Sein and haben in the present tense
Learn the subject pronouns and the two most important German verbs, sein (to be) and haben (to have), so that you can introduce yourself and talk about what you are and what you have.
Basic verbs · Beginner · 15 min · 40 exercises · Goethe A1, High school, College
Almost every first conversation in German uses two verbs: sein (to be) and haben (to have). With them you can say who you are, where you are from, how old you are and what you have. Both verbs are irregular, just like „to be“ in English (I am, you are, he is), so their forms have to be learned by heart. The good news: there are only six forms each.
The subject pronouns
| German | English | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| ich | I | yourself (small i, except at the start of a sentence) |
| du | you | one person you call by the first name: a friend, a child, a family member |
| er / sie / es | he / she / it | one person or thing |
| wir | we | yourself and others |
| ihr | you (all) | several people you would each call du |
| sie | they | several people or things |
| Sie | you (formal) | one or several adults you do not know well; always a capital S |
Du, ihr or Sie: three words for „you“
English has one word, you. German has three. Use du for one friend, classmate, child or relative. Use ihr for two or more of them. Use Sie (always with a capital S) for adults you do not know well: a teacher, a salesperson, a doctor, one or several. The formal Sie takes the same verb form as sie (they): Sie sind, Sie haben. So the word sie has three jobs: sie ist (she is), sie sind (they are), Sie sind (you are, formal). The verb form and the capital letter tell you which one is meant.
Sein (to be) in the present
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | I am |
| du | bist | you are |
| er / sie / es | ist | he / she / it is |
| wir | sind | we are |
| ihr | seid | you (all) are |
| sie / Sie | sind | they are / you are (formal) |
Haben (to have) in the present
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | I have |
| du | hast | you have |
| er / sie / es | hat | he / she / it has |
| wir | haben | we have |
| ihr | habt | you (all) have |
| sie / Sie | haben | they have / you have (formal) |
When to use sein
Use sein as you use „to be“: for identity (Ich bin Lena), for origin with aus (Wir sind aus Wien), for age (Ich bin 15 Jahre alt) and with adjectives (Du bist nett). One big difference from English: a profession or status after sein takes no article. English says „I am a teacher“, German says Ich bin Lehrer (for a man) or Ich bin Lehrerin (for a woman).
Sein in action
- Ich bin Lena.I am Lena.identity
- Herr Novak ist Lehrer.Mr. Novak is a teacher.profession: no article in German
- Sara ist Schülerin.Sara is a student.the ending -in marks a female person
- Wir sind aus Österreich.We are from Austria.origin: sein + aus
- Du bist 15 Jahre alt.You are 15 years old.age: sein + number + Jahre alt
- Sie sind sehr nett, Frau Keller.You are very kind, Ms. Keller.formal Sie with sind
When to use haben
Use haben for what you have: Ich habe eine Schwester (I have a sister), Tim hat ein Fahrrad (Tim has a bike). German also uses haben with a noun where English uses „to be“ with an adjective: Hunger haben (to be hungry), Durst haben (to be thirsty), Angst haben (to be afraid), Zeit haben (to have time). These nouns stand without an article: Wir haben Hunger.
sein
- identity: Ich bin Mia.
- origin: Wir sind aus Wien.
- age: Er ist 15 Jahre alt.
- adjective: Du bist müde.
- profession: Sie ist Ärztin.
haben
- possession: Ich habe eine Katze.
- Hunger, Durst: Wir haben Hunger.
- Angst: Das Kind hat Angst.
- Zeit: Ihr habt Zeit.
Haben in action
- Ich habe eine Schwester.I have a sister.
- Tim hat ein Fahrrad.Tim has a bike.
- Wir haben Hunger.We are hungry.word for word: we have hunger
- Du hast Durst.You are thirsty.word for word: you have thirst
- Ihr habt heute Zeit.You (all) have time today.
- Emma hat Angst.Emma is afraid.word for word: Emma has fear
Two pairs are worth learning together. wir and sie/Sie always share one form: wir sind, sie sind; wir haben, sie haben. And listen for the final -t with ihr: ihr seid, ihr habt. Say both tables aloud a few times, like a rhyme: bin, bist, ist, sind, seid, sind.
Three classic mistakes of English speakers. First, do not translate „I am hungry“ word for word: say Ich habe Hunger, never Ich bin Hunger. Second, age uses sein, as in English: Ich bin 15 Jahre alt, never Ich habe 15 Jahre. Third, drop the article before a profession: Er ist Lehrer, not Er ist ein Lehrer. Finally, do not use du with an adult you do not know: say Sie sind, not du bist, to a teacher or a salesperson.
The exercises of this lesson
40 corrected exercises in three sessions (discovery, practice, challenge): multiple choice (4), fill in the gap (10), conjugation (2), find the mistake (5), word order (1), rewrite (5), translation (6), gap text (3), matching (2), sorting (2). Every answer is corrected immediately, with the rule that applies.