- Use tener for possession, age and everyday expressions like tener hambre
- Use haber as the auxiliary verb in "have done" (he comido)
- Use hay for "there is / there are", and know when it's tiene or está instead
- Choose between tener que (personal) and hay que (general) for obligation
The rule at a glance
tener = have (own, hold, feel) · haber = have (done) and hay = there is
tengo, tienes, tiene... · he, has, ha... + participle · hay never changes for plurals
Tener: possession
tengo
I have
Tengo dos hermanos.
I have two brothers.
Haber: have done
he + participle
I have (eaten)
He comido demasiado.
I've eaten too much.
Hay: there is / are
hay
there is, there are
Hay un problema.
There's a problem.
Obligation
tengo que · hay que
I have to · one has to
Tengo que estudiar. Hay que estudiar.
I have to study. You have to study (everyone does).
- Quick test: if you could say "own" or "have got", use tener ("have got" counts as owning). If "have" comes before a past participle ("have eaten", "have seen"), use haber.
- Don't mix them up: "I have eaten" is he comido, never tengo comido; "I have a car" is tengo coche, never he coche.
- Obligation: tengo que is about a person (I have to); hay que has no subject (one has to, it's necessary).
What You'll Learn
Overview
English uses one verb, "to have", for owning things and for building tenses ("I have eaten"). Spanish splits these jobs between two verbs: tener and haber. They are not interchangeable. On top of that, haber gives you hay, the everyday word for "there is" and "there are".
Tener
A full verb: to have, own, hold
- Possession: Tengo un coche.
- Age: Tiene treinta años.
- Expressions: Tengo frío.
- Personal obligation: Tengo que irme.
Haber
A helper verb, plus the impersonal hay
- Perfect tenses: He comido.
- There is / are: Hay un problema.
- There was / were: Había mucha gente.
- General obligation: Hay que esperar.
This page compares the two side by side. Each use has its own full guide: perfect tenses, hay, había, habrá, deber vs tener que vs hay que and tener, hacer and dar expressions.
Structure & Formation
1. Tener: possession, age and expressions
Tener is irregular in the present: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen. Use it for anything you have, own or hold, and for age.
possession
Tengo un coche rojo.
I have a red car.
possession
¿Tenéis hijos?
Have you got children? (you all)
age
Mi abuela tiene ochenta años.
My grandmother is eighty.
expression
Tengo hambre.
I'm hungry.
Where English says "be", Spanish often says tener
tener hambre (be hungry), tener sed (be thirsty), tener frío / calor (be cold / hot), tener sueño (be sleepy), tener miedo (be scared), tener prisa (be in a hurry), tener razón (be right), tener suerte (be lucky), tener ganas de + infinitive (feel like doing).
These are nouns, so "very" is mucho/mucha, not muy: Tengo mucha hambre. More in tener vs hacer vs dar expressions.
2. Haber: the "have" in "have done"
Haber is the auxiliary verb of the perfect tenses. It never means "own". As the "have" of "have done" it always goes with a past participle (-ado / -ido, plus irregulars like hecho, visto, escrito). Its other everyday job is hay, below.
| Person | Haber | + participle |
|---|---|---|
| yo | he | comido |
| tú | has | comido |
| él/ella/usted | ha | comido |
| nosotros/as | hemos | comido |
| vosotros/as | habéis | comido |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han | comido |
He comido demasiado.
I've eaten too much.
¿Has estado en Sevilla?
Have you been to Seville?
Hemos terminado los deberes.
We've finished our homework.
Mis padres ya han llegado.
My parents have already arrived.
"I have eaten" is never "tengo comido"
Tener + participle does exist, but it is not a tense. It describes a result you now "have", and the participle agrees with the object like an adjective (los deberes hechos). You'll hear it in everyday Spanish, for example:
Tengo pensado ir a Málaga en agosto.
I'm planning to go to Malaga in August. (I've got it planned)
Ya tengo los deberes hechos.
I've already got my homework done.
To say what you have done, always use haber: He hecho los deberes. Haber also forms the other perfect tenses (había comido, habré terminado) - see perfect tenses.
3. Hay vs tiene vs está
Hay (from haber) means "there is" and "there are". It's an impersonal verb: it has no subject and never changes for plurals (hay un libro, hay tres libros). Use tiene when someone or something is the owner.
hay - there are
En mi piso hay dos dormitorios.
There are two bedrooms in my flat.
tiene - it has
Mi piso tiene dos dormitorios.
