difference between tener and haber
Do "tener" and "haber" have the same meaning? If yes, when do I use them?
2 Answers
Tener and haber are two of the most common and useful Spanish verbs, but they are not interchangeable.
Haber is seen most often as an auxiliary verb- all the perfect tenses uses some form of haber plus the past participle. (See http://www.spanishdict.com/conjugation and enter any verb you want for an example)
You also see forms of haber to indicate existence:
Hay dos perros - there are two dogs.
Había tres gatos- there were three cats.
And various haber expressions- "Hay que" = "it is necessary.
Tener, on the other hand, is used for "to have" meaning "to possess".
Tengo dinero. = I have money.
In Spanish, hunger and thirst are things that you "have", and so you use tener for that.
Tengo hambre = I am hungry. Tengo sed,= I am thirsty.
And "tener que" means to have to do something, an extremely common expression.
Tengo que hacer mi tarea. - I have to do my homework.
As you learn Spanish, you will see the difference. I've never confused tener and haber, and I doubt that you will either. There are many other words in Spanish that I have confused, but those two are pretty easy to keep straight.
Buena suerte amigo. (Good luck.)
Thank you goyo , that made it so easy to understand and digest.
The idea in English having to say " I have hunger / thirst" is difficult for
some to comprehend and not easy to get rid of the" I am " thirsty / hungry.
