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.
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