Haber Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Haber is the most important verb in the Spanish verb system, but it is almost never used on its own with a subject: its main job is to be the auxiliary of compound tenses (he hablado - I have spoken, había comido - I had eaten) and the impersonal verb of existence with the special form hay (Hay mucha gente - there are many people). It is highly irregular: present he, has, ha, strong preterite stem hub-, future habr- and subjunctive hay-.

Indicative Tenses of Haber

Haber in the Present (Presente)

These forms work almost exclusively as the auxiliary of the perfect; for existence Spanish uses the impersonal form hay, which is not in the table: Hay mucha gente en la plaza (There are a lot of people in the square).

Present tense rules →

Haber in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

One-off past events, almost always in the impersonal third person: Hubo un problema con el tren (There was a problem with the train).

Preterite rules →

Haber in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past existence connected to the present; in the impersonal use only the third person singular is used: Ha habido muchos cambios este año (There have been many changes this year).

Present perfect rules →

Haber in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Descriptions and existence in the past; it is the classic fairy-tale opening: Había una vez un castillo junto al mar (Once upon a time there was a castle by the sea).

Imperfect rules →

Haber in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

Existence before another moment in the past: Nunca había habido tantos turistas en el pueblo (There had never been so many tourists in the village).

Past perfect rules →

Haber in the Future (Futuro simple)

Future existence and predictions, normally in the third person: Mañana habrá una fiesta en el barrio (Tomorrow there will be a party in the neighborhood).

Future tense rules →

Haber in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

Existence that will have occurred before a future moment: Para el viernes ya habrá habido dos reuniones (By Friday there will already have been two meetings).

Future perfect rules →

Haber in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Hypothetical existence: Con más dinero, habría menos problemas (With more money, there would be fewer problems).

Conditional rules →

Haber in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Sin tu ayuda, habría habido muchos más errores (Without your help, there would have been many more mistakes).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Haber

Present Subjunctive of Haber (Presente de subjuntivo)

Doubts and wishes about the existence of something: No creo que haya entradas para el concierto (I don't think there are tickets for the concert).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Haber (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating recent past existence: Es posible que haya habido un error con la reserva (It is possible there has been a mistake with the booking).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Haber (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si hubiera más tiempo, iríamos a la playa (If there were more time, we would go to the beach).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Haber (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubiera habido entradas, ahora estaríamos en el concierto (If there had been tickets, we would be at the concert now).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Haber

Affirmative Commands of Haber (Imperativo afirmativo)

Archaic forms that are not used in modern spoken Spanish; they only appear in classical texts: Habed paciencia, hermanos (Have patience, brothers).

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Haber (Imperativo negativo)

Equally archaic: in old Spanish one said No hayas miedo (Fear not); today it would be "no tengas miedo".

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Haber

• Hay que + infinitivo - impersonal obligation: hay que estudiar más (one must study more)
• No hay de qué - polite reply to "thank you", you're welcome
• Habérselas con alguien - to face someone, to deal with someone
• Hay gato encerrado - there is something fishy going on
• No hay mal que por bien no venga - every cloud has a silver lining