hast du
/hast duː/word by word
In German, 'do you have' is expressed as hast du.
This phrase is used to ask if someone possesses or owns something.
Which one should you use?
While hast du is used for a single person in an informal context, habt ihr is used when asking a group of people such as friends, children or peers if they have something.
How does it change in a sentence?
In German, questions are formed by placing the conjugated verb before the subject, so hast du literally means 'have you'.
How do you pronounce it?
/hast duː/
Did you know?
- If you were to use 'hast du' with a professor or a stranger, it is not just a mistake of politeness, but can be seen as a linguistic 'slap in the face' because of the sudden drop in social distance.
- The word du shares the same ancient ancestor as the archaic English word 'thou'.
- When using hast du to ask if someone has a certain characteristic, German often prefers different verbs entirely to avoid the sounding like they are talking about a physical item in a pocket.
Examples in context
- Was hast du da?What do you have there?This sentence uses hast du to ask what someone has in their possession.Tatoeba #6625061 by Felixjp, translation #2645657 by CK
- Hast du ein Kind?Do you have a child?This sentence uses hast du to ask if someone has a child.Tatoeba #880778 by Esperantostern, translation #852857 by piksea
- Hast du ein Buch?Do you have a book?This sentence uses hast du to ask if someone has a book.Tatoeba #2709201 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2666720 by CK
- Haben Sie einen Stift?Do you have a pen?
- Haben Sie eine Reservierung?Do you have a reservation?
- Haben Sie Zeit?Do you have time?
- Besitzen Sie …?Do you possess …?
- Besitzen Sie ein Auto?Do you have a car/own a car?
- Hast du bitte einen Moment Zeit?Do you have a moment, please?
- 1014 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are meeting at a cafe.
- MaximilianHast du einen Regenschirm?Do you have an umbrella?
- JuliaNein, ich habe keinen dabei.No, I don't have one with me.
- MaximilianSchade, es regnet sehr.Too bad, it is raining a lot.
- JuliaWir können unter dem Dach warten.We can wait under the roof.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Hast, du) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
