Haber Conjugation: Present, Preterite, Imperfect
haber — to have (auxiliary); there is/are
Haber is the helping verb behind every perfect tense ('he hablado' — I have spoken) and the there-is construction ('hay' — there is). You'll mostly meet it attached to participles or as the single impersonal form hay — but the full tables below cover the tenses conversation uses.
Quick answer
Hay.
There is / there are.
The impersonal form — one shape for singular AND plural: "hay un café" (there is a coffee), "hay dos cafés" (there are two coffees). Present helping forms: he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han.
haber — Present (helping verb)
Perfect tenses: 'He hablado con ella' — I have spoken with her.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | he |
| tú | has |
| él / ella / usted | ha |
| nosotros | hemos |
| vosotros | habéis |
| ellos / ustedes | han |
haber — Preterite (helping verb, rare in speech)
Mostly literary. Impersonal 'hubo' survives in speech: 'Hubo un problema' — there was a problem.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | hube |
| tú | hubiste |
| él / ella / usted | hubo |
| nosotros | hubimos |
| vosotros | hubisteis |
| ellos / ustedes | hubieron |
haber — Imperfect (helping verb / there was)
Pluperfect and past there-is: 'Había hablado' — I had spoken. 'Había mucha gente' — there were many people.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | había |
| tú | habías |
| él / ella / usted | había |
| nosotros | habíamos |
| vosotros | habíais |
| ellos / ustedes | habían |
Hay never changes for plural
'Hay un café' and 'hay dos cafés' both use hay — it's the one impersonal form for both numbers. In the past it becomes había (había un problema / había problemas), and in the preterite hubo (hubo un problema).
Example sentences
Hay un café cerca.
There's a café nearby.
eye oon ca-FÉ SEHR-kah
He estado en Madrid.
I have been to Madrid.
eh ehs-TAH-doh ehn mah-DREED
Había mucha gente en el bar.
There were a lot of people in the bar.
ah-BEE-ah MOO-chah HEN-teh ehn ehl bahr
Don't just read it — say it
Conjugation tables are reference material. Fluency comes from producing the forms out loud, in sentences, before the moment passes — and getting corrected mid-sentence when you get them wrong. That's exactly what the AI coach does.
Free 14-day trial · 30 min/mo included
More Spanish verb conjugations
ser — to be (identity, essence, permanent traits)
Yo soy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
estar — to be (state, location, feelings)
Yo estoy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
tener — to have
Yo tengo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
ir — to go
Yo voy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
hacer — to do, to make
Yo hago. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
decir — to say, to tell
Yo digo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
poder — to be able to, can
Yo puedo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
querer — to want; to love (people)
Yo quiero. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect