Today we bring you a very interesting topic. Many Spanish students make mistakes when it comes to decide weather to use tener que or hay que. These two Spanish verbs have a different meaning and the choice between them depends on the context.
However, before explaining their difference, you should know the basic meaning of the two verbs outside of the obligation formula.
Tener means “to have”. It can be something tangible, or something abstract. Tengo un perro – I have a dog. Hoy tengo muchas cosas que hacer – Today I have a lot of things to do.
Haber means “there is/there are”. En la mesa hay un bolígrafo – there is a pen on the table. Hay muchas flores en este jardín – there are a lot of flowers in this garden.
When the verb tener is followed by “que”, it implies obligation or necessity and the verb is always conjugated according to the subject. The structure translated into English would be “someone has to do something”.
Hoy tengo que ir al medico – Today I have to go to the doctor.
Tengo que comer algo antes de ir al trabajo – I have to eat something before going to work.
While when the verb haber indicates necessity, it’s never conjugated, it stays in the form “hay + que”. This is because the verb haber in this context expresses a general obligation, something that is needed to be done. This structure can be translated into English as “it is necessary to do something”. As you can see, this formula focuses more on the object, stressing the need to do something. In contrast, the formula with the verb tener, emphasizes the subject, who needs to do something.
Hay que estudiar mucho para aprender español – one must study hard to learn Spanish
Hay que comprar aceite, se está terminando – it’s necessary to buy the oil, it’s about to finish.
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