In Spanish, "haber" is the auxiliary verb of the past participle and provides the main verb with the sense of "having completed" the described action:
- He comido. (I have eaten.)
- ¿Has jugado fútbol hoy? (Have you played soccer today?)
- Hemos estudiado mucho esta tarde. (We have studied a lot this afternoon.)
"Haber" is also an impersonal verb in its three forms (hay, había, hubo), equivalent to the English forms "there is(are), there was(were)". In Spanish we use it only in the singular:
- Hay muchos chicos ahí. (There are many guys there.)
- No hay nadie aquí. (There is no one here.)
- Habían muchos policías en el estadio.
(There were many policemen at the stadium.)
- Hubo un gran problema en el banco hoy.
(There was a big problem at the bank today.)
"Haber" is also used in relative construccions:
- Siempre hay quienes hacen trampa. (There are always those who cheat.)
- No hay quien nos defienda. (There is no one to defend us.)
We also use "haber" to express obligation. Remember that in this case we use "haber" in an impersonal way:
- Hay que estudiar mucho. (We must study a lot.)
- ¿Hay que venir a clase mañana? (Do we have to come to class tomorrow?)
- Había que ganar el partido. (It was necessary to win the game.)
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