Have is an irregular verb. Its three forms are have, had, had. The present simple third person singular is has:
We usually have breakfast at about eight.
I had a strange dream last night.
She has quite dark hair.
We use have as a main verb and an auxiliary verb.
We don’t use have in the third person singular of the present simple:
A meeting has been set up for Monday, 4pm.
Not: A meeting have been …
The main verb have has lots of uses.
We use have to talk about things that we own or possess:
Do you have a car?
They have two dogs, Scruffy and Milly.
I’m going to have a bath.
Let’s have a party to celebrate your birthday!
We have a break at 10 am.
Did you have a nice time in London?
We had a wonderful meal in the new restaurant on Elm Street.
A:Two coffees, please.
B:Large or small?
A:Er large. You want a large one, do you?
C:Mhm. Can I have a cake as well?
Shall we have lunch together sometime?
Have a nice day!
I had such a tough day.
Did you have a nice morning (or afternoon, evening, birthday, holiday)?
I had a shower and got ready to go out.
He needs to have a shave both in the morning and in the evening.
The doctor recommended that I should have massages every week on my back.
I need to have a chat with Joan about your hours.
They had a big argument about money.
The chef and the manager had a row in the kitchen and everyone in the restaurant could hear them shouting.
She had a rest in the afternoon.
Did you have a good night’s sleep?
I used to have terrible dreams when I was young.
She had an accident when she was young. She fell off a horse.
They had a crash but luckily no one was injured.
We had a breakdown on the motorway once.
Thankfully, I have never had a puncture.
They have a 15-hour flight from Rome.
Have a safe trip.
Did you have a pleasant journey?
have a baby | have a think |
have a try | have a problem |
have a go | have a feeling/sense |
have an operation | have a clue/idea |
have a long wait | have a laugh (informal, a good time) |
have a shock | have a surprise |
We can use the continuous form to talk about an activity that is happening:
She’s having a bath right now. She’ll call you back.
We use the continuous form to talk about an activity that is planned for a future time:
I’m having lunch with Miriam on Wednesday.
They’re having a surprise party for Mike on Saturday night.
She’s having a baby in June.
We use the continuous form of have when the event or action is ongoing or repeated:
She was having nightmares for a year after the accident. (A nightmare is a bad dream.)
I’ve been having discussions with my boss about a transfer to Edinburgh. I think he’s going to agree.
He’s having trouble with his car.
Have is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do and have. We use have before -ed forms to make the present perfect and past perfect.
Present perfect | Past perfect |
have + -ed form | had + -ed form |
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We use have, not do, to make questions and negatives of perfect verb forms.
Present perfect | Past perfect |
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