Causative Tenses — Basic Exercises

The "have/get something done" structure works across all tenses by changing the form of have or get. In the present simple, "She has her nails done every week" describes a regular service. In the past simple, "I had my car repaired yesterday" describes a completed service. In the future simple, "We will have the house painted next summer" describes a planned service. The object and past participle always stay the same — only the tense of "have" or "get" changes.

This pattern makes sense when you think about it: the service (nails done, car repaired, house painted) is always the same action regardless of when it happens. A common mistake is changing the past participle to match the tense — "She has her nails did" is wrong because "did" is the past tense, not the past participle. Always use the third-column form after the object. Practising this structure with everyday services such as haircuts, car repairs, and medical appointments builds the confidence needed for Cambridge B1 Preliminary grammar tasks.