My flat has two bedrooms.
hay - there is
Hay un problema.
There's a problem.
tiene - someone has
Tiene un problema.
He has a problem. / She has a problem.
Hay introduces something new; está locates something known
Hay goes with un, una, numbers, mucho or no article. For a specific thing with el, la, mi, tu... use estar:
hay + un/una
Hay un banco en esta calle.
There's a bank on this street.
el/la + está
El banco está en esta calle.
The bank is on this street.
In the past it's había (and hubo for a one-off event) and in the future habrá, still singular. Full guide: hay, había, habrá.
4. Tener que vs hay que
Both mean "have to" + infinitive. Tener que is personal: it changes for the person who has to do it. Hay que is impersonal: a general rule or necessity, with no subject and only one form. In conversation you'll also hear a general tienes que ("you have to", meaning anyone), but hay que is the impersonal form.
tener que - personal
Tengo que llamar a mi madre.
I have to call my mum.
tener que - personal
¿Tenéis que trabajar mañana?
Do you have to work tomorrow? (you all)
hay que - general
Hay que reservar mesa los sábados.
You have to book a table on Saturdays.
hay que - general
No hay que pagar, la entrada es gratis.
You don't have to pay, entry is free.
Don't forget the que: tengo que ir, not tengo ir. Compare these with deber in deber vs tener que vs hay que.
Examples
Tener - have, own, feel
possession
Tengo dos hermanos.
I have two brothers.
possession
¿Tienes tiempo esta tarde?
Have you got time this afternoon?
age
Mi hermana tiene veinte años.
My sister is twenty.
expression
Tenemos mucho frío.
We're very cold.
expression
¿Tenéis ganas de ir al cine?
Do you fancy going to the cinema?
expression
Tienes razón.
You're right.
Haber - have done, there is
have done
He perdido las llaves.
I've lost my keys.
have done
¿Has visto mi móvil?
Have you seen my mobile?
have done
Este año hemos viajado mucho.
We've travelled a lot this year.
hay
Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí.
There's a supermarket near here.
hay
Hay muchos turistas en verano.
There are lots of tourists in summer.
había
Ayer había mucha gente en el centro.
Yesterday there were a lot of people in the centre.
Side by side
tener - possession
Tengo un coche nuevo.
I have a new car.
haber - have done
He comprado un coche nuevo.
I've bought a new car.
tener que - me
Tengo que estudiar.
I have to study.
hay que - everyone
Hay que estudiar.
You have to study. (people in general)
Try it now:Haber vs tener practice →
Common Mistakes
These are the mistakes English speakers make most often with "have", "there is" and "be":
| English | ✗ Wrong | ✓ Right |
|---|---|---|
| I have eaten. | Tengo comido. | He comido. |
| Have you got a pen? | ¿Has un boli? | ¿Tienes un boli? |
| There is a bank near here. | Tiene un banco cerca de aquí. | Hay un banco cerca de aquí. |
| There are two problems. | Han dos problemas. | Hay dos problemas. |
| There were a lot of people. | Habían muchas personas. | Había muchas personas. |
| The bank is on this street. | Hay el banco en esta calle. | El banco está en esta calle. |
| I'm twenty-five. | Soy veinticinco años. | Tengo veinticinco años. |
| I'm hungry. | Estoy hambre. | Tengo hambre. |
| I have to go. | Tengo ir. | Tengo que ir. |
Why "habían muchas personas" is marked wrong
You will hear habían and habrán with plural nouns in everyday speech, but standard Spanish keeps the "there is" haber singular in every tense: había muchas personas, habrá dos reuniones. Use the singular in exams and writing. The plural habían is only correct as a helper verb: Mis amigos ya habían salido.
Quick Test
Choose the correct form for each sentence:
1. _____ dos hermanos y una hermana.
ATengo
BHe
2. ¿_____ estado alguna vez en Granada?
ATienes
BHas
3. En mi calle _____ una panadería muy buena.
Atiene
Bhay
4. Mañana _____ que levantarme a las seis.
Atengo
Bhay
5. _____ que hablar en voz baja en la biblioteca. (a rule for everyone)
ATiene
BHay
6. Mi abuelo _____ ochenta años.
Aes
Bha
Ctiene
7. Ayer _____ muchos coches en la carretera.
Ahabía
Bhabían
Ctenía
8. Nosotros ya _____ terminado los deberes.
Atenemos
Bhemos
Put it into practice
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