the difference between tener and haber
the difference between tener and haber
2 Answers
Hello!
These four links from 2010 & 2015 were previously discussed before.
- what is the difference between the verbs tener and haber?
- Tener vs. Haber
- difference between tener and haber
- What's the difference between "Haber" and "Tener" ???
Hope this helps.
Regards!
Hello Aleda,
Welcome to Spanishdict Forum 
Tener is the principal verb in Spanish meaning to have/to own/ to possess!
Ex: We have a large house = Tenemos una casa grande.
It is used in conjunction with the word que to indicate obligation/compulsion to do something:
Ex: ¡Tienes que hacer tus deberes antes de ver la televisión, esta noche = You have to do your homework before watching television, tonight!
The verb haber, however, is also an auxiliary verb that is used to form compound tenses in Spanish:
Ex: ¡Deberías haberme llamado por teléfono para informarme que ibas a llegar tarde!
= You should have called (telephoned) me to tell me that you would arrive late!
The verb can also be used to mean there is there are:
Había mucha gente en la plaza, hoy = There were many people in the square, today.
It can be used to talk about a period of time in the past when writing a story:
ex: Había una vez ....Once upon a time....
I hope this helps
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