Verb To Have (Have, Has, Have Got)

What is the verb "to have" in English?

The verb "to have" is one of the most important verbs in the English language. It is used to express possession ("I have a car"), relationships ("She has two brothers"), characteristics ("The house has a big garden"), and experiences ("We have breakfast at 8"). It has two present forms: have (used with I, you, we, they) and has (used with he, she, it).

Relationships & Family

"I have two sisters."

"She has a big family."

Possession

"They have a dog."

"He has a new phone."

Characteristics

"The house has three bedrooms."

"She has blue eyes."

Experiences & Actions

"We have breakfast at 8."

"I have a shower every morning."

How do you use "have" and "has" in positive sentences?

The verb "to have" has two forms in the present tense: have (used with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns) and has (used with he, she, it, and singular nouns). This follows the same pattern as most English verbs: add -s for third person singular.

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What is "have got" and how is it different from "have"?

"Have got" is an alternative way to express possession in English. It means exactly the same as "have" when talking about possession, relationships, and characteristics. "I have a car" = "I've got a car". The contracted forms (I've got, he's got, we've got) are extremely common in spoken British English.

How do you make negative sentences with the verb "to have"?

There are two ways to make negatives with "have", and they depend on which system you use. With "have" (without "got"), use don't/doesn't + have. With "have got", add not after "have": haven't got / hasn't got. Never mix the two systems.

How do you form questions with "have" and "have got"?

Just like negatives, questions follow two different patterns. With "have" (without "got"), use Do/Does + subject + have...? With "have got", invert the subject and "have": Have/Has + subject + got...?

Wh-Questions with Have and Have Got

How do you use short answers with the verb "to have"?

Short answers with "have" follow the same two systems. With "Do you have...?" questions, answer with Yes, I do / No, I don't. With "Have you got...?" questions, answer with Yes, I have / No, I haven't.

What is the past tense of "have"?

The past tense of "have" is had for all subjects. Unlike the present tense (which changes between "have" and "has"), the past tense is always the same: I had, you had, he had, she had, it had, we had, they had. For negatives and questions in the past, use didn't have and Did...have?

Examples with Had

"We had a big lunch yesterday."

Past experience

"She had a dog when she was young."

Past possession

"They didn't have a garden in their old house."

Past negative

"Did you have a nice holiday?"

Past question

What are the most common mistakes with the verb "to have"?

The most common mistakes with "have" come from mixing the "have" and "have got" systems, using "has" with plural subjects, and trying to use "have got" in the past tense or for actions. Here are the errors to watch out for: