Langvie / German grammar / German haben and yes-no questions
German haben and yes-no questions.
haben means to have, and a question without a question word starts with its verb.
The verb haben
The verb haben means to have. In the du and er/sie/es forms, the b drops from the stem before the endings -st and -t.
| Person | haben |
|---|---|
| ich | habe |
| du | hast |
| er / sie / es | hat |
| wir | haben |
| ihr | habt |
| sie / Sie | haben |
- Hast du Geschwister?Do you have siblings?
- Wir haben Kinder hier.We have children here.
Yes-no questions and answers
To form a yes-no question, place the conjugated verb in the first position. You answer with ja or nein followed by a regular statement.
- Wohnen Sie hier? Ja, ich wohne hier.Do you live here? Yes, I live here.
- Arbeitet er hier? Nein, er arbeitet da.Does he work here? No, he works there.
Practice it in the course
This rule is chapter 6 of 31 in the A1 German course in Langvie, after German present tense verb endings and before German verbs with a vowel change. In the app the chapter goes on with 8 exercises and a short spoken conversation with an AI partner, which opens with Haben Sie Geschwister?
Choose the correct form of haben. ___ du Geschwister, Lisa? (Habt / Hast / Haben)
Hast. The du form of haben drops the b and becomes hast. Do you have siblings, Lisa?
Practice this rule in Langvie.
Chapter 6 of the A1 course, with exercises, cards and a conversation in German.