Be Patient vs. Have Patience: What’s the Difference?

Both be patient and have patience tell someone to wait calmly — but they work differently in grammar and tone.

Here’s the quick rule:

• Be patient → describes someone’s attitude or behavior (adjective).
• Have patience → focuses on the quality of patience itself (noun).

Let’s see how to use them correctly.

1. Be Patient

Meaning

“Be patient” means to stay calm and not get upset while waiting for something or dealing with a difficult situation.
Here, patient is an adjective describing a person’s behavior.

Examples (10 total)

1. Please be patient — your turn will come soon.
2. Try to be patient with your younger brother.
3. We need to be patient while the website loads.
4. She told her students to be patient and not rush.
5. If you be patient, everything will work out.
6. Doctors must be patient with every patient!
7. I’m learning to be patient with myself.
8. The best teachers are those who are patient with mistakes.
9. You must be patient when learning a new skill.
10. He wasn’t patient enough to finish the puzzle.

🧠 Tip:
If you’re describing someone’s state, personality, or behavior, use be patient.

2. Have Patience

Meaning

“Have patience” means to possess or show the quality of patience — it’s about the noun, not the person.
It often sounds slightly more formal or calm than be patient.

Examples (10 total)

1. Have patience — good things take time.
2. You must have patience when raising children.
3. Have patience with yourself while learning.
4. If you have patience, you’ll see progress soon.
5. I told him to have patience and wait for the results.
6. We should have patience during hard times.
7. Have patience — the doctor will be here soon.
8. She doesn’t have much patience with slow computers.
9. Have patience and don’t give up yet.
10. It takes years of patience to master an art.

🧠 Tip:
If you’re focusing on the virtue or trait itself, use have patience.

3. Quick Comparison Table

4. How to Remember

👉 Be patient = how you act.
👉 Have patience = what you possess.

💡 Memory Trick:

“Be patient” = behavior.
“Have patience” = habit.

5. Common Mistakes

❌ Be patience.
✅ Be patient. (Patience is a noun — can’t follow “be.”)

❌ Have patient.
✅ Have patience. (Patience is the correct noun form.)

❌ Try to have patient with them.
✅ Try to have patience with them.

6. Why It’s Easy to Mix Up

The two sound almost identical and express the same idea — waiting calmly.
But their grammar is different: one uses an adjective, the other a noun.
Grammar tools like Humanizey can help keep tone natural and consistent depending on whether you’re describing behavior (be patient) or mindset (have patience).

FAQs

1. Is “be patience” ever correct?

No. Patience is a noun — it can’t follow be. Always say be patient.

2. Is “have patience” formal?

Slightly more formal, poetic, or gentle than be patient.

3. Can I use “have some patience”?

Yes! It’s a softer or friendlier way to ask someone to wait: Have some patience, please.

4. Which is more common?

Be patient is more common in everyday English; have patience appears in writing or motivational speech.

Practice: Choose the Correct Phrase (“Be Patient” or “Have Patience”)

(Answers are listed at the end.)

1. Please ___ — it will take a few minutes.
2. You must ___ when dealing with kids.
3. She told him to ___ and wait for the call.
4. If you ___, the results will come.
5. I’m trying to ___ with slow internet.
6. The teacher said, “___, everyone will get a turn.”
7. We should ___ during hard times.
8. I don’t ___ with rude people.
9. ___ — success takes time.
10. They told the customers to ___ while repairs were made.

Answers

1. be patient
2. have patience
3. be patient
4. have patience
5. be patient
6. be patient
7. have patience
8. have patience
9. be patient
10. be patient