имаше/нямаше

Past and Future of Има

Level 2Sounds Like imaše/nâmaše

To say there was or there will be, change only the form of има: имаше (there was, there were), нямаше (there was no), ще има (there will be), няма да има (there will be no).

How It Works

1. The six forms.

  • Present: има (there is, there are) and няма (there is no, there are no). See има and няма.
  • Past: имаше and нямаше.
  • Future: ще има and няма да има.

2. Always singular. The forms do not change for plural nouns: На масата имаше три чаши. (There were three glasses on the table.) Имаха would mean they had.

3. The negative future. Няма да има is the regular negative future with няма да plus има: Утре няма да има училище. The first няма means will not, and има means there is.

4. Questions. Put ли after the verb, or after има in the future: Имаше ли много хора? (Were there many people?) Ще има ли време за въпроси? (Will there be time for questions?)

5. Same word, two meanings. Имаше is also the past of имам (to have) for ти, той and тя: Той имаше куче. (He had a dog.) There a person owns something, and the plural is имаха. In В двора имаше куче (There was a dog in the yard), nobody owns anything, so the form never changes.

Examples (6)

  1. Вчера имаше концерт в парка.

    There was a concert in the park yesterday.

  2. На партито имаше много хора.

    There were a lot of people at the party.

    Имаше stays singular before the plural хора.

  3. В хладилника нямаше мляко.

    There was no milk in the fridge.

  4. Утре няма да има училище.

    There will be no school tomorrow.

  5. Ще има ли време за въпроси?

    Will there be time for questions?

  6. Имаше ли свободни места?

    Were there any free seats?

Common Mistakes

  • Making existential има plural.

    На партито имаха много хора.
    На партито имаше много хора.

    Existential имаше has no subject and stays singular. Имаха means "they had", so the sentence no longer says "there were".

  • Negating има with не.

    Вчера не имаше хляб.
    Вчера нямаше хляб.

    The negative of има is always a form of няма. In the past, use нямаше.

  • Leaving out да in the negative future.

    Утре няма има урок.
    Утре няма да има урок.

    The negative future is always няма да + verb, so "there will be no" is няма да има.

How It Connects

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имаше/нямашеLevel 2Past and Future of Има

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Past and future of има extend existential има.

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Words in This Pattern

иманяма