The verb avere – which is to have in English – is one of the most important verbs of the Italian language. In this Italian grammar lesson, we are going to learn how to use the verb “avere” in order to make perfect Italian sentences. This verb can be used to express possession, but it can also be used as an auxiliary verb. Let’s see together how to use “avere” correctly!
1. Conjugation of avere
The best way to start with the verb “avere” is to learn about its conjugation. Following you can read the conjugation of the present tense:
- Io ho
- Tu hai
- Egli ha
- Noi abbiamo
- Voi avete
- Essi hanno
The present tense is used to express possession at the present, but it also can be used as an auxiliary verb for the conjugation of some Italian verbs past tense.
2. Pronunciation of avere
Most of Italian avere is written with H at the beginning, only we and you at the plural don’t have the h. As for the pronunciation, h is silent and so we don’t have to worry about it!
The letter “H” is fundamental in the written form of the verb. The same word with or without the “h” letter has different meanings:
- Ho is I have – O is or
- Hai is You have – Ai is To the
- Ha is He/she has – A is At/To
- Hanno is They have – Anno is Year
3. Some examples with the verb avere
Let’s see some examples with the verb avere. We have learned that the present tense can be use to express possession or for conjugation of past.
We can say “I have a car” with the Italian sentence “Io ho una macchina”, but we can also say “I have bought a car” with the Italian sentence “Io ho comprato una macchina”. In the first sentence the verb ho is used to express possession, in the second sentence the same verb is used as an auxiliary to create past tense.
In Italian language there are some differences from English. For example, in English we say “I am hungry”, instead in Italian we have to use avere in this case and so we have to say “Io ho fame”.
Learning Italian verbs
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