Haver
The use of this verb spans from indicating existence or occurrence to forming compound tenses. Here's an overview of its primary uses:
To indicate the existence or occurrence
When indicating existence, ‘haver’ is impersonal — lacking a subject — and so it appears in the 3rd person singular form across various tenses, even if it refers to more than one thing:
- Present ➔ ‘Há’ for ‘there is / there are’ and for time elapsed.
- 📖 Há um livro na mesa. (There is a book on the table.)
- 🗓️ Há dois anos que não o vejo. (I haven't seen him for two years.)
- Preterite ➔ ‘Houve’ for ‘there was / were’ at a particular moment in time.
- 🌧️ Houve uma tempestade ontem. (There was a storm yesterday.)
- Imperfect past ➔ ‘Havia’ for ‘there was / there were’ or ‘there used to be.’
- 🌳 Antes havia árvores aqui. (Before, there were trees here.)
- Future ➔ ‘Haverá’ for ‘there will be.’
- 🎉 Haverá uma festa na sexta-feira. (There will be a party on Friday.)
- Present Subjunctive ➔ ‘Haja’ for ‘there is / there are’ when it’s a hope or hypothetical situation in the present time.
- 🌿 Espero que haja comida vegetariana. (I hope there's vegetarian food.)
- Imperfect subjunctive ➔ ‘Houvesse’ for ‘there was / there were’ when it is a possibility or a desire.
- ✈️ Gostava que houvesse um hotel perto do aeroporto. (I wish there was a hotel near the airport.)
- Future Subjunctive ➔ ‘Houver’ for ‘there is / there are’ when it is a future possibility.
- 🎶 Ficaremos na festa se houver boa música. (We'll stay at the party if there's good music.)
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Há, houve, havia, haja, houver. The impersonal verb behind there is and there are in Portuguese, plus haver de and its work in the compound tenses.
Written for level A2–B1. Every lesson has its own, anywhere from A1 to B2.
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