haber o tener
When is Haber used?
When is tener used?
2 Answers
This from 'Spanish About'
To have: tener and haber "To have" in the sense of "to possess" is tener. Haber is usually used much as the English "to have" as an auxiliary verb with the past participle. Tengo tres libros, I have three books. He leído tres libros, I have read three books. That difference is straightforward. But both verbs can also be used with que to indicate necessity. Tener que followed by an infinitive means "to have to," while hay que (hay is a form of haber) also expresses necessity but doesn't specify who is performing the action. Tengo que leer tres libros, I have to read three books. Hay que leer tres libros, three books have to be read (or, it is necessary to read three books).. A future lesson will more thoroughly discuss the uses of haber. Both tener and haber are irregular.
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Let me add to Kiwi-Girls excellent answer that yes, tener refers to possesion; haber generally refers to what could be called existence.
I have three books on my desk. There are three books on the desk.
Tengo tres libros sobre mi escritorio. Hay tres libros sobre el escritorio.
