havi

Having: Havi

Level 1

Havi means to have, and the thing you have ends in -n.

How It Works

SayMeaning
Mi havas du fratojn.I have two brothers.
Ana havas hundon.Ana has a dog.
Mi ne havas tempon.I have no time.
Ĉu vi havas amikojn en Japanio?Do you have friends in Japan?

Havi shows that something belongs to the subject. The link can be ownership or a relationship, and it can also be a thing like time. In every case the thing that belongs is the object of the verb and takes -n, so you write hundon, fratojn and tempon.

Esperanto has no word for a or an, so Ana havas hundon means that she has a dog.

English builds forms like I have seen with to have. Esperanto does not use havi that way: I have seen is just mi vidis, with the ending -is. A later topic explains it.

Examples (5)

  1. Mi havas du fratojn.

    I have two brothers.

    Fratojn is a plural object, so it ends in -jn.

  2. Ana havas hundon.

    Ana has a dog.

    Esperanto needs no word for a: hundon is enough.

  3. Mi ne havas tempon.

    I have no time.

    Ne stands before the verb it denies.

  4. Ĉu vi havas amikojn en Japanio?

    Do you have friends in Japan?

    Amikojn is the object; en Japanio tells where they live.

  5. Kofi havas tri katojn.

    Kofi has three cats.

    The number stays plain and the noun carries -jn.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving -n off the thing you have.

    Ana havas hundo.
    Ana havas hundon.

    The dog is what Ana has, so it is the object and needs -n.

How It Connects

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

haviLevel 1Having: Havi

Learn This First

Havi is a verb that takes an object.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.