Portuguese 3.6. Uses of the Verbs “Haver” and “Ter”

In this lesson, we cover the important Portuguese verbs “haver” and “ter.” We have encountered the verbs “haver” and “ter” as auxiliaries in the present perfect tense, e.g., “Eu tenho/hei comido” (I have been eating), and we will encounter it again in the future perfect tense, e.g., “Eu terei/haverei comido” (I will have eaten), and in other tenses.

Here, we discuss some special uses of the verbs “haver” and “ter” other than the auxiliary use.

The Verb “Haver”

The verb “haver” is conjugated in the present tense as follows:

eu	hei
ele/ela/você	há
nós	havemos
eles/elas/vocês	hão

Special uses of the verb “Haver”

1. Meaning “There is/are …”

One use of the verb “haver” is the expression “Há …,” which is translated as “There is/are …,” and is the same for singular and plural. The form “há” is in the present tense and does not take a personal pronoun as a subject. It can also be used in other tenses:

Há …	There is/are …
Houve …	There was/were …
Haverá …	There will be …

2. Meaning “ago” or “for”

One way to express the meaning of “ago” or “for” is by using the form “há” of the verb “haver,” for example:

Ele chegou há duas horas.	He arrivedtwo hours ago.
Eu não o vejo há muito tempo.	I haven’t seen him for a long time.

Notice that the second example above uses the present tense in Portugues, i.e., “vejo,” whereas the equivalent sentence in English uses the present perfect tense.

3. The Expression “Haver de …”

One way to express the obligation “have to …” is by using “haver de” followed by the infinitive, for example:

Eu hei de fazer isso.	I have to do it.
Eles hão de pagar.	They have to pay.
Nós havemos de ir.	We have to go.

The Verb “Ter”

We have also encountered the verb “tener” (to have) as an irregular verb in the present tense.

eu	tenho
ele/ela/você	tem
nós	temos
eles/elas/vocês	têm

In addition to the obvious use of “ter” to indicate possession, e.g., “Eu tenho dois gatos” (I have two cats), there are some less obvious uses of the verb “ter” in Portuguese.

Special uses of the verb “Ter”

1. Age

In English, we use the verb “to be” to describe age, as in “how old are you?” and “I am 30 years old.” In Portuguese, the verb “ter” is used instead. In Portuguese, we literally say, “I have 30 years old” rather than, “I am 30 years old.” Here are a few more examples:

Quantos anos tem?	How old are you?
Tenho 40 anos de idade.	I am 40 years old.
Ela tem 20 anos.	She is 20 years old.

2. Using “Ter” to describe a feeling, pain, illness, or desire.

Some expressions in Portuguese describe a feeling or desire using the verb “ter,” while their equivalent in English uses the verb “to be,” e.g., “Tenho medo” (I am afraid). The word “medo” means “fear.” Thus, we literally say, “I have fear.” Some other examples are:

ter fome	to be hungry	ter sede	to be thirsty
ter frio	to be cold	ter sorte	to be lucky
ter sono	to be sleepy	ter cuidado	to be careful
ter ciúmes	to be jealous	ter êxito	to be successful
ter vontade de	to want or desire	ter vergonha	to be ashamed

3. Ter que …

Similar to the expression “haver de,” another way to express the obligation “have to …” is by using “ter que” followed by the infinitive, for example:

Eu tenho que fazer isso.	I have to do it.
Eles têm que pagar.	They have to pay.
Nós temos que ir.	We have to go.

Other Expressions

There are many other idioms and expressions that use the verb “ter.” One common expression is “Tem sentido,” which means “It makes sense.” Some other expressions are:

ter lugar	to take place	ter a palavra	to have the floor
ter a ver com	to have to do with	ter a culpa	to take the blame
ter uma cara feia	to look bad	ter muito o que fazer	to have a lot to do

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