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Have an Italian Verb
Avere is one of the most common and useful Italian verbs and has irregular conjugations in just about every tense and mood. Avere literally means "to have," but also serves an an auxiliary verb and is found in many idiomatic expressions.
Avere = to have, possess
| Ho una macchina blu. | I have a blue car. | |
| Hai un numero di cellulare? | Do you have a cell phone number? |
Avere = to have, be experiencing, be suffering from
| Ha mal di testa. | He has a headache. | |
| Abbiamo l’influenza. | We have the flu. |
Avere present tense conjugations
Avere is an irregular –ere verb:
| io | ho | noi | abbiamo | |
| tu | hai | voi | avete | |
| lui, lei | ha | loro | hanno |
Avere = to be
In more than a dozen common phrases, avere is equivalent to "be" in English.
| avere __ anni | to be __ (years old) | |
| avere caldo | to be hot | |
| avere fame | to be hungry | |
| avere freddo | to be cold | |
| avere fretta | to be in a hurry | |
| avere il mal di stomaco | to be sick to one’s stomach | |
| avere il mal di mare | to be seasick | |
| avere paura | to be afraid | |
| avere piacere di conoscerti | to be pleased to meet you | |
| avere ragione | to be right | |
| avere sete | to be thirsty | |
| avere sonno | to be sleepy | |
| avere torto | to be wrong |
In southern Italy, you might encounter tenere (literally, "to hold, to keep") in place of avere for any of the above.
Avere = auxiliary verb
For the vast majority of Italian verbs, avere serves as the auxiliary verb in the compound tenses and moods – lessons coming soon.
| Abbiamo già mangiato. | We’ve already eaten. | |
| Avrete finito per mezzogiorno? | Will you have finished before noon? | |
| Se avesse venduto l’auto, ti avrebbe ripagato. | If he’d sold the car, he would have reimbursed you. |
Related lessons
- To be: essere | stare
- Introduction to verbs
- Subject pronouns
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