Have is used. Verbs to have and have got

(to have) in the present tense. The rule for their use is simple, however, beginners often have difficulties with these words.

Has or Have – a rule of three simple points

Rule of use has/have following:

  • Has used with third person singular pronouns he, she, it, For example:

He has a bike. - He has a bike.

She has a sister. - She has a sister.

This is a tree. It has many branches. - This is a tree. It has many branches.

  • Has also used with any, which can be replaced by the noun he, she, it. This can be almost any part of speech, but most often:

John has a kangaroo. – John has a kangaroo.

Swimming has become a popular sport. – Swimming has become a popular sport.

The noun “John” can be replaced with he, “swimming” with it.

  • Have used with all other pronouns in singular and plural: I, you, we, they.

I have a strange feeling. – I have a strange feeling.

You have no choice. – You have no choice.

We have two dollars. - We have two dollars.

They have reliable friends. – They have reliable friends

In other words, we see “He, She, It”, or a word that can be replaced with them, we put has, with other words – have.

Common mistakes in using Has and Have

1. Has in the past tense

Has and have These are forms of the verb in the present tense. In the past tense, the verb to have has only one form - had. In the past tense has is not used under any circumstances:

Right:

We had a lot of work. Helen had no work at all. – We had a lot of work. Helen had no work at all.

Wrong:

We had a lot of work. Helen has no work at all.

In the second, incorrect, option due to has the meaning changes: “Helen has no job at all (now).”

2. Has in the future tense

The same goes for the future tense: in the future tense, the verb to have has the form will have. In the future tense, has is not needed under any circumstances.

  • Right:

He will have enough time for rest. - He will have enough time to rest.

  • Wrong:

He will have will have enough time for rest.

3. Has and Have after names of people, names of cities, places

Beginners often get confused when these verb forms are used with proper nouns. The fact is that textbooks often give examples with people’s names, for example:

Maria has two sons. – Maria has two sons.

There may be a habit that after any proper name you need the verb has, but this, of course, is not the case. If the subject can be replaced with he, she, it, then we put has, in other cases (that is, if this word is plural) – have.

The Bahamas have changed a lot. – The Bahamas has changed a lot.

The Johnsons have two sons. – The Johnsons (the Johnson couple) have two sons.

Maria and John have two sons. – Mary and John have two sons

In the last example, the subject is expressed by the words “Maria and John”, that is, we are talking about the plural (two people).

4. Has after nouns like “people”: People have or People has?

Some nouns may look like a singular noun but have the meaning . In this case, when choosing between has / have, you need to be guided by the meaning of the word, not the form.

Let's compare two examples:

Some people have thirty three teeth – Some people have thirty-three teeth.

My people has more honor than yours. “My people have more honor than yours.”

In the first case, “people” means “people” and has a plural meaning, therefore “people have”. In the second case, “people” means “people”, has a singular meaning, therefore “has”.

5. Have and Has in negations: He doesn’t has or He doesn’t have?

A common mistake is using has in a negative sentence with the auxiliary verb to do, that is, in negatives where there is “do not / don’t”, “does not / doesn’t”.

The rule is simple: after the negation don’t or doesn’t we always use the form have, even if the subject is he, she or it. “Doesn’t has” is basically an impossible combination.

I don't have any small change. – I don’t have any change.

He doesn't have any place to live. - He has nowhere to live.

The fact is that in such negative sentences, in the presence of a subject expressed by the pronouns he, she, it or other words in the third person singular, the verb to do takes the corresponding form- it turns into does, so turning have into has is kind of redundant.

6. Have and Has in the questions: Does he has or Does he have?

The same rule applies to interrogative sentences constructed using to do, that is, questions like “Do you have?”, “Does he have?”

These questions use does if the subject is expressed by the pronouns he, she, it, or any other word that can be replaced by one of these pronouns. Moreover, if the verb to have is present in the question, it is used only in the form have.

Rule: in questions with “do” or “does” we always use the form have, even if the subject is he, she or it. “Does he has” is a basically impossible combination.

Do you have a minute? - Do you have a minute?

Does he have a minute? – Does he have a minute?

  • Verb to have (to have something) in English
  • Rules of use, affirmative and negative forms of the verb
  • Example sentences with the verb to have (has)

The verb ‘to have’ or ‘ ’ is one of the most widely used verbs in the English language: there are many phrases based on this verb. Let's look at the main forms of to have in the present tense, cases of its use and the most common phrases with it.

