ha
The Italian word for 'has' is ha.
ha is used to indicate possession or a relationship in the third person singular.
How does it change in a sentence?
ha is the third person singular present indicative form of the verb avere (to have). While you use ha for he, she or it, you must use the plural form hanno when you mean 'they have'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because the 'h' is silent in Italian, English speakers often mistakenly write a instead of the correct ha.
Did you know?
- In Italian, you often use ha to express age, whereas English speakers say 'he is' five years old.
- To say someone 'is right', Italians use the phrase ha ragione, which literally means 'he has reason'.
- You can use ha to describe physical sensations, such as hunger or thirst, rather than saying someone 'is' hungry.
Examples in context
- Tom lo ha ora.Tom has it now.This sentence shows how to use ha to indicate possession of an object.Tatoeba #4667537 by Guybrush88, translation #4667265 by CK
- Ha un QI alto.He has a high IQ.This sentence shows how to use ha to describe a characteristic.Tatoeba #8501261 by Guybrush88, translation #8478387 by CH
- Lui ha un cane?Has he got a dog?This sentence is useful for forming a question using ha.Tatoeba #1260532 by Guybrush88, translation #2825284 by Gulliver
- La signora ha un nuovo lavoro.The lady has a new job.
- Il dottore ha molta esperienza.The doctor has a lot of experience.
- La società ha un'importante conferenza domani.The company has an important conference tomorrow.
- L'ufficio ha un computer nuovo.The office has a new computer.
- Tu hai un cane simpatico.You have a cute dog.
- Noi abbiamo una festa stasera.We have a party tonight.
- Ti tengo il posto libero.I'm saving a seat for you.
- La macchina ha dei graffi.The car has scratches.
- Il libro ha molte pagine.The book has many pages.
- 8912 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Lorenzo are talking about a friend's new car.
- ChiaraLorenzo, sai se Marco ha una macchina nuova?Lorenzo, do you know if Marco has a new car?
- LorenzoSì, ha comprato un'auto rossa ieri.Yes, he bought a red car yesterday.
- ChiaraDavvero? Ha un buon gusto per i colori.Really? He has good taste in colors.
- LorenzoSì, ha sempre amato il rosso.Yes, he has always loved red.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
