Essere and avere

In brief

Essere means ‘to be’; avere means ‘to have.’ Both are essential in everyday Italian. Use essere to say who or what someone is, where someone is, or how they feel. Use avere for possession and for age. Italian also uses avere in expressions such as avere fame (‘to be hungry’).

Form

Present tense: essere — (io) sono, (tu) sei, (lui/lei) è, (noi) siamo, (voi) siete, (loro) sono; avere — (io) ho, (tu) hai, (lui/lei) ha, (noi) abbiamo, (voi) avete, (loro) hanno. The h in ho, hai, ha and hanno is silent. Subject pronouns are often omitted.

Usage

• Use essere for identity, descriptions and location: Sono a casa (‘I am at home’).
• Use avere to say what someone has: Ho un libro (‘I have a book’).
• Use avere, not essere, to give your age or say you are hungry: Ho vent’anni; ho fame.

Examples

• Sono a casa. — I am at home.
• Lei è italiana. — She is Italian.
• Hai una penna? — Do you have a pen?
• Ho fame. — I am hungry.

Common mistake

❌ Sono fame.

✅ Ho fame.

English says ‘I am hungry’, but Italian uses avere with fame: say ‘Ho fame’.

Remember

For age, say ‘Ho vent’anni’ (‘I am twenty years old’), using avere.