Present tense forms of the verbto have/ have got

Affirmative form Negative form

I have = I have got = I"ve got

I have

Do you have

He has = He has got = He"s got

He has

She has = She has got = She"s got

She has

It has = It has got = It"s got

It has/He has

We have = We have got = We"ve got

We have

You have = You have got = You"ve got

You have

They have = They have got = They"ve got

They have

I don"t have = I haven"t got

I have no

You do not have

He doesn't have = He hasn't got

He doesn't have

She doesn't have = She hasn't got

She does not have

It doesn't have = It hasn't got

It doesn't have/It doesn't have

We don"t have = We haven"t got

We do not have

You don"t have = You haven"t got

You do not have

They don"t have = They haven"t got

They dont have

Question form and short answers: Do you (him, her, them, us, etc.) have it? Not really

Question withhave

Answer +

(Positive)

Answer -

(Negative)

Question withhave got

Answer +

(Positive)

Answer -

(Negative)

No, they haven't

Uses of the verbto have/ have got:

Case 1. To indicate ownership

I've got a car.

I have a car.

She has a house.

She has a house.

They haven't got a job.

They don't have a job.

Case 2. To denote relationships between people:

She's got two sisters.

She has 2 sisters.

Do you have a brother or a sister?

Do you have Brother or sister?

Set phrases with a verbto have(but NOT withhave got)

something to eat

breakfast

have a cup of coffee

have a snack

to take a bath

take a shower

swim

take a break

rest

have a party

to go on holiday

To get into an accident

have experience

chat

talk

have difficulties

have fun

a good time

To have is one of the most commonly used verbs in the English language, and, unfortunately, is used incorrectly in many cases.

This verb appears at all levels, but in textbooks the information is given scatteredly, and the features of the verb to have are almost never discussed in detail and systematized.
Therefore, ideas about the verb to have are ambiguous: many believe that this is a very unusual verb, it has some special forms, questions and negations, whether it is semantic or auxiliary, it has different meanings, sometimes it is translated, sometimes not...

Indeed, the verb to have has a lot of meanings (which we will look at shortly in this article), so it can be translated in different ways. It is true that it can be both semantic and auxiliary (more on this later).

But its forms are very simple: there are only three of them. In the present tense, have has two forms: have for (I, you, we, they) and has for (he, she, it).

I don't have a yacht. - I don't have a yacht.
He does not have a girlfriend. - He doesn't have a girlfriend.
You didn't have much money. -You didn't have a lot of money.

And now attention: typical mistake. In short answers to general questions we do not use have, but an auxiliary verb of the tense in which the question is asked:

Do you have a yacht? - Yes, I do./No, I don’t. (So ​​wrong: Yes, I have./No, I haven’t.)
Does he have a girlfriend? - Yes, he does./No, he doesn’t. (So ​​wrong: Yes, he has./No, I hasn’t.)
Did you have much money? - Yes, we did./No, we didn’t. (So ​​wrong: Yes, I had./No, I hadn’t.)

2. Relationship.

When we talk about people: about our family or loved ones, it’s more of an attitude than a possession, don’t you agree? Although the translation will be the same as in the first meaning: “someone (has) someone”:

I have two sisters. - I have two sisters.
We have a lot of friends. - We (have) many friends.
They have a big family. - They (have) a big family.

Again I emphasize that, speaking in the first two meanings, the verb have is State Verb. This means that he can not used in group tenses Continuous. We cannot observe action as such. It would be wrong to say: I am having a car or she is having a brother. Remember that in the meaning of “I have” - only I have .

Second important point. The verb have in meanings own, possess, have in colloquial speech it is often replaced by the form have got. About the differences have And have got we will talk in a separate article, which will appear on the blog very soon due to numerous requests from our subscribers. I recommend checking it out, stay tuned for updates!

3. Actions.

Do you know why there are so many fixed expressions with the verb have?
The fact is that in addition to its basic meanings described above, it can also replace other verbs, and therefore “has taken root” in speech in these combinations. Let's look at examples of expressions in which have - does not mean “to have, own, possess,” but replaces another action:

Have in meaning eat (eat) :

Have breakfast/lunch/dinner - have breakfast, lunch, dinner
have a sandwich for breakfast - have a sandwich for breakfast
I will have a salad and some chicken, please. - I will (eat) salad and chicken, please.
What do you have for dinner? - What do you eat for dinner?
He is having his breakfast now. - He's having breakfast now.

Have in meaning drink (drink) :

Have some coffee/ some tea - drink coffee, tea
have a glass of wine - drink a glass of wine
I will have a cup of green tea. - I will (drink) a cup of green tea.
You should have some water if you are hot. - You should drink water if you feel hot.

