How to Say "Has" in German - How To Say Guide

hat

The English phrase "has" is translated to German as hat.

hat is the third-person singular present form of the verb used to express that someone or something possesses or holds something.

Which one should you use?

You may use besitzt in formal contexts specifically to convey the sense of ownership or to mean "to possess".

hat is a form of the verb haben, which requires the accusative case for the object being possessed.

German uses hat for many expressions where English uses 'is', such as er hat Hunger instead of 'he is hungry'.
The English word 'have' and the German haben both descend from the same Proto-Germanic root, making them true cognates.
If you want to say someone 'has' a certain feeling, like fear or time, you use hat. For instance, Sie hat Angst means 'She is afraid'.

Er hat zu tun.
He has things to do.
This sentence is useful for showing the use of hat with an idiomatic expression for having tasks.
Tatoeba #1270437 by Esperantostern, translation #11718573 by Nuel
Sie hat ein Rad.
She has a bike.
This sentence demonstrates the use of hat to show possession of an object.
Tatoeba #3270526 by Trinkschokolade, translation #1548367 by CM
Er hat ein Kind.
He has one kid.
This sentence shows how hat is used to express having a person in one's life.
Tatoeba #8842407 by wolfgangth, translation #2856267 by Amastan
Er hat ein Haus.
He has a house.
Die Firma besitzt mehrere Fabriken.
The company has several factories.
Sie hat einen Hund.
She has a dog.
Er hat einen riesigen Appetit!
He has a huge appetite!
Der Mann hat ein Auto.
The man has a car.
Sie hat rote Haare.
She has red hair.
Das Kind hat einen Ball.
The child has a ball.
8661 more sentences on Tatoeba

Julian and Sarah are talking about a new phone.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