“I am thirsty” and “I am hungry” in Italian are ho sete and ho fame, respectively. In these sentences, ho is the first person singular of the verb avere meaning to have, so the literal meaning is “I have thirst” and “I have hunger!” In Italian, the verb avere, just like “have,” is typically used to express possession:
- Ho una penna verde.Translation: I have a green pen.
- Hanno una bella casa.Translation: They have a beautiful home.
However, avere is also used in a variety of Italian expressions, in which avere stretches its usual meaning. In this post, we’ll focus on these more unexpected uses of avere in Italian. Do you want to learn more about them? Just keep reading!
What are the expressions with ‘avere’ and how to form them in Italian?
Expressions with avere in Italian have at least two words: the first is the verb avere, which you can conjugate in all tenses and moods, and the second word is a noun.
- nounAvevo sete perché non avevo bevuto il mio solito tè quella mattina.Translation: I was thirsty because I hadn't drunk my usual tea that morning.Literally: I had thirst…avere in the past imperfect tense
- nounAndrea parte stasera, ha fretta di ritornare a casa.Translation: Andrea leaves tonight, he is in a hurry to go back home.Literally: …he has (a) hurry…avere in present tense
- nounSono sicura che il progetto avrà successo.Translation: I am sure the project will be successful.Literally: ...will have successavere in future tense
We can classify the expressions with avere into two subgroups:
expressions with avere that are the equivalent to the English expressions with “to be” + adjective
expressions that do not fall in that group but that are still very common and idiomatic
Let’s start with the first group!
When to use ‘avere’ (to have) to translate “to be”?
You will use avere meaning to have to translate the English verb “to be” in a few specific expressions. The key to memorizing this group of expressions is to notice the following pattern:
English
"to be" + adjective
Italian
avere + noun
Here’s a list of the Italian expressions with avere that are expressed with “to be” in English.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
avere x anni | to be x years old |
avere importanza | to be important |
avere successo | to be successful |
avere fretta | to be in a hurry |
avere fame | to be hungry |
avere sete | to be thirsty |
avere paura | to be scared |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
avere sonno | to be sleepy |
avere caldo | to be hot |
avere freddo | to be cold |
avere ragione | to be right |
avere torto | to be wrong |
avere fortuna | to be lucky, |
avere sfortuna | to be unlucky, |
To help you memorize these expressions, we have grouped them as follows:
the expressions highlighted in yellow express feelings;
the last six expressions are opposite pairs!
Keep reading for examples of all of these different types of expressions!
How to use expressions with ‘avere’ in compound tenses?
In all compound tenses, expressions with avere all use the auxiliary verb avere! Just remember this rule:
avere(2x) in compound tenses
For example:
How to modify or describe expressions with ‘avere’?
If you want to modify, describe, or add specificity to an expression with avere (i.e. if you want to say that you are “really thirsty,” “a little sleepy,” etc.) you have two main options, or you can combine them!
Option 1:
Since avere followed by a noun, we can use an adjective to describe that noun. For instance, we can describe fame meaning hunger and sete meaning thirst using the adjective molto meaning a lot of, so that we’re literally saying: “I have a lot of hunger” or “I have a lot of thirst.”
adjectiveHo molta fama/sete.Translation: I am really hungry/thirsty.Remember that the adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun! So, for example, since fame meaning hunger and sete meaning thirst are feminine and singular, molto needs to be feminine and singular: molta.
If you wanted to say, “I am really sleepy” though, you’d need to use molto since sonno meaning sleepiness is a masculine noun:
adjectiveHo molto sonno.Translation: I’m really sleepy.Option 2:
We can use an adverb to describe the verb instead! Because adverbs are invariable, you do not need to worry about the agreement with the noun.
adverbLa bambina aveva proprio fame.Translation: The little girl was really hungry.Combine Option 1 and Option 2:
The third option is simply a combination of option 1 and option 2, because nothing prevents you from having both an adjective and an adverb in the same sentence! Just be mindful of word order: first goes the adverb, then the adjective.
adverbadjectiveHai sempre così tanto sonno?Translation: Are you always that sleepy?
