Sein means to be and haben means to have. Both are irregular German verbs, so learn their common present-tense forms directly: ich bin, du bist, er ist; ich habe, du hast, er hat. They also build past-tense constructions, where the choice depends on the main verb. Start with descriptions and possession before studying that additional job.
Published 23 August 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026
By Gora Academy · Editorial policy
You need sein to say who you are, where you are and how you feel. You need haben for possessions and many everyday expressions. Neither politely follows the whole regular present-tense pattern.
| Subject | Sein — be | Haben — have |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | habe |
| du | bist | hast |
| er / sie / es | ist | hat |
| wir | sind | haben |
| ihr | seid | habt |
| sie / Sie | sind | haben |
Use the same forms for formal singular and plural you: Sie sind, Sie haben. The capital letter indicates the formal pronoun in writing.
Ich bin müde — I’m tired. Wir sind zu Hause — We’re at home. Das ist mein Buch — That’s my book. Put the finite verb in the usual main-clause position and keep the rest of the sentence small while learning the forms.
For professions, German commonly omits an indefinite article in a plain description: Ich bin Lehrer — I’m a teacher. Modified or particular descriptions may use an article, so do not turn this into “German never puts an article after sein”. Das ist ein Problem — That is a problem — is perfectly ordinary.
Ich habe einen Hund — I have a dog. Haben takes an accusative object here, so masculine ein Hund becomes einen Hund. For a feminine noun, Ich habe eine Frage — I have a question — keeps eine in the accusative.
Many states that English expresses with be use haben in German: Ich habe Hunger — I’m hungry; Ich habe Durst — I’m thirsty. Learn the expression rather than assuming English chooses the German verb for you.
Bist du müde? — Are you tired? Haben Sie Zeit? — Do you have time? German does not add an equivalent of English do in these questions. Move the conjugated verb to the beginning.
Ich bin nicht müde — I’m not tired — uses nicht with the adjective. Ich habe keine Zeit — I have no time — uses kein in its feminine form. These are different negative constructions, both useful from the start.
Ich habe gelernt — I studied — and Ich bin gekommen — I came — use haben and sein as auxiliary verbs, helping verbs that build a tense. The main verb controls the choice. Movement by itself is not a universal test: learn common pairs such as gehen → ist gegangen and lernen → hat gelernt.
First practise three present sentences about yourself, then ask the corresponding questions. Complete Du ___ hier and Wir ___ Zeit. Answers: bist and haben. Small verbs, a remarkably large share of your first conversations.