Short, a little tricky, and absolutely essential: this is avere, the verb for “to have” in Italian and one of the core building blocks of speaking the language. While it may seem exactly the same as its English counterpart, avere comes with its own set of quirks that can be confusing when approaching it for the first time. In this article, I’ll guide you through the four main uses of avere in Italian, along with some key expressions and common mistakes to watch out for.
How to conjugate “to have” in Italian
Before exploring the different ways avere is used in Italian, let’s take a quick look at its conjugation. This isn’t one of those nice, predictable verbs that follow fixed patterns. Nope, it’s irregular, meaning it often changes its ending or stem.
Here are some key conjugations where avere likes to break the rules:
| Subject pronoun | Simple present | Present perfect | Remote past | Simple Future | Present Conditional | Present Subjunctive |
| Io | ho | ho avuto | ebbi | avrò | avrei | abbia |
| Tu | hai | hai avuto | avesti | avrai | avresti | abbia |
| Lui/Lei | ha | ha avuto | ebbe | avrà | avrebbe | abbia |
| Noi | abbiamo | abbiamo avuto | avemmo | avremo | avremmo | abbiamo |
| Voi | avete | avete avuto | aveste | avrete | avreste | abbiate |
| Loro | hanno | hanno avuto | ebbero | avranno | avrebbero | abbiano |
1. “Avere” to express possession
At its core, avere is the Italian equivalent of the English “to have,” expressing possession and ownership. But just like in English, avere goes beyond physical objects and can also describe personal traits, abstract concepts, and even relationships. Let’s break it down:
- Possessing material things: This is the most straightforward use of avere, when we’re talking about things we own.
Marco ha una bellissima casa al mare.
Marco has a beautiful house by the sea.
- Possessing physical or moral traits: Avere is also useful when describing a person’s appearance or personality traits.
Claudia ha un sorriso contagioso, ma in realtà non ha un bel carattere.
Claudia has a contagious smile, but to be honest, she has quite a temperament.
- Possessing abstract or intangible things: Sometimes avere expresses possession of abstract elements, which in English are often conveyed with the verb “to be.” Common expressions in this category include:
- Avere fortuna – To be lucky
- Avere torto – To be wrong
- Avere successo – To be successful
- Avere ragione – To be right
Mi dispiace, questa volta hai proprio torto!
I’m sorry, but this time you’re really wrong!
- Possession in the sense of relationships: And, of course, avere is used when talking about people in our life—family, friends, relationships. Naturally, it doesn’t mean we “own” them, we’re just indicating personal connections.
Abbiamo un’amica irlandese che ha antenati italiani.
We have an Irish friend with Italian ancestors.
2. “Avere” to express age
In Italian, we do things a little differently when it comes to age. While English uses “to be” to say how old someone is, in Italian, we use avere. So, rather than “being” a particular age, we “have” a certain number of years under our belt.
Io ho trent’anni, tu quanti anni hai?
I’m thirty, how old are you?
3. “Avere” to express experiencing a condition, feeling something
When it comes to expressing physical or emotional sensations, avere is usually our verb of choice, which differs once again from English, where these are often expressed with “to be.” Here are some classic phrases:
- Avere fame – to be hungry
- Avere sete – to be thirsty
- Avere caldo – to be hot
- Avere freddo – to be cold
- Avere sonno – to be sleepy
- Avere fretta – to be in a hurry
- Avere paura – to be afraid
- Avere l’ansia – to be anxious
- Avere la luna storta – to be in a bad mood
Ho sonno, ma devo studiare. Ho l’ansia per domani, è un esame difficile.
I’m sleepy, but I have to study. I’m anxious about tomorrow, it’s a difficult exam.
4. “Avere” as an auxiliary verb
Not only does avere have its own meanings, but it also plays a crucial role when it comes to forming compound tenses in Italian. So, alongside essere (the other auxiliary verb in Italian), avere helps create tenses like the present perfect or past perfect, which are so essential in everyday conversation.
There are quite a few rules to consider when choosing between essere and avere as auxiliary verbs, but I’ll focus on just a few key points here. But first, one important distinction: when using essere, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, whereas with avere, the past participle doesn’t change to match the subject’s gender or number.
As a general rule, avere is the auxiliary for transitive verbs (those that take a direct object) in the active form, for example:
Ieri ho visto un film bellissimo.
Yesterday, I watched a great movie.
Abbiamo adorato quel piccolo B&B che ci hai consigliato!
We loved that little B&B you recommended to us!
However, some intransitive verbs (those that don’t have a direct object) expressing movement or activity require avere instead of essere as an auxiliary. Here are some examples:
- Ho camminato – I walked
- Ho passeggiato – I took a walk
- Ho agito – I acted
- Ho vagato – I wandered
- Ho giocato – I played
- Ho nuotato – I swam
- Ho litigato – I argued
Then, there are verbs that can be used with either avere or essere depending on the meaning and context. The general rule is: if the verb has a direct object, you use avere; if it doesn’t, you use essere. Let’s look at this example:
- Sara ha cambiato molti lavori negli ultimi anni.
Sara has changed many jobs in the last few years.
Here, cambiare is transitive because it has a direct object (many jobs), so we use avere.
- Sara è cambiata molto negli ultimi anni.
Sara has changed a lot in the last few years.
In this case, cambiare is intransitive because we’re not specifying what Sara changed, but rather describing how she changed. So, we use essere.
Other similar verbs are crescere (to grow), passare (to pass, to spend), migliorare (to improve), iniziare (to start) and terminare (to end).
There are also certain verbs used to describe the weather, such as piovere (to rain) and nevicare (to snow), that can be used with either auxiliary verb, essere or avere, without any significant difference.
Oggi ha / è piovuto tutto il giorno
It rained all day today.
Common expressions with “avere” in Italian
Avere appears in numerous idiomatic expressions and fixed phrases that you’ll often hear in daily Italian. Here are a few of the most commonly used:
Avere voglia di qualcosa – To feel like (doing) something
A great expression for when we’re craving something, whether it’s a yummy pizza or a last-minute trip!
Ho voglia di un bel piatto di carbonara stasera.
I feel like having a nice plate of carbonara tonight.
Avere l’aria di – To seem / To look like
This is a go-to phrase when describing someone’s vibe or appearance.
Hai visto Stefano di recente? Ha l’aria di essere stanco, sono preoccupato.
Have you seen Stefano recently? He looks tired, I’m worried.
Avere caro – To care about / To be fond of
Think of this as a more emotional version of “liking” something or someone.
Ho molto caro questo libro, è un regalo di mio nonno.
I really care about this book; it’s a gift from my grandfather.
Avere a cuore – To have at heart / To care deeply about
Stronger than avere caro, this idiom expresses genuine concern or passion.
Abbiamo a cuore il destino di questo edificio, è un pezzo di storia della nostra città!
We care deeply about the fate of this building, it’s a piece of our town’s history!
Avere in mente – To have in mind
We use this when referring to an idea, plan, or thought we’re considering.
Che cosa avete in mente questa volta? Basta scherzi, mi raccomando!
What do you have in mind this time? No more jokes, please!
Avere per la testa – To have on one’s mind
This is perfect for when something is on our mind.
Se continui così, ti bocceranno di nuovo. Si può sapere che hai per la testa?
If you keep this up, you’ll fail again. What’s on your mind?
Avere presente – To be aware of / To remember
This phrase is super handy when checking if someone recalls something.
Hai presente quel tipo di cui ti ho parlato l’altro giorno?
Do you remember that guy I told you about the other day?
Avere da fare – To have things to do / To be busy
We often use it as the classic excuse when we need to get out of something.
Mi dispiace, non posso venire alla cena di domani. Ho da fare.
I’m sorry, I can’t come to tomorrow’s dinner. I’m busy.
Avere occhio (per qualcosa) – To have a good eye (for something)
This is a great expression to use when talking about someone who has a knack for choosing well, whether it’s fashion, design, or finding a good deal.
Chiedi consiglio a Marco, lui ha occhio quando si tratta di stile vintage.
Ask Marco for advice, he has a good eye when it comes to vintage style.
Avercela con qualcuno – To be mad at someone
Avercela is a very common pronominal verb in Italian, and this expression is ideal when talking someone or something we’re upset with.
Si può sapere perchè ce l’hai con noi? Cosa abbiamo fatto?
Can you tell us why you are mad at us? What did we do?
Beware the h!
Certain conjugations of avere sound exactly like other completely unrelated words, and this can lead to really bad grammar mistakes, especially in writing. Here are a few key differences to keep in mind:
Ho / o
Ho is the first person singular of avere in the present tense (I have), while o is a conjunction that means “or.”
Ho tempo per un caffè o dobbiamo partire subito?
Do I have time for a coffee, or do we need to leave right away?
Hai / ai
Hai is the second person singular of avere in the present tense (you have), while ai is a preposition resulting from the fusion of a (to) and i (the masculine plural form of “the”) and means “to the” or “at the.”
Hai portato un regalo ai bambini?
Did you bring a gift for the kids?
Ha / a
Ha is the third person singular of avere in the present tense (he/she/it has), while a is a preposition that can mean “at,” ”to,” “on,” or “by” depending on the context
Laura ha ancora tanti vestiti a casa di sua madre.
Laura still has lots of clothes at her mother’s house.
Hanno / anno
Hanno is the third person plural of avere (they have), while anno means “year” in Italian.
I miei genitori hanno amici in Portogallo, l’anno prossimo andranno a trovarli.
My parents have friends in Portugal, next year they’ll go visit them.
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
