German grammar › A1
Sein & haben
Level A1 · The two verbs you need everywhere, present and past
Why start with sein and haben?
sein = to be, haben = to have. They are the two most used German verbs, and they are irregular — their forms must be learned by heart.
When you use them
- Describing people and things: Ich bin müde.
- Saying what you have — and many feelings: Ich habe Hunger. (I am hungry.)
- Building the past later: Ich habe gegessen. · Ich bin gegangen.
Pattern
subject + bin / habe + …
What changes
the verb form changes with the person: ich bin, du bist, er ist
Examples
- Ich **bin** Lena. — I am Lena.
- Wir **sind** zu Hause. — We are at home.
- **Hast** du Zeit? — Do you have time?
Remember: Some English “be” phrases use haben: Hunger haben, Durst haben, Angst haben.
Watch out: Age uses sein: Ich bin 20 Jahre alt. — not “Ich habe 20 Jahre”.
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