има да + Verb

Colloquial Има Да

Level 6Sounds Like ima da

Имам да + verb means I have ... to do: Имам да свърша много работа. Impersonal има да predicts: Има да чакаш! (You'll be waiting a long time!)

How It Works

1. Имам да: a task still ahead. The subject has something to do, say, give or finish:

  • Имам да свърша много работа. (I have a lot of work to finish.)
  • Имам да ти казвам нещо важно. (I have something important to tell you.)
  • Колко имаш да му даваш? (How much do you owe him?) Here имам да давам means "owe".

The object can stand between the two parts: Имаме още три изпита да вземем. Compare трябва да, which states obligation more neutrally, and имам/нямам for plain possession.

2. Има да: bound to happen. With invariable има, often after ще, the speaker predicts an unavoidable outcome:

  • Има да чакаш! (You'll be waiting a long time!) This ironic reply means it will not happen soon, or at all.
  • Ще има да почакаш. (You'll have to wait a while.)
  • Ще има да помниш този ден! (You'll remember this day, believe me!) This can sound like a threat.

3. The verb after да. In this pattern the verb after да is in the present tense, never with ще. A single completed task usually takes a perfective verb (да свърша), while an ongoing state takes an imperfective one (да чакаш).

4. Do not confuse it with има ... да. In Има какво да видиш (There is something to see), има means "there is". That pattern belongs with няма какво да.

Examples (6)

  1. Имам да свърша много работа.

    I have a lot of work to finish.

  2. Има да чакаш!

    You'll be waiting a long time!

    An ironic prediction: it will not happen soon.

  3. Имам да ти казвам нещо важно.

    I have something important to tell you.

  4. Колко имаш да му даваш?

    How much do you owe him?

    Имам да давам means "owe".

  5. Ще има да помниш този ден!

    You'll remember this day, believe me!

    Има stays the same; помниш shows the person.

  6. Имаме още три изпита да вземем.

    We still have three exams to pass.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out да before the second verb.

    Имам много неща свърша днес.
    Имам много неща да свърша днес.

    The second verb always needs да in front of it.

  • Putting ще after да.

    Имам да ще свърша много работа.
    Имам да свърша много работа.

    Here the verb after да stays in the present tense. If you need the future, put ще before има: Ще има да чакаш.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

има да + VerbLevel 6Colloquial Има Да

Learn This First

Има да combines има and да.

Words in This Pattern

имаимам