Meaning of Haber when used by itself as an expression!

Question

I am in Spain and I hear Haber used by itself constantly. I understand the conjugation but I can't seem to grasp the meaning of saying "Ah, Haber" It seems to mean "Alright.." or "OK" and is used when we are trying to do something. It doesn't match the definition. This has been bugging me, thanks for your help!

I am a bit surprised it is so common in España, because you are correct in your assessment of it meaning, "o.k." or "alright" It often signals an action - like "right... ["haber"] let's do it!" - Odiseo, Mar 7, 2014

The reason I say it surprise me is in Spain this it typically where you would say "¡vale!" although it depends on where you are. I am guessing the fact that there are a lot of South Americans in Spain, which suggests to me why you are hearing haber - Odiseo, Mar 7, 2014

used where vale more expected. I live in Guayaquil and am married to a Guayaquileña, and haber, like the crutch word 'pues', seem to be in every other sentence! I still struggle with the logic of 'pues' at the end of a sentence - Odiseo, Mar 7, 2014

But it is not "a ver" ("ah! let's see..."), it is haber. - Odiseo, Mar 7, 2014

Answer 1

My guess is you're hearing "a ver" like Nikki said. It can be roughly translated to "let's see", "we'll see", "so", "o.k."

Answer 2

Mucha gente confunde "a ver" con "haber"...

I sjhall print thisout and put it on my fridge, I think. - annierats, Feb 27, 2014

Answer 3

How about "a ver"?

It can mean "Let's see" or " Let me see".

Here is another SD thread about "a ver".

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a ver - WordReference

a ver / haber - WordReference

Answer 4

Remember the "v" has a "b" sound. And sense the "h" in "haber" is silent the two would sound the same.

Answer 5

Thanks guys, that makes way more sense... 'a ver.' Got it!

Answer 6

Exactly, it's not "haber" (to have), it's " a ver" : let's see, so, ok, we'll see.

But also it really depends on the context. Sometimes it demonstrates an intention. For example:

"A ver si nos vemos pronto" = Espero que nos veamos pronto: I hope see you soon (but I'm not certain about that).

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