Language/Swiss-german/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Swiss German Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Swiss German learners! 😊

In this lesson, we will focus on the use of "have" in Swiss German. We will explore its different forms and give examples to illustrate its meaning. You will also learn some interesting facts about Swiss culture!

What is "have" in Swiss German?

"Have" in Swiss German is translated as "ha" or "händ". Like in English, it can be used as an auxiliary verb and as a main verb.

As an auxiliary verb, it is used to form compound tenses in the present, past, and future. For example:

Swiss German	Example	English
ich ha	Ich ha mis Buech glesä	I have read my book
du häsch	Häsch du müed?	Have you got tired?
er hät	Er hät eso vil hürä müese	He had to listen so much

When used as a main verb, it can have different meanings depending on the context. For example:

Swiss German	Example	English
ich ha	Ich ha e Fahrrad	I've got a bike
du häsch	Du häsch d'Zit	You have the time
er hät	Er hät es Ziel	He has a goal

In these cases, "have" is translated as "have got", "have something" or "possess".

How to conjugate "have" in Swiss German

The verb "ha" (have) is irregular in Swiss German, which means that its conjugation is not fixed and contains deviations from the regular pattern. Here is its conjugation in the present tense:

Person	Swiss German	Pronunciation	English
1st singular	ich ha	[ɪç xa]	I have
2nd singular	du häsch	[duː ˈhæʃ]	You have
3rd singular	er/sie/es hät	[ɛr/siː/ɛs hæːt]	He/she/it has
1st plural	mir händ	[miːr hɛnt]	We have
2nd plural	ihr händ	[iːr hɛnt]	You have
3rd plural	si händ	[ziː hɛnt]	They have

In the past tense, the verb "ha" is replaced by "ha gha" (have had). Here is its conjugation:

Person	Swiss German	Pronunciation	English
1st singular	ich ha gha	[ɪç xaː ɡa]	I have had
2nd singular	du häsch gha	[duː ˈhæʃ ɡa]	You have had
3rd singular	er/sie/es hät gha	[ɛr/siː/ɛs hæːt ɡa]	He/she/it has had
1st plural	mir händ gha	[miːr hɛnt ɡa]	We have had
2nd plural	ihr händ gha	[iːr hɛnt ɡa]	You have had
3rd plural	si händ gha	[ziː hɛnt ɡa]	They have had

Interesting facts about Swiss culture

Did you know that Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh? Swiss German is the most spoken language in Switzerland, with more than 5 million speakers!

Swiss people are known for being punctual and reliable. In Swiss culture, time is considered a precious commodity, and being late is seen as rude and disrespectful. So if you have an appointment with a Swiss person, be sure to arrive on time!

Dialogue

To illustrate the use of "have" in context, here's a dialogue between two friends:

• Person 1: Haasch du mis Neus Huus gsä? (Have you seen my new house?)
• Person 2: Ja, ich ha s gseh, es isch sehr schön! (Yes, I've seen it, it's very beautiful!)
• Person 1: Hesch scho ghört, dass mer im Dorf es neus Restaurant ha? (Have you heard that there is a new restaurant in the village?)
• Person 2: Ja, ich ha ghört, dass es sehr guet si söll. Mir chönd jo mal zämegah und es useprobiera! (Yes, I've heard that it should be very good. We could go together and try it out!)

Conclusion

In conclusion, "have" in Swiss German is translated as "ha" or "händ" and can be used as both an auxiliary and main verb. We have seen its different conjugations in the present and past tenses and given some examples to illustrate its meaning.

To improve your Swiss German Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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