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Sein and Haben: “To Be” and “To Have” in German

Two verbs appear in almost every German conversation: sein (to be) and haben (to have). They are irregular, very frequent, and they also work as auxiliary verbs in many tenses. If you master these two verbs early, your German becomes much more natural.

Conjugation in the Present Tense

Common Uses

• sein: identity, state, location → Ich bin müde. / Wir sind in Berlin.
• haben: possession, feelings, experiences → Ich habe Zeit. / Wir haben Hunger.

Perfect Tense Helpers

In Perfekt, most verbs use haben, while movement/change-of-state verbs often use sein.

• Ich habe gelernt.
• Ich bin gegangen.

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Ich bin Hunger → ✅ Ich habe Hunger
• ❌ Ich habe kalt → ✅ Mir ist kalt