Exactly how to use the Spanish verb "haber" (12 real examples)

This topic is taught as part of our A1.1 curriculum – covered in weeks one and two of our intensive course, weeks two and three of our semi-intensive course, and weeks four and five of our evening course.

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What are the main uses of the verb haber?

The verb haber can be used in three ways:

• Express the impersonal

• As an auxiliary verb

• Express obligation

Impersonal use of haber

The verb haber can be used to show the existence of people or things. If you tried to translate this from English it would be something similar to “there is” or “there are.”

Example 1:

Hay mucho polvo en el piso de Gràcia.

There is a lot of dust in the Gràcia apartment.

Example 2:

Había muchas personas en el concierto de Razzmatazz.

There were many people at the Razzmatazz concert.

Example 3:

Hay una cola larga para entrar en la Sagrada Família.

There's a long line to get into the Sagrada Família.

⚠️ It is important to note that when the verb haber is used in this way, it must always be written in the third person singular because there is no subject in the sentence and the verb should never agree in number with the noun.

Example 4:

✅ Había muchos extranjeros en la fiesta de Barceloneta.

(There were many foreigners at the Barceloneta party.)

❌ Habían muchos extranjeros en la fiesta de Barceloneta.

Example 5:

✅ Hubo dos fiestas ayer en El Born.

(There were two parties yesterday in El Born.)

❌ Hubieron dos fiestas ayer en El Born.

Haber as an auxiliary verb

The verb haber can be used as an auxiliary verb to accompany a main verb. This is similar to English where composite verb tenses use the verb "to have."

Example 6:

Carla ha llamado a su amiga.

Carla has called her friend.

Example 7:

Ella ya había comido cuando la invitaron a cenar en un restaurante de Barceloneta.

She had already eaten when they invited her to dinner at a restaurant in Barceloneta.

When haber is used as an auxiliary verb, it must always be followed by a past participle – this is exactly how the pretérito perfecto is built, so it's worth reviewing that tense alongside this one.

Example 8:

Yo he caminado por el Passeig de Gràcia.

I have walked along Passeig de Gràcia.

Example 9:

Nosotros habíamos entendido.

We had understood.

Example 10:

Ella habrá huido.

She will have fled.

If you're also untangling reflexive verbs at this stage, you're in good company – the two often get mixed up at first.

Haber and obligation

The verb haber can also be used to show obligation (something that must be done) when combined with que and the infinitive:

Haber + que + infinitive (impersonal form)

Example 11:

Hay que dar un regalo a tu madre.

You must give a gift to your mom.

Example 12:

Hay que pensar las cosas antes de hacerlas.

You must think about things before doing them.

Haber isn't the only Spanish verb that pulls double duty – tener does something similar, showing up in everyday expressions well beyond simple possession.

Ready to put this into practice?

Haber is one of the first verbs you'll get properly comfortable with as a beginner, and it comes up constantly in our A1.1 classes. Build it into daily practice with our fast-paced intensive classes, ease in gradually with our semi-intensive lessons, or fit it around your schedule with our evening timetable.

Not sure where you'd start? Take our free level test and find out in about 10 minutes.