има / нема

Saying What You Have

Level 1Sounds Like ima; nema

Имам means I have, and немам means I don't have: Имам брат. Немам време.

How It Works

The forms. Both verbs follow Present Tense of A-Verbs.

  • јас имам / немам
  • ти имаш / немаш
  • тој, таа, тоа има / нема
  • ние имаме / немаме
  • вие имате / немате
  • тие имаат / немаат

Never не има. Every other verb takes не (see Negating a Verb), but има has its own negative word.

Asking. Дали имаш пари? or Имаш ли пари? (Do you have money?)

Age. Macedonian uses има for age: Имам дваесет години (I am twenty). See Saying Your Age.

There is. The he or she forms има and нема also mean there is and there is not: see Saying There Is or Is Not.

Examples (6)

  1. Имам брат и сестра.

    I have a brother and a sister.

  2. Немам време денес.

    I don't have time today.

  3. Дали имаш пари?

    Do you have money?

  4. Тие имаат голема куќа.

    They have a big house.

  5. Имаш ли прашање?

    Do you have a question?

  6. Немаме леб.

    We don't have any bread.

Common Mistakes

  • Making има negative with не.

    Не имам време.
    Немам време.

    The negative of има is нема, one word with the usual endings.

  • Using the wrong they form.

    Тие имат куќа.
    Тие имаат куќа.

    Има is an а-verb, so the they form ends in -аат: имаат, немаат.

  • Using сум for age, as in English I am twenty.

    Јас сум дваесет години.
    Имам дваесет години.

    Age is something you have in Macedonian.

How It Connects

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

има / немаLevel 1Saying What You Have

Learn This First

Има and нема build on negation.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern