I can say what there is and isn't in the house with “há”, and name the owner with “ter”: “Há um jardim”, “A casa tem três quartos”.
Há: there is, there isn't
Há: there is, there isn't
To say what there is in a house and what there isn't, you need two different words.
“Há” means “there is” or “there are”. It has one form for everything: “Há um quarto” and “Há três quartos”. Unlike English there is / there are, há never changes.
For the negative, put “não” before “há”: “Não há garagem”. A question is the same sentence with a rising voice, in the same word order: “Há elevador?” Short answers: “Há, sim.” and “Não, não há.”
When the owner is named — a building or a person — use “ter”, just as English uses have: “O prédio tem três andares”, “Tenho um apartamento”. You know the forms: tenho, tens, tem, temos, têm.
The difference in one line: “há” — there is, no owner named; “ter” — someone has it.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Hão dois quartos” — “há” never changes: “Há dois quartos.”
• NOT “O prédio há dois elevadores” — the owner is named: “O prédio tem dois elevadores.”
• NOT “Eu há uma chave” — “há” takes no subject: “Tenho uma chave.”
Note: in Brazil people often say “tem” instead of “há” — “tem um jardim”. In this course's answers, only “há”.
Há never changes
Unlike English there is / there are, há never changes.
| Situation | In Portuguese | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| one thing | Há um quarto | there's a room |
| several things | Há três quartos | there are three rooms |
| there's nothing | Não há garagem | there's no garage |
Há or ter
The same place is described in two ways, depending on whether an owner is named.
| No owner named — há | Owner named — ter |
|---|---|
| Há uma garagem | O Pedro tem uma garagem |
| Há duas portas | A cozinha tem duas portas |
Lesson notes
Há: there is, there isn't
To say what there is in a house and what there isn't, you need two different words.
“Há” means “there is” or “there are”. It has one form for everything: “Há um quarto” and “Há três quartos”. Unlike English there is / there are, há never changes.
For the negative, put “não” before “há”: “Não há garagem”. A question is the same sentence with a rising voice, in the same word order: “Há elevador?” Short answers: “Há, sim.” and “Não, não há.”
When the owner is named — a building or a person — use “ter”, just as English uses have: “O prédio tem três andares”, “Tenho um apartamento”. You know the forms: tenho, tens, tem, temos, têm.
The difference in one line: “há” — there is, no owner named; “ter” — someone has it.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Hão dois quartos” — “há” never changes: “Há dois quartos.”
• NOT “O prédio há dois elevadores” — the owner is named: “O prédio tem dois elevadores.”
• NOT “Eu há uma chave” — “há” takes no subject: “Tenho uma chave.”
Note: in Brazil people often say “tem” instead of “há” — “tem um jardim”. In this course's answers, only “há”.