The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har

A1 — Verb

Verb 'ha' (to have): jag har, du har, han/hon har, vi/ni/de har

Can use 'ha' for possession and common expressions

Examples

Jag har en katt och du har en hund. — I have a cat and you have a dog.
Hon har två barn och ett stort hus. — She has two children and a big house.
Har du tid? Ja, jag har tid. — Do you have time? Yes, I have time.

VerbsA1

The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har

Verb 'ha' (to have): jag har, du har, han/hon har, vi/ni/de har

Learning Goal

Can use 'ha' for possession and common expressions

Exam Skills:ListeningWritingSpeaking

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

Jag har en katt och du har en hund.

I have a cat and you have a dog.

Hon har två barn och ett stort hus.

She has two children and a big house.

Har du tid? Ja, jag har tid.

Do you have time? Yes, I have time.

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

Ha is "to have", and it is as easy as vara: the present is har for every person. English "have/has" becomes har across the board.

Person	Present	Past
jag, du, han, hon, den, det	har	hade
vi, ni, de	har	hade

The supine is haft: Jag har haft en lång dag. - I've had a long day. And like English "have", har builds the perfect: Vi har bott i Malmö i tre år. - We've lived in Malmö for three years.

Have in Swedish, be in English

The table is easy; the expressions are where you learn something. Several things English "is", Swedish "has":

Swedish	English
Du har rätt.	You're right.
Jag har bråttom.	I'm in a hurry.
Vi hade tur med vädret.	We were lucky with the weather.
Jag har ont i huvudet.	I've got a headache. / My head hurts.
Vi har kul!	We're having fun!
Vad har du på dig?	What are you wearing?

The reverse trap: hunger and thirst take vara, as in English: Jag är hungrig, Jag är törstig. *Jag har hunger is a calque from German or French.

Ha in questions

English needs "do": "Do you have time?" Swedish puts har first: Har du tid? - Ja, jag har tid. The negative needs no helper either: Jag har inte tid just nu.

At the café you might ask: Har ni kanelbullar idag? - Do you have cinnamon buns today? (ni, because you are asking the café, not one person.)

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Very easy — one form 'har' for all. Main trap: hunger uses 'vara hungrig' not 'ha hunger'.
🇬🇧 English: have/has → just 'har'. Simpler!

Common Error Patterns

Saying *Jag har hunger instead of Jag är hungrig

Swedish uses 'vara hungrig' (be hungry), not 'ha hunger'.

Jag har en katt och du har en hund.

I have a cat and you have a dog.

All persons use 'har'. 'En' = indefinite article for en-words.

Hon har två barn och ett stort hus.

She has two children and a big house.

'Två' = two. 'Barn' is an ett-word (ett barn). 'Stort' = big (ett-word adjective form).

Har du tid? Ja, jag har tid.

Do you have time? Yes, I have time.

Questions: verb first. 'Tid' = time (en-word).

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Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

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A1 Module 1: Swedish greetings, pronunciation, and basic word order

Frequently asked questions

When do you use The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har?: Ha is "to have", and it is as easy as vara : the present is har for every person. English "have/has" becomes har across the board.
How do you form The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har?: The supine is haft : Jag har haft en lång dag. - I've had a long day. And like English "have", har builds the perfect: Vi har bott i Malmö i tre år. - We've lived in Malmö for three years. The table is easy; the expressions are where you learn something. Several things English "is", Swedish "has": The reverse trap: hunger and thirst take vara , as in English: Jag är hungrig , Jag är törstig . *Jag har hunger is a calque from German or French. English needs "do": "Do you have time?" Swedish puts har first: Har du tid? - Ja, jag har tid. The negative needs no helper either: Jag har inte tid just nu.
What are common mistakes with The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har?: Very easy — one form 'har' for all. Main trap: hunger uses 'vara hungrig' not 'ha hunger'. 🇬🇧 English: have/has → just 'har'. Simpler!

Person

Present

Past

jag, du, han, hon, den, det

har

hade

vi, ni, de

har

hade

Swedish

English

Du har rätt.

You're right.

Jag har bråttom.

I'm in a hurry.

Vi hade tur med vädret.

We were lucky with the weather.

Jag har ont i huvudet.

I've got a headache. / My head hurts.

Vi har kul!

We're having fun!

Vad har du på dig?

What are you wearing?

Frequently asked questions

When do you use The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har?

Ha is "to have", and it is as easy as vara : the present is har for every person. English "have/has" becomes har across the board.

How do you form The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har?

The supine is haft : Jag har haft en lång dag. - I've had a long day. And like English "have", har builds the perfect: Vi har bott i Malmö i tre år. - We've lived in Malmö for three years. The table is easy; the expressions are where you learn something. Several things English "is", Swedish "has": The reverse trap: hunger and thirst take vara , as in English: Jag är hungrig , Jag är törstig . *Jag har hunger is a calque from German or French. English needs "do": "Do you have time?" Swedish puts har first: Har du tid? - Ja, jag har tid. The negative needs no helper either: Jag har inte tid just nu.

What are common mistakes with The verb 'ha' (to have): jag har?

Very easy — one form 'har' for all. Main trap: hunger uses 'vara hungrig' not 'ha hunger'. 🇬🇧 English: have/has → just 'har'. Simpler!