How to use individual expressions with ‘avere’ in sentences?
In this section, we’ll go through some of the individual expressions we saw above and give you some examples of how to use them in sentences. We’ll start with age!
How to say how old someone is in Italian?
To say how old someone is in Italian, use avere and not “to be,” as you do in English.
How to use the expressions ‘avere fretta,’ ‘avere successo,’ and ‘avere importanza’ in sentences?
Here is how to use the expressions avere fretta, avere successo, and avere importanza in Italian sentences:
Avere fretta means “to be in a hurry.” It can be used by itself, meaning “to be in a hurry (in general),” or it can be used before di + infinitive, meaning “to be in a hurry to do something.”
- Ha detto che richiamerà. In quel momento aveva fretta.Translation: S/He said s/he will call back. At that moment s/he was in a hurry.
- Vado in taxi perché ho fretta di incontrare il mio amico.Translation: I go by taxi because I'm in a hurry to meet my friend.
Avere successo meaning to be successful is used to express that someone or something had a positive outcome.
- Mio padre ha avuto molto successo nel suo lavoro.Translation: My father was very successful in his job.
- Ti ammiro molto perché hai successo, ma sei anche umile e alla mano.Translation: I admire you a lot because you are successful, but you are also humble and easy going.
Avere importanza meaning to be important is used to express that something matters.
Ha importanza per noi salvaguardare le specie a rischio.Translation: It is important for us to safeguard endangered species.Or in the negative form, it means that something does not matter.
Non ha importanza, non ti preoccupare.Translation: It doesn’t matter, don’t worry.
How to express some feelings in Italian using ‘avere’?
In Italian you can use the verb avere basically to mean sentire, provare meaning to feel when you use it with certain nouns for feelings. For example:
avere sete literally to have thirst→ sentire sete literally to feel thirst
avere fame literally to have hunger→ sentire fame literally to feel hunger
avere sonno literally to have sleepiness→ sentire sonno literally to feel sleepiness
avere paura literally to have fear→ sentire paura literally to feel fear
However, the versions with avere are more common. here are some examples of how to use expressions for feelings with avere in sentences:
- Ieri notte Maria non ha dormito bene e stamattina ha sonno.Translation: Last night Maria did not sleep well and this morning she is/feels sleepy.
- Non riesco a guardare i film horror: ho troppa paura.Translation: I can't watch horror movies: I'm too scared.
More expressions like this can be found shaded yellow in the table above!
How to express some feelings in Italian using ‘avere’?
Many expressions with avere have an expression with the opposite meaning (an “antonym”) that is also formed using avere! Let’s look at a few examples:
Avere caldo meaning to be hot is the opposite of avere freddo meaning to be cold.
Marta ha caldo, accendiamo il ventilatore?Translation: Marta is hot, shall we turn on the fan?Alfonso ha freddo, accendiamo il riscaldamento?Translation: Alfonso is cold, shall we turn on the heating?Avere ragione meaning to be right is the opposite of avere torto meaning to be wrong.
Avete ragione: oggi pioverà.Translation: You are right: it will rain today.L'avvocato vuole provare che la difesa ha torto.Translation: The lawyer wants to prove that the defense is wrong.Avere fortuna meaning to be lucky is the opposite of avere sfortuna meaning to be unlucky.
Gianna ha vinto alla lotteria! Quella ragazza ha sempre fortuna.Translation: Gianna won the lottery! That girl is always lucky.Stamattina ho perso le chiavi del motorino: ho proprio sfortuna.Translation: This morning I lost the keys to the scooter: I am really unlucky/I have really bad luck.You can use avere fortuna meaning to be lucky or avere sfortuna meaning to be unlucky before di + infinitive to express that someone “had the luck to do something” or “had the misfortune to do something” For example:
- Paolo ha avuto la fortuna di avere un mentore eccezionale.Translation: Paolo was fortunate enough to have an exceptional mentor.
