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Lesson: 64
The verb AVERE (to have)
One more irregular verb!
Avere is an essential Italian verb. It means to have and it’s the key verb used to speak in the past
tense (when we get there in the next level of this program).
Here is the conjugation of the Present Tense:
AVERE
io ho
tu hai
lei / lui / Lei ha
noi abbiamo
voi avete
loro hanno
Check the video lesson for the correct pronunciation.
As you can see, there is an H.
Well, the reason is that this verb was spelt with an H in Latin (HABĒRE) (as it still is in English -
HAVE).
As Italian evolved it lost the use of H for most words and, as you know, now H is always silent.
It is silent in this verb too, by the way!
The reason AVERE still has H in some of its forms is purely for disambiguation.
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You see, in Italian we have the following words:
o (or)
ai (to the)
a (to)
anno (year)
It would be very unclear if these words also meant:
I have
You have
He/she has
They have
For this reason we kept the H in those forms of the Present Tense for the verb AVERE.
You don’t need to remember this bit of information. What you do have to remember is which
forms of the present tense have the H and which ones don’t (noi and voi are the only forms
without the H).
AVERE as to possess, to own
TO HAVE seems to be one of the most beloved verbs in English. You have breakfast, a bath, a
shower, a nap, a cigarette and you also have a coffee. Clearly, TO HAVE is a very versatile verb
in English.
In Italian, not so much! We use AVERE mainly to refer to possession. Remember this when you
speak Italian!
Of course, we have plenty of idiomatic expressions that use AVERE and some specific usages
that differ from English and that also do not refer to possession, but these are the exceptions!
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Some examples
Io ho due fratelli e due sorelle (I have two brothers and two sisters)
Quante macchine hai? (How many cars do you have?)
Non ho soldi! (I have no money!) (literally: I don’t have money!)
Avete il computer? (Do you guys have a computer?)
DO NOT use AVERE in these scenarios
In the case of most English idiomatic expression that use TO HAVE or simply when TO HAVE
does not literally refer to possession, Italians will most likely use PRENDERE or FARE.
I’ll have a beer! SAY > Prendo una birra
To have a shower SAY > Fare la doccia
Let’s have breakfast! SAY > Facciamo colazione!
To have a nap SAY > Fare un pisolino
Some Italian Expressions
Italian will use AVERE in some cases where English speakers will not use TO HAVE. You’ll have
to learn these expressions as you discover more and more of them. Here are some, to get you
started!
Avere sonno to be sleepy
Avere fame to be hungry
Avere sete to be thirsty
Avere caldo to be hot (to feel hot)
Avere freddo to be cold (to feel cold)
Avere voglia di to “feel like” (to want, have a desire for)
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In the first five cases, Italian uses the verb AVERE with a noun. Sonno, fame, sete, caldo and
freddo mean sleepiness, hunger, thirst, heat, coldness.
Remember NOT to use the verb ESSERE (to be) with these concepts.
In English you are hungry, thirsty, etc., while in Italian we have hunger, thirst…
Avere voglia di literally means to have the want of ( something). It can be used with a noun or with
a verb (see examples below).
Some examples
Hai fame? (Are you hungry?)
Avete sonno? (Are you guys sleepy?)
Ho voglia di gelato (I feel like ice cream)
Non ho voglia di studiare (I don’t feel like studying)
Oggi ho molto caldo! (Today I’m really hot - I feel the high temperature)
AVERE to talk about age
Yes. In Italian we are not an age. We have years of age.
This means that we’ll use the verb AVERE to talk about age, instead of the equivalent of TO BE,
which is ESSERE.
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To reply to this question you MUST say the word ANNI, unless you are just giving a number as
the answer.
It is incorrect to say:
Ha sette
to mean he’s seven. That’s because the subject of such a sentence could have seven of
anything: dogs, books, friends… In English there’s no risk of confusion, since we use the verb TO
BE, which clearly tells us that we are describing the subject, and therefore we are telling their
age.
The correct answer to the age question is:
Ha sette anni.
Manu’s Tips
1) Memorize the conjugation!
2) H is silent.
3) The present tense of AVERE is irregular but it still mostly uses the expected verb endings
for -ERE verbs.
4) Noi & Voi verbs are the only forms spelt without the H.
5) AVERE mostly refers to possession, ownership.
6) Become familiar with the idiomatic expressions using AVERE.
7) Remember to talk about age with AVERE.
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