Have in meaning suffer from(to suffer from) or experience(experience, experience):

Have a headache - suffer from a headache
have a cold - suffer from a cold
have a cough - suffer from a cough
I am having a terrible toothache! - I have a terrible toothache!
have an accident - survive an accident
have a difficulty - experience difficulties

Have in meaning give birth to(beget):

Have a baby - give birth to a child
She is going to have a baby. - She will have a child.
They want to have three children. - They want to have three children.
Our dog had four puppies. - Our dog gave birth to four puppies.

Have in meaning get(receive, buy):

Have news - get news
have information - get information
have a hometask - get homework
I must have those new shoes! - I have to buy those new shoes!

Have in combination with a noun conveys a single short-term action, the meaning of which depends on the noun. It's not difficult, look:

Have a walk - take a walk
have a look - look
have a bath/shower - take a swim
have a talk - talk
have a conversation - talk
have a drink - drink
have a swim - swim
have a ride - take a ride
have a nap - take a nap

In the above expressions we say have, we mean another verb, which is an action verb, so changing the meaning from state to action, the verb have can be used in Continuous tenses. Which, by the way, you might have noticed in some examples.

4. Have to is the equivalent of the modal verb must.

If after the verb have there is an infinitive with a particle to, then you have the equivalent of a modal verb must(must, obliged). The fact is that must does not have past or future forms.
But we need to talk about obligations not only in the present, but also in the past and future tense. And here have to comes to the rescue.

It is important to remember that despite the connection with the modal verb and the unusual form, in this meaning the verb have continues to be semantic, therefore forms negatives and questions using the auxiliary verb of the tense you need:

I don't have to work tomorrow. - I don't have to work tomorrow.
We did not have to buy flowers. - We shouldn't have bought flowers.
He won't have to do much work. - He won't have to do much work.
Does she have to pay? - Does she have to pay?
Did you have to cook? - Were you supposed to cook?

You can find out more about this meaning of the verb have, its use and differences from must.

4. Auxiliary verb in Perfect tenses.

Have in combination with the third form of verbs forms perfect forms. Depending on the time, the form of the verb have changes, but the third form remains unchanged: in the present tense (have and has), in the past (had), and in - will have.
You can read in detail about each of these times in the articles dedicated to them, but now I would like to clarify the issue about. In the examples we discussed above, it was unacceptable to shorten the verb have (although sometimes you want to do so). In tenses of the Perfect group, since have acts as an auxiliary verb, it can be shortened:

I have - I’ve - /aɪv/
you have - you’ve - /juːv/
we have - we’ve - /wiːv/
they have - they’ve - /ðeɪv/

He has -he’s - /hiːz/
she has - she’s - /ʃiːz/

I had - I’d - /aɪd/ (with other pronouns - see above, pronounced by analogy, only the last sound /d/)

In the case of the future tense, have is not abbreviated; we will abbreviate will:
I will have - I’ll have - /aɪlhæv/ (with other pronouns - by analogy, only we change the pronoun)

And of course, since the verb is an auxiliary, have is obligatory for the formation of questions and negations in the tenses of the Prefect group, where it is not translated.
Read how to construct questions and negatives in thematic articles devoted to each tense.

5. Have something done (Causative).

This item is for more advanced readers, since this construction is usually studied at the Upper-Intermediate level. Here have is again in the role of an auxiliary verb and the whole construction means that something is done without the participation of the one who acts as the subject. In other words: someone has something done, something is done for someone.

Here, too, present and past and future forms of the verb have are used, it constructs negatives and questions and is present in short answers.

Read more about the design.

In conclusion, to summarize: the use of the verb have is determined by its meaning and role: whether it is semantic or auxiliary. All important conclusions are summarized in the table:

Now, when you encounter or use the verb to have, you will know why it is used this way and not otherwise: you will understand why you cannot shorten it or construct a negation with it.

A verb in English is a part of speech that denotes an action, a state of a person or an object.

The verb to have is the same. Its translation from English is the meaning of the synonyms “to have”, “possess” or “possess”. But this verb differs from other verbs in English in that it has separate forms for third person singular nouns and pronouns.

Forms of the verb to have

The verbs have, has or had are the same verb. Only in different forms and times. Let's look at the formal difference for now.

I have been to Spain last week. - I was in Spain last week (that is, I was in Spain last week and now I’m still there).

She has been to Moscow yesterday. - She was in Moscow yesterday (that is, she was in Moscow yesterday and now she is there too).

My mother has been to England last year. - My mother was in England last year (and now she is there too).