- Ha avuto la sfortuna di essere nel posto sbagliato al momento sbagliato.Translation: S/He had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
How to express ailments with ‘avere’?
In the same way, and like in English, avere is used to talk about ailments and illnesses forming the expression avere mal di + body part, which literally means “to have/to feel pain at” + body part. Some examples of expressions like this:
| Expressions with avere mal di + body part | Translation |
|---|---|
avere mal di testa | to have a headache |
avere mal di panchia | to have a bellyache |
avere mal di stomaco | to have a stomach ache |
avere mal di gola | to have a sore throat |
avere mal di denti | to have a toothache |
Here are some examples of how to use these expressions in sentences:
- Oggi non mi sento bene, ho mal di pancia.Translation: Today I'm not feeling well, I have a stomach ache.
- Metti una sciarpa o domani avrai mal di gola.Translation: Put on a scarf or you'll have a sore throat tomorrow.
- Dopo tante ore davanti al pc, Lara ha un forte mal di testa.Translation: After many hours in front of the PC, Lara has a strong headache.
What are some more expressions with ‘avere’?
There are many expressions with avere that do not match the English “to be” + adjective pattern, such as the following:
| Expression | Example |
|---|---|
avere bisogno di… Translation: to have a need to/for… | Ho sonno, ho bisogno di fare un pisolino. Translation: I'm sleepy, I need to take a nap. |
avere voglia di... Translation: to feel like... Literally: to have the desire of... | Hai caldo? Hai voglia di un ghiacciolo? Translation: Are you hot? Do you fancy a popsicle? |
avere intenzione di… Translation: to have the intention to… | Quest’anno abbiamo intenzione di andare in palestra tre volte alla settimana. Translation: This year we intend to go to the gym three times a week. |
avere una buona / ottima / cattiva / pessima memoria Translation: to have good / great / bad / awful memory | Federico ha un’ottima memoria per le date di compleanno. Translation: Federico has an excellent memory for birthday dates. |
avere esperienza (come) Translation: to have a need to/for…to have experience (as) | HLa Dr.ssa Bianchi ha esperienza come cardiologa. Translation: Dr. Bianchi has experience as a cardiologist. |
avere luogo a / in... Translation: to take place at / in… | L’evento avrà luogo il 10 dicembre alle ore 17:00 al Parco Sempione. Translation: The event will take place on 10 December at 17:00 in Parco Sempione. |
Since you've made it this far by reading this post, you deserve a bonus expression with avere! And the expression is…
Ho da fare meaning I am busy is the perfect expression for times you cannot or do not want to attend an event. However, it also sounds a bit mysterious and vague, so it may not prevent further inquiries on the matter.
- Mi dispiace, non posso venire stasera, ho da fare.Translation: I'm sorry, I can't come tonight, I'm busy/I have things to do.
- Cosa hai da fare esattamente di sabato sera?Translation: What exactly do you have to do on a Saturday night?
- 😬 !
To find out about many other Italian expressions with avere (some of them very idiomatic and fun), check out our extra resources!
To sum up
Here are the main points to remember from this post:
Usually the verb avere meaning to have is used to express possession and ownership. Yet, avere also features in a variety of idiomatic expressions.
Some of those idiomatic expressions are the equivalent of English constructions with “to be” + adjective, which instead in Italian are formed with avere + noun (e.g., avere sonno meaning to be sleepy), avere freddo/caldo meaning to be cold/hot...)
As with “have” in English, avere is also used to talk about ailments and illnesses in the expressions avere mal di... meaning to have/feel pain at..., such as avere mal di testa/mal di stomaco meaning to have a headache/stomachache.
Finally, avere appears in a variety of very common expressions: some of them are formed with “to have” in English also, like in avere una buona/cattiva memoria meaning to have a good/bad memory.
There are many other (very) idiomatic expressions with avere in Italian, and you can learn some of them from checking out our avere idiom list by consulting an Italian dictionary! 😄
Ready to practice Italian expressions with avere? Click the link!
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