- hay – there is/are
Pretérito Imperfecto – Imperfect Tense
- había – there was/were
Pretérito Perfecto – Preterite Tense
- hubo – there was/were
Futuro – Future Tense
- habrá – there will be
Condicional – Conditional Tense
- habría – there would be
Tiempos Compuestos – Compound Tenses
Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto – Preterite (Present) Perfect Tense
- ha habido – there has been
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto – Pluperfect Tense
- había habido – there had been
Pretérito Anterior – Preterite Perfect Tense
- hubo habido – there had been
Futuro Compuesto – Future Perfect Tense
- habrá habido – there will have been
Condicional Compuesto – Conditional Perfect Tense
- habría habido – there would have been
Subjunctive Mood
Tiempos Simples – Simple Tenses
Presente – Present Tense
- haya – there is/are
Pretérito Imperfecto – Imperfect Tense
- hubiera/hubiese – there was/were
Futuro – Future Tense
- hubiere (no direct English translation)
Tiempos Compuestos – Compound Tenses
Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto – Preterite (Present) Perfect Tense
- haya habido – there has been
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto – Pluperfect Tense
- hubiera/hubiese habido – there would have been
Futuro Compuesto – Future Perfect Tense
- hubiere habido (no direct English translation)
Auxiliary Verb Haber
Haber can also be used as an auxiliary verb. Auxiliary verbs don’t convey meaning. As their name suggests, they help us to talk about the past, present and future. Haber appears in all Spanish compound tenses, and it is always preceded by past participles (verbs that end in “ado” or “ido”).
- He visitado muchos países.
(I have visited many countries.) - Han hecho un excelente trabajo.
(They have done an excellent job.) - ¿Has terminado la tarea?
(Have you finished the task?)
Important! The old form habemos should not be used anymore. It has been substituted by hemos.
- ✅ Nos hemos equivocado. (correct)
- ❌ Nos habemos equivocado. (incorrect)
Below you’ll find all the forms of the auxiliary verb haber. Don’t forget to add past participles to the following forms when you use them in real conversations!
Conjugation of the Auxiliary Verb Haber
Indicative Mood
Tiempos Compuestos – Compound Tenses
Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto – Preterite (Present) Perfect Tense
| yo he | I have |
| tú has vos has (South American) |
you have |
| él/ella/usted ha | he/she has you (formal) have |
| nosotros/nosotras hemos | we have |
| vosotros/vosotras habéis ustedes han |
you (plural) have |
| ellos/ellas han | they have |
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto – Pluperfect Tense
| yo había | I had |
| tú habías vos habías (South American) |
you had |
| él/ella/usted había | he/she/you (formal) had |
| nosotros/nosotras habíamos | we had |
| vosotros/vosotras habíais ustedes habían |
you (plural) had |
| ellos/ellas habían | they had |
Pretérito Anterior – Preterite Perfect Tense
| yo hube | I had |
| tú hubiste vos hubiste (South American) |
you had |
| él/ella/usted hubo | he/she/you (formal) had |
| nosotros/nosotras hubimos | we had |
| vosotros/vosotras hubisteis ustedes hubieron |
you (plural) had |
| ellos/ellas hubieron | they had |
Futuro Compuesto – Future Perfect Tense
| yo habré | I will have |
| tú habrás vos habrás (South American) |
you will have |
| él/ella/usted habrá | he/she/you (formal) will have |
| nosotros/nosotras habremos | we will have |
| vosotros/vosotras habréis ustedes habrán |
you (plural) will have |
| ellos/ellas habrán | they will have |
Condicional Compuesto – Conditional Perfect Tense
| yo habría | I would have |
| tú habrías vos habrías (South American) |
you would have |
| él/ella/usted habría | he/she/you (formal) would have |
| nosotros/nosotras habríamos | we would have |
| vosotros/vosotras habríais ustedes habrían |
you (plural) would have |
| ellos/ellas habrían | they would have |
Subjunctive Mood
Tiempos Compuestos – Compound Tenses
Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto – Preterite (Present) Perfect Tense
| yo haya | I have |
| tú hayas vos hayás (South American) |
you have |
| él/ella/usted haya | he/she has you (formal) have |
| nosotros/nosotras hayamos | we have |
| vosotros/vosotras hayáis ustedes hayan |
you (plural) have |
| ellos/ellas hayan | they have |
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto – Pluperfect Tense
| yo hubiera (or hubiese) | I had |
| tú hubieras (or hubieses) vos hubieras (or hubieses) (South American) |
you had |
| él/ella/usted hubiera (or hubiese) | he/she/you (formal) had |
| nosotros/nosotras hubiéramos (or hubiésemos) | we had |
| vosotros/vosotras hubierais (or hubieseis) ustedes hubieran (or hubiesen) |
you (plural) had |
| ellos/ellas hubieran (or hubiesen) | they had |
Futuro Compuesto – Future Perfect Tense
- yo hubiere
- tú hubieres
- vos hubieres
- él/ella/usted hubiere
- nosotros/nosotras hubiéremos
- vosotros/vosotras hubiereis
- ustedes hubieren
- ellos/ellas hubieren
(no direct English translation)
Lexical Verb Haber
Some 600 years ago, the verb haber was used as a lexical verb. A lexical verb is a verb that conveys meaning. Haber comes from the Latin habere, which means to possess, own or have. It was soon substituted by tener. Nowadays haber is mostly used in impersonal sentences and in compound Spanish tenses.
Haber Conjugation Practice
Ready for a quick test? Let’s go!
1. ¿Qué __________ estado haciendo ustedes?
- has
- han
- hemos
- ha
2. __________ muy pocas casas en este pueblo.
- hay
- ha
- hemos
- has
3. Yo __________ estado enferma.
- ha
- hemos
- han
- he
4. Ayer __________ dos carros parqueados afuera.
- ha
- hubo
- había
- habían
5. Mis padres __________ vivido en esa casa por 20 años.
- han
- hubo
- hubieron
- hemos
Answers: 1. han; 2. hay; 3. he; 4. había; 5. han
There’s no better way to learn new words than by practicing them! Clozemaster can help you learn the meaning, spelling, use and pronunciation of all the forms of the Spanish verb haber.
Common Questions about Haber
What is haber used for in Spanish?
Nowadays haber is used as an impersonal and auxiliary verb. When it is used as an impersonal verb, it means there is or there are. As an auxiliary verb, it appears in all Spanish compound tenses, and it is equivalent to the auxiliary verb to have in English.
What are the forms of haber in the subjunctive mood?
The impersonal verb haber only has six forms in the Spanish subjunctive mood. You’ll find them all below. To see the conjugation of the auxiliary verb haber, check the subheading Conjugation of the Auxiliary Verb Haber above.
- haya
- hubiera / hubiese
- hubiere
- haya habido
- hubiera / hubiese habido
- hubiere habido
Is haber an irregular verb?
Haber is an irregular verb because its forms don’t conjugate regularly in all its tenses.
Is ha habido redundant?
Ha habido is not redundant. Though this verb phrase has two forms of the verb haber, each form serves a different purpose. The first form ha is an auxiliary verb, and it has no meaning. The second form habido is the past participle of the impersonal haber, which means there is or there are. Ha habido means there has been.
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