The verb to have serves as one of the three primary auxiliary verbs in the English language, alongside to be and to do. All three of these verbs are irregular and have special properties that set them apart from other verbs.
To have has three main grammatical functions:
- As a main verb, to have typically expresses possession, association, and experiences.
- As an auxiliary verb, to have forms perfect tenses, which are essential for showing how actions relate to the present, past, or future.
- In modal expressions, to have shows obligation and necessity (such as have to, have got to).
The Verb To Have: Forms
| Verb Type | Verb Form | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Form | → | have |
| Infinitive Form | → | to have |
| Present | → | have, has |
| Past | → | had |
| Future | → | will have |
| Past Participle | → | had |
| Present Participle | → | having |
The Verb To Have In Use
- Please have a seat while you wait.
- I have to leave early for my appointment.
- It’s important to have a backup plan.
- They have three dogs.
- Do you have any siblings?
- We had a fantastic holiday in Italy.
- She will have finished her degree by June.
- We have had this car for ten years.
- I am having trouble with my computer.
* Verb To Have
- Please have a seat while you wait.
Contractions with To Have
Contractions shorten phrases by combining two words into one shorter form.
They occur frequently with the verb to have, especially in spoken English and informal writing.
Positive Contractions
Positive contractions combine subject pronouns with forms of to have.
Positive Contractions: To Have (Present & Past)
| Pronoun | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| I | I have > I’ve | I had > I’d |
| You | You have > You’ve | You had > You’d |
| He | He has > He’s | He had > He’d |
| She | She has > She’s | She had > She’d |
| It | It has > It’s | It had > It’d |
| We | We have > We’ve | We had > We’d |
| They | They have > They’ve | They had > They’d |
Note: In future constructions, we contract will with the subject rather than contracting have. This follows standard will contraction patterns.
Examples:
- I’ll have something to eat later (simple future with have as main verb)
- She’ll have finished her essay by noon (future perfect with have as auxiliary)
Negative Contractions
Negative contractions combine forms of to have with not:
Negative Contractions: To Have (Present & Past)
| Pronoun | Present Negative | Past Negative |
|---|---|---|
| I | I have not > I haven’t | I had not > I hadn’t |
| You | You have not > You haven’t | You had not > You hadn’t |
| He | He has not > He hasn’t | He had not > He hadn’t |
| She | She has not > She hasn’t | She had not > She hadn’t |
| It | It has not > It hasn’t | It had not > It hadn’t |
| We | We have not > We haven’t | We had not > We hadn’t |
| They | They have not > They haven’t | They had not > They hadn’t |
Note: In future negative constructions, we use won’t (will not) rather than contracting have. This follows standard will not contraction patterns.
Examples:
- I won’t have time for lunch. (simple future with have as main verb)
- He won’t have finished work by 5 pm. (future perfect with have as auxiliary)
The Verb To Have as a Main Verb
The verb to have is used in many different contexts and ways as a main verb, but it usually expresses possession, association, or experiences.
Possession
To have is often used to show ownership of physical things and qualities:
- He has got a lot of patience.
- I don’t have any cash on me. I need to go to the ATM.
- They’ve got a dog and two cats.
Association/Connections
To have is used to describe relationships, characteristics, and features:
- He has got two younger sisters.
- The car’s got leather seats and a sunroof.
- Does the hotel have a swimming pool?
Experiences
To have is also used to talk about experiences and activities:
- Have you ever had sushi?
- Do you have any plans for tonight?
- We had a lovely lunch at the new restaurant in town.
The Verb To Have as a Primary Auxiliary
As an auxiliary verb, to have functions as the helper verb in perfect tenses. In this role, have establishes the tense, while the main verb (in past participle form) carries the main meaning and action.
For example:
| Subject | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle (Main Verb) | Rest of Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | have | lost | my keys. |
Here, have is not the main verb – it’s the auxiliary helper that creates the present perfect tense. The main verb is lost, which tells us what action took place. All together, this sentence tells us that the keys have been lost and are still missing.
The Grammar Pattern
The verb to have creates perfect tenses by working with other verbs in their past participle form.
This pattern creates three different perfect tenses:
- Have / has + past participle = present perfect
- Had + past participle = past perfect
- Will have + past participle = future perfect
Each perfect tense shows how actions or situations relate to different time periods, but to have always works the same way – it is the helper verb that creates the tense structure.
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense (have / has + past participle) typically connects past actions or situations to the present.
Present Perfect Forms
| Subject | Auxiliary Verb (have/has) |
|---|---|
| I | have |
| you | have |
| we | have |
| they | have |
| he | has |
| she | has |
| it | has |
Present perfect tense can describe something that is still true, has present relevance, or forms part of a person’s experience.
In some cases, we don’t mention exactly when something happened because what matters most is how it affects the present moment – For example: They have known each other forever and are still good friends.
We can group the uses of present perfect into three main categories:
– Ongoing Situations:
- I have lived in Spain for ten years.
- He’s never liked spicy food of any kind.
- She has been self-employed since 2019.
– Completed Actions with Current Relevance:
- I’ve lost my keys. I can’t get into my house.
- He has forgotten his password. He can’t access his account.
- We have run out of milk. We need to go to the shop.
– Life Experiences:
- I have never been on a cruise ship.
- Have you ever visited Japan?
- She’s worked in five different countries.
Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect (had + past participle) tense allows us to express actions or situations that happened before a particular point in the past.
All subjects use had as the auxiliary verb.
- When I arrived, everyone had already left. (Everyone left → I arrived)
- She had studied French before moving to Paris. (She studied French → She moved to Paris)
- The movie had started by the time we got there. (Movie started → We arrived)
In each of these sentences, the auxiliary had signals that one past action happened before another past action.
The past perfect helps us to show the order of events in past narratives.
Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect (will have + past participle) allows us to express actions or situations that will be completed before a particular point in the future.
All subjects use will have as the auxiliary verb.
- By summer, we will have saved enough money to do our camper van up. (Saving complete → Summer starts)
- The store will have closed by the time we arrive. (Store closes → We arrive)
- By the time you wake up, I will have left for work. (I leave → You wake up)
In each of these sentences, the auxiliary will have signals that one future action will be completed before another future moment or action.
Negatives in Perfect Constructions
Forming negatives in perfect constructions requires adding not after have, has, or had (or after will in future perfect).
For example:
| Positive Sentence | Negative Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Auxiliary | Past Participle | Rest of Sentence He | has | sent | the email. | ➝ | Subject | Auxiliary | Negative | Past Participle | Rest of Sentence He | