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Sein and haben

Why is it “ich bin” but “er ist”?

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The rule

Use sein to say who someone is, how they are, or where something is: Ich bin müde. Use haben to say what someone has or experiences: Ich habe großen Hunger. Both verbs are common and change their forms in special ways. Ordinary verb endings are not enough here. Learn ich bin, du bist, er ist and ich habe, du hast, er hat as complete sets.

Remember: ich bin, du bist; ich habe, du hast.

Goes with lesson 1, 3, 12 of the course.

What differs for you

English has be and have, so the difference between a state and possession is familiar. Both English verbs are irregular, which also prepares you for German “sein” and “haben”. The German forms do not match the English ones: “ich bin” but “mein Name ist”, “ich habe” but “mein Onkel hat”. Choose the verb first, then the form for the subject.

The forms

sein and haben in the present tense
Personseinhaben
ichbinhabe
dubisthast
er/sie/esisthat
wirsindhaben
ihrseidhabt
sie/Siesindhaben

Common mistakes

Quick check

  1. Which form fits? Hallo, mein Name ___ Thomas.
    1. ist
    2. bin
    3. bist
    Answer
    ist — “Name” is singular here, so the sein form is “ist”.
  2. Which form fits? Ich ___ zwei Brüder und eine Schwester.
    1. hast
    2. habe
    3. hat
    Answer
    habe — With ich as the owner of “Brüder”, haben becomes “habe”.
  3. Which form fits? Ich ___ müde und möchte schlafen.
    1. bist
    2. ist
    3. bin
    Answer
    bin — With ich and the state “müde”, sein becomes “bin”.
  4. Which form fits? Mein Onkel ___ drei Kinder.
    1. hat
    2. hast
    3. habe
    Answer
    hat — “Onkel” is singular; the matching haben form is “hat”.
  5. Which form fits? Das Jahr ___ zwölf Monate.
    1. hast
    2. hat
    3. habe
    Answer
    hat — “Jahr” is singular; the matching haben form is “hat”.

The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →

Terms

Verb
A word for an action or event: go, sleep, be.
Present tense
A verb form for what happens now or regularly: I learn.
Irregular verb
A verb that changes in a way you cannot predict by one simple rule: go, went.
BeforePersonal pronounsAfterNicht and kein

Verbs

Separable verbs A1Why is “auf” at the end?→Können, müssen and wollen A2Why does “sein” appear after “muss”?→Reflexive verbs A2Why is mich in “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende”?→Passive voice B1The passive voice is used when the action is more important than who performs it.→Subjunctive II B1Subjunctive II expresses unreal situations, wishes, polite requests, and hypothetical conditions.→Requests and commands A2What should you do in “Würze die Suppe”?→

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