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Differentiating the usage of the three words Have, Has and Had in English

When to use Have, Has and Had in English? This is undoubtedly a question that many people are seeking answers to. Let's explore the definition, verb conjugation after Have, Has and Had, and the differences between these three verbs with PREP!

Differences of 3 words Have, Has and Had in English

I. What are Have, Has and Had?
1. 1. Definition
2. 2. Some phrases associated with Have, Has and Had
II. Usage of Have, Has and Had in sentences
III. When to use Have, Has and Had?
IV. The special structure of Have, Has, Had
V. Exercise on distinguishing Have, Has and Had
VI. Achieve Band 7+ and Beyond

I. What are Have, Has and Had?

Before delving into when to use Have, Has and Had, let's study the definitions of Have, Has and Had first with PREP!

1. Definition

In English, Have is pronounced as /hæv/ and functions as a verb and auxiliary verb. The base form of the verb Have changes to "Has /hæz/" when used with a singular subject and to "Had /hæd" in the past tense. Therefore, Have, Has and Had share the same meanings, including:

Meaning of Have, Has and Had	Example
to own	Do you have a car?
to perform the action mentioned	Anna has breakfast at 9 AM.
to eat or drink something	Can I have a cake as well?
to be ill	Have you ever had measles?
to suffer something that someone does to you	I had such a tough day.

2. Some phrases associated with Have, Has and Had

Let's pocket some phrases associated with Have, Has and Had along with examples!

Some phrases associated with Have, Has and Had	Example
(have/ has/ had) a baby	Anna had a baby last month.
(have/ has/ had) a try	Can I have a try at solving the puzzle?
(have/ has/ had) a go	I had a go at rock climbing over the weekend.
(have/ has/ had) an operation	Alex has had an operation on his knees.
(have/ has/ had) a long wait	We had a long wait at the airport for our delayed flight.
(have/ has/ had) a shock	I had a shock when I saw the final exam questions.
(have/ has/ had) a think	Let me have a think about whether I can attend the meeting.
(have/ has/ had) a problem	Jennie has a problem with her computer and needs help.
(have/ has/ had) a feeling/ sense	I have a feeling that something good is going to happen.
(have/ has/ had) a clue	Do you have a clue where my keys are?
(have/ has/ had) a (good) laugh	We had a good laugh at the comedy show last night.
(have/ has/ had) a surprise	Lisa had a surprise waiting for her on her birthday.

II. Usage of Have, Has and Had in sentences

When to use Have, Has and Had? Let's find the answer right below!

1. Usage of Have

1.1. Have as the main verb

Have functions as the main verb (plural form) in the simple present tense. Have is used with plural subjects: I, We, You, They, plural nouns. For example:

They have a beautiful home.
My sisters often have friends over.

1.2. Have as an auxiliary verb

Have functions as an auxiliary verb in the present perfect tense and future perfect tense:

	Present perfect tense	Future perfect tense
Confirm	S + have + V3 + O. Ex: I have finished my homework.	S + will have + V3 + O. Ex: Alex will have submitted the report by tomorrow.
Negative	S + have not + V3 + O. Ex: I have not received the email yet.	S + will not have + V3 + O. Ex: Anna will not have finished reading the book by the time the movie starts.
Interrogative	Have S + V3 + O? Ex: Have you finished your lunch?	Will + S + have + V3 + O? Ex: Will Xavia have completed the assignment by Friday?

2. Usage of Has

2.1. Has as the main verb

Has functions as the main verb (singular form) in the simple present tense and is used with singular subjects: He, She, It, and singular nouns. For example:

Maria has long black hair.
Anna has three best friends.

2.2. Has as an auxiliary verb

	Present perfect tense	Example
Affirmative	S + have + V3 + O.	Jennie has finished her work.
Negative	S + has not + V3 + O.	Robert has not submitted the report yet.
Interrogative	Has S + V3 + O?	Has Lisa visited that place?

3. Usage of Had

3.1. Had as the main verb

Had functions as the main verb in the simple past tense, past perfect tense, and present perfect tense. For example:

When I was a child I had a dog.
She realized that she had had too much to eat.
I have had my car for five years.

3.2. Had as an auxiliary verb

Had functions as an auxiliary verb in the past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense:

	Past Perfect tense	Past perfect continuous tense
Affirmative	S + had + V3 + O. Ex: Alex had submitted his paper before the deadline yesterday.	S + had + been + V-ing + O. Ex: I had been working at a multinational company for five years ago I went abroad.
Negative	S + had not + V3 + O. Ex: They hadn’t left when I arrived.	S + hadn’t + been + V-ing + O. Ex: My father hadn’t been finishing his work when my mother came home.
Interrogative	Had + S + V3 +O. Ex: Had the match started when you arrived at the stadium?	Had + S + been + V-ing +O? Ex: Had they been working on that project for months?

III. When to use Have, Has and Had?

When to use Have, Has and Had? Let's find out the answer with PREP below!

	Have	Has	Had
As the main verb	Used in the simple present tense (with plural subjects).	Used in the simple present tense (with singular subjects).	Used in the simple past tense, past perfect tense, and present perfect tense.
As an auxiliary verb	Used in the past perfect tense and future perfect tense.	Use in the present perfect tense.	Used in the past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense.
Subject	Plural subjects	Singular subjects	All subjects
Example	I have three books.	Maria has three books.	I had three science books on my shelf, but I decided to buy more.

IV. The special structure of Have, Has, Had

In addition to the common usage that PREP shared above, let's explore together the other ways of using it below!

The special structure of Have, Has, Had	Function	Meaning	Example
(Have Has Had) someone V	Regular verb	Ask someone to do something	I have my sister prepare dinner.
(Have Has Had) + O + V-ing	Regular verb	Cause someone to do something	He had us laughing during his talk show last night.
Have/Has been to + place	Auxiliary verb	Have gone to somewhere	I have been to Paris before, in 2015.
Have Has Had + got	Regular verb	To possess, own something	My sister has got a new phone.
Have Has Had + to	Modal verb	To have an obligation or be required to do something	I have to do the homework after eating.

V. Exercise on distinguishing Have, Has and Had

To confidently answer the question "When to use Have, Has and Had?", let's complete the following exercise with PREP!

Exercise: Conjugate the verbs in brackets correctly:Has, Have or Had

They already________(completed) the project.
We________(reach) the destination before noon.
They________(not study) the new material yet.
We________(not complete) the construction work by next month.
They________(submit) their applications already?
They________(reach) the summit before sunset?
Anna________(have) a surprise waiting for her on her birthday.
Let's________(have) a laugh and enjoy ourselves.
I need________(have) a think before making a decision.
________(Have) a long wait at the doctor's office can be frustrating.

Answer:

have already completed
will have reached
have not studied
will not have completed
Have they submitted
Will they have reached
Will have
Have
To have
Having

VI. Achieve Band 7+ and Beyond

PREP hopes that through this article, PREP has helped you answer the question "When to use Have, Has and Had?" along with “How to conjugate the verb after Have, Has and Had?”. If you truggling with IELTS preparation, explore these tailored solutions below:

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Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.