Avere (Present Tense)

A1 — Verbi

Present tense conjugation of avere (to have)

Can conjugate avere and use idiomatic expressions for age, hunger, thirst

Examples

Ho fame. — I am hungry. (lit: I have hunger)
Ha vent'anni. — She is twenty years old.
Hanno due figli. — They have two children.

VerbsA1

Avere (Present Tense)

Present tense conjugation of avere (to have)

Learning Goal

Can conjugate avere and use idiomatic expressions for age, hunger, thirst

Exam Skills:ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Ho fame.

I am hungry. (lit: I have hunger)

Ha vent'anni.

She is twenty years old.

Hanno due figli.

They have two children.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Avere means "to have". Like essere it is irregular, and like essere it is everywhere: it also builds the past tense (ho mangiato - I ate).

Person	Form	Example
io	ho	Ho un cane. - I have a dog.
tu	hai	Hai fame? - Are you hungry?
lui / lei / Lei	ha	Ha vent'anni. - She's twenty.
noi	abbiamo	Abbiamo tempo. - We have time.
voi	avete	Avete ragione. - You're right.
loro	hanno	Hanno due figli. - They have two children.

The H you do not say

Italian H is silent, so ho sounds like "o", ha like "a", hanno like anno. The H is there for the eye: it separates ho (I have) from o (or), ha (has) from a (to, at), hai from ai (to the), and hanno from anno (year). English speakers who breathe out an "h" in ho sound foreign at once.

Avere where English says "be"

This is the trap for English speakers. Physical states and age are things you have in Italian:

Italian	English
avere fame / sete	to be hungry / thirsty
avere caldo / freddo	to be hot / cold (a person)
avere sonno	to be sleepy
avere paura	to be afraid
avere ragione / torto	to be right / wrong
avere fretta	to be in a hurry
avere ... anni	to be ... years old

So "I'm thirty" is Ho trent'anni; a word-for-word Sono trenta would mean "there are thirty of them". And "I'm cold" is Ho freddo: Sono freddo means you are a cold person. For the weather, use fare: Fa freddo a Milano a gennaio. - It's cold in Milan in January.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

The H in ho/hai/ha/hanno is silent — it's only written to distinguish from o/a/ai/anno. Many learners forget the H in writing. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Use 'essere' where Italian requires 'avere': *Sono fame (wrong) → Ho fame (correct). Italian says 'I have hunger', not 'I am hungry'.

Common Error Patterns

Using essere where avere is required in idiomatic expressions

Physical sensations and age use avere: ho fame (not *sono fame), ho 20 anni (not *sono 20 anni).

Omitting the silent H in ho/hai/ha/hanno

Always write H: ho (I have), hai (you have), ha (he/she has), hanno (they have). Without H they become o/ai/a/anno.

Ho fame.

I am hungry. (lit: I have hunger)

Italian uses avere (to have) for physical sensations: ho fame, ho sete, ho freddo, ho caldo.

Ha vent'anni.

She is twenty years old.

Age in Italian uses avere: Ha vent'anni (literally 'she has twenty years').

Hanno due figli.

They have two children.

Hanno (they have) — note the silent H and the double N.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Avere (Present Tense)?: Avere means "to have". Like essere it is irregular, and like essere it is everywhere: it also builds the past tense ( ho mangiato - I ate).
How do you form Avere (Present Tense)?: Italian H is silent, so ho sounds like "o", ha like "a", hanno like anno . The H is there for the eye: it separates ho (I have) from o (or), ha (has) from a (to, at), hai from ai (to the), and hanno from anno (year). English speakers who breathe out an "h" in ho sound foreign at once. This is the trap for English speakers. Physical states and age are things you have in Italian: So "I'm thirty" is Ho trent'anni ; a word-for-word Sono trenta would mean "there are thirty of them". And "I'm cold" is Ho freddo : Sono freddo means you are a cold person. For the weather, use fare : Fa freddo a Milano a gennaio. - It's cold in Milan in January.
What are common mistakes with Avere (Present Tense)?: The H in ho/hai/ha/hanno is silent — it's only written to distinguish from o/a/ai/anno. Many learners forget the H in writing. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Use 'essere' where Italian requires 'avere': *Sono fame (wrong) → Ho fame (correct). Italian says 'I have hunger', not 'I am hungry'.

Person

Form

Example

Ho un cane. - I have a dog.

hai

Hai fame? - Are you hungry?

lui / lei / Lei

Ha vent'anni. - She's twenty.

noi

abbiamo

Abbiamo tempo. - We have time.

voi

avete

Avete ragione. - You're right.

loro

hanno

Hanno due figli. - They have two children.

Italian

English

avere fame / sete

to be hungry / thirsty

avere caldo / freddo

to be hot / cold (a person)

avere sonno

to be sleepy

avere paura

to be afraid

avere ragione / torto

to be right / wrong

avere fretta

to be in a hurry

avere ... anni

to be ... years old

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Avere (Present Tense)?

Avere means "to have". Like essere it is irregular, and like essere it is everywhere: it also builds the past tense ( ho mangiato - I ate).

How do you form Avere (Present Tense)?

Italian H is silent, so ho sounds like "o", ha like "a", hanno like anno . The H is there for the eye: it separates ho (I have) from o (or), ha (has) from a (to, at), hai from ai (to the), and hanno from anno (year). English speakers who breathe out an "h" in ho sound foreign at once. This is the trap for English speakers. Physical states and age are things you have in Italian: So "I'm thirty" is Ho trent'anni ; a word-for-word Sono trenta would mean "there are thirty of them". And "I'm cold" is Ho freddo : Sono freddo means you are a cold person. For the weather, use fare : Fa freddo a Milano a gennaio. - It's cold in Milan in January.

What are common mistakes with Avere (Present Tense)?

The H in ho/hai/ha/hanno is silent — it's only written to distinguish from o/a/ai/anno. Many learners forget the H in writing. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Use 'essere' where Italian requires 'avere': *Sono fame (wrong) → Ho fame (correct). Italian says 'I have hunger', not 'I am hungry'.