The verb to have. Il verbo
avere.
The verb avere means to have and it is used for express
that someone possesses something
In Italian the verb avere is also used as an auxiliary
verb for past tenses as the verb essere is. So we strongly
recommend you to learn it before all others verbs.
Examples:
You have bought
a car. You are talking to a friend...
- Ho
una macchina. (I have a car)
You and your
wife have a dog. You are talking to a friend...
- Noi
abbiamo un cane. (We have a dog)
Note that the
person could be omitted as 'ho' is specific to the person 'Io'
(I) and thus can not be used to another person.
Conjugation of the verb avere
In Italian, the conjugation of the verb is the
result of the root of the verb (stem) and a specific
termination. For example, the conjugation of a verb for the
person “Io” (I) is different from “Tu” (you), so
usually the termination of the verb is enough to indicate which
person the verb is related to, even when the person is omitted
in the sentence. The verb to have - avere - is an
irregular verb which means that there is not a general and
applicable pattern of conjugation. Study the conjugation of the
verb avere below:
.
Verb “Avere”
|
Person |
Essere
(to
be) |
Translation |
|
Io |
ho |
(I) have |
|
Tu |
hai |
(You - informal) have |
|
Lui / lei / Lei |
ha |
(He / she / you - formal) has |
|
Noi |
abbiamo |
(We) have |
|
Voi |
avete |
(You) have |
|
Loro |
hanno |
(They) have |
Pronunciation!
Don't forget that the letter 'H' in Italian is silent which
means that the pronunciation of 'ho', 'ha', 'hai', 'hanno' is
exactly the same of 'o', 'a', 'ai', 'anno'. If you have any
doubt, go to the alphabet page where you can hear how each sound
is pronounced.
Examples:
una casa. (I have a house.)
Ho una casa.
(I have a house.)
The
termination of the verb is enough to indicate which person
the verb is related to, even when the person is omitted in a
sentence.
Ho
ventotto anni.
(Literally 'I have twenty eight years' - I am twenty eight
years old). Note that in Italian you express your age using
the verb 'avere', not the verb 'essere' (to be)
Lei ha la fortuna di essere
bella.
(She is
lucky for being beautiful). 'Ha' could be used for either he
or she, so in order to specify who has is lucky, usually the
person should be referred)
Abbiamo una bella casa.
(We have a beautiful house)
Loro hanno una fattoria.
(They have a farm)
Beta