present of avere

The Italian Verb: Avere (to have)

In Italian, avere (“to have”) is an irregular verb in the present indicative. It is primarily used to express possession, availability, and certain physical or mental states.

Present Tense Conjugation

Because each form clearly identifies the grammatical person, subject pronouns (io, tu, etc.) are usually omitted unless you want to emphasize or contrast who is performing the action.

• io ho (I have)
• tu hai (you have)
• lui/lei/Lei ha (he/she has / you formal have)
• noi abbiamo (we have)
• voi avete (you all have)
• loro hanno (they have)

Usage and Examples

Avere is typically followed by a noun or a noun modified by an adjective:

• Ho un cellulare. (I have a cell phone.)
• Hai il mio indirizzo? (Do you have my address?)
• Io ho una macchina, ma tu hai una bici. (I have a car, but you have a bike.)
• Hanno una casa grande. (They have a big house.)
• Abbiamo molti amici. (We have many friends.)

Fixed Expressions and Physical States

Unlike English, which often uses "to be," Italian uses avere for age and various physical or circumstantial states:

• Ho vent’anni. (I am twenty years old.)
• Ho fame. (I am hungry.)
• Ho freddo. (I am cold.)
• Ho tempo. (I have time.)

Formal Address

In formal situations, use the polite subject pronouns Lei for the singular and Voi (or Loro in very formal contexts) for the plural:

• Signora Belli, (Lei) ha la patente? (Mrs. Belli, do you have a driver's license?)
• Signori Conti, (Voi) avete tempo? (Mr. and Mrs. Conti, do you have time?)

Spelling Matters

It is crucial to distinguish the verb forms (which use a silent 'h') from similar-sounding words:

• ho (I have) vs. o (or)
• ha (he/she has) vs. a (to/at)
• hanno (they have) vs. anno (year)

Beyond possession, avere also serves as an auxiliary verb to form compound tenses (like the past tense), making it one of the most important verbs in the Italian language.