Hebben
  • Click here to print this page. Only the contents of the middle column will be printed.
  • Send this page by e-mail
  • Bookmark this page [IE]
  • Report an error [anything: typos, broken links, a bad explanation]

This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.Verb exercises  This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.Online verb conjugator

English version by Bieneke Berendsen :: other languages
Just like zijn, the verb hebben is used in a variety of ways. As an Internal link independent verb it means 'to have'. But like zijn, it can also serve as the Internal link auxiliary verb before a past participle. A less common use of hebben is Internal link hebben te, meaning 'to have to'.

The present tense of hebben is not very irregular. Only the 3rd person singular has an irregular stem (heeft).

simple present
simple past
ik heb I have ik had I had
je hebt you have je had you had
hij heeft he has hij had he had
we hebben we have we hadden we had
jullie hebben you have jullie hadden you had
ze hebben they have ze hadden they had
past participle: gehad auxiliary verb for pp: hebben


Note that the examples above give you the unstressed Internal link personal pronouns. Some pronouns change when they are stressed in a phrase: je/jij, we/wij, ze/zij (both singular and plural).
Questions? Questions?
     Visit our forum!