Impersonal haber Stays Singular

Level 3

Existential haber (hai) has a form in every tense, and every one of them is singular: había (there was, there were), houbo (there was, there were), haberá (there will be). How many things come after it makes no difference.

How It Works

The forms. You already know hai. Each tense has one form for both "there is" and "there are":

  • present: hai, as in Hai dúas farmacias.
  • imperfect: había, as in Había moita xente.
  • preterite: houbo, as in Houbo tres accidentes.
  • future: haberá, as in Haberá concertos na praza.
  • conditional: habería, as in Habería máis sitio sen o coche.
  • present subjunctive: haxa, as in Oxalá haxa entradas.

Why no plural? In Había tres persoas, the words tres persoas are not the subject. They behave like a direct object, so the verb stays singular. You can see this in the famous saying Eu non creo nas meigas, pero habelas, hainas (I do not believe in witches, but they do exist): the witches are replaced by the object pronoun as, which joins hai as hainas (see no and na after diphthongs).

With another verb in front. When haber follows ir, poder or deber, that verb also stays singular: Vai haber moitos problemas, Pode haber atrasos.

Plural forms of haber do exist, but for other jobs. In haber de + infinitive the verb agrees with a real subject: Han de chegar logo (they should arrive soon). Just never use han, habían or houberon to say "there were". The same applies to hai que, which is always singular.

Examples (6)

  1. Houbo moitos problemas coa luz.

    There were a lot of problems with the electricity.

    Word by Word: There-was many problems with-the light.

  2. Había tres persoas diante de min na cola.

    There were three people ahead of me in the queue.

    Word by Word: There-was three people in-front of me in-the queue.

  3. Mañá haberá treboadas no norte.

    There will be thunderstorms in the north tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow there-will-be storms in-the north.

  4. Vai haber moita xente na festa.

    There are going to be lots of people at the party.

    Word by Word: Goes to-have much people at-the party.

    Vai stays singular even though many people will be there.

  5. Oxalá haxa entradas para o concerto.

    I hope there are still tickets for the concert.

    Word by Word: Hopefully there-be tickets for the concert.

  6. Eu non creo nas meigas, pero habelas, hainas.

    I don't believe in witches, but they do exist.

    Word by Word: I not believe in-the witches, but to-have-them, there-is-them.

    A traditional saying. The witches are an object pronoun (las, nas), not the subject.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the imperfect agree with a plural noun.

    Habían moitos nenos no parque.
    Había moitos nenos no parque.

    Nenos is not the subject of haber, so the verb stays singular: había.

  • Using a plural preterite.

    Houberon dous accidentes.
    Houbo dous accidentes.

    Houberon exists, but not with the meaning "there were". For existence, the preterite is always houbo.

  • Making the first verb of a verb phrase plural.

    Van haber cambios.
    Vai haber cambios.

    With haber after ir, poder or deber, the whole phrase stays singular: vai haber, pode haber, debe haber.

How It Connects

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

Impersonal haber Stays SingularLevel 3

Learn This First

Impersonal haber remains singular even when several things are introduced.

Words in This Pattern

haber