This is an expression of actions that have occurred up to the present moment or have already been completed or stopped by this moment, as well as states or actions that began in the past and continue at the moment of speech.

Examples with was in the simple past tense (Past Simple), without signs of duration of action or state:

I was here some times. - I have been here several times (that is, I am not here now).

I was at the office last week. - I was in the office last week (but now I’m not in the office).

She was on a farm for helping. - She was at the farm to help (but she is not at the farm now).

They were at school. - We were at school (and now we are not there).

We were in the library many times. - We have been to the library many times (but at this moment we are not in the library).

The last two examples are the use of the plural form of the verb to be - was.

One of the basic verbs in English is the verb to have.

To have is an amazing verb: it can be semantic, auxiliary and modal. There are many set expressions and idioms with the verb to have.

In general, you can't go wrong if you start learning English with the verb to have.

Let's try to study all the uses of the verb to have:

I. To have as a semantic verb

VI. To have got

VII. Phrasal verbs

I. To have as a semantic verb

Translated as:

* have, possess

I have a big house in Moscow.

* include, include, contain

December has 31 days (has – because 3rd person).

* have the ability to do smth. (often translated into Russian in this case, who knows, understands)

You have only a little English.

In this case, to have is stative, i.e. cannot be in continuous form(ending -ing). To form the interrogative and negative form, the auxiliary verbs do (not) and does (not) are used.

I don’t have a big house in Moscow.

Do you have a big house in Moscow.

In the third person the verb to have has the form - has.

She/he has a big house in Moscow.

II. To have as a semantic verb in fixed expressions (“compound” verb)

To have breakfast/dinner - have breakfast, lunch

To have a good time/holiday etc.

- have a good time, relax, etc. To have a quarrel

- quarrel To have a rest/a sleep/a dream

etc. - relax, sleep, dream To have a shave/a wash

- shave, wash To have a smoke

- smoke To have a talk

- talk To have a try

- to attempt To have a walk

- take a walk To have bath/a shower

– take a bath, shower To have coffee/tea

etc. – drink coffee, tea, etc. To have pity

- regret

In this case, the verb to have is semantic and can have a continuous form.

Call later please. I'm having a bath.

What time are we having dinner tonight?

III. To have as an auxiliary verb

For the formation of all perfect forms: simple, past, future, continuous

They have been married for 15 years.

How long has Anna been going out with James?

Have they been married for 15 years?

They have not been married for 15 years.

IV. To have as a modal verb

The modal verb have to is used to express an obligation, especially when talking about rules, laws, etc.

The staff have to dress formally in this company.

I didn’t have to wear a uniform when I went to school.

Do we really have to spend Christmas with your parents again?

V. Turnover to have + object + Past Participle (V3/Ved)

This turnover is used when the action is performed not by the person designated by the subject, but by someone else for him, for him (it will not necessarily be indicated by whom exactly).

I have my hair cut at this hairdresser’s. I get my hair cut (not myself, but they cut my hair) at this hairdresser.

I shall have the letters posted immediately. I will send (order to send, order to be sent) the letters immediately.

We're going to have the kitchen repainted next week.

I had my watch repaired yesterday.

I had my eyes tested when I got my new glasses.

The interrogative and negative forms are formed using the auxiliary verbs do (not) and does (not).

Where do you have your hair cut?

Did you have the letters posted yesterday?

I didn’t have the letters posted yesterday.

VI. To have got

To have got is used colloquially to express possession. It is an auxiliary verb in the have/has got construction.

The interrogative form is formed by placing have/has at the beginning of the sentence, and the negative form is formed by adding the particle not to the auxiliary verbs have/has.

How many children have you got?

Have/has got refers to some specific, temporary phenomenon.

Compare:

I have a cup of tea for breakfast in the morning (usually).

I haven’t got tea for breakfast in the morning. I have got coffee for breakfast in the morning.

Have/has got does not have a past tense form, i.e. had got.

In colloquial speech, have got to can also be used as a modal verb. Also has shade of temporaryness.

Compare:

I have to wear a suit to work (general).

I’ve got to make a quick phone call (specific).

I’ve got to go now – I’m meeting my girlfriend for lunch.

VII. Phrasal verbs

have back- invite in turn, in response

have down- receive as a guest

have in- have it in the house, call a specialist to your home

have off- learn by heart, have a day off, vacation

have on- to be dressed, to have smth. in the plans

have out- invite (to dinner, etc.), find out, let finish; remove (teeth, tonsils)

have over– invite, come to an end (of something unpleasant)

have up– invite, summon to court, bring to court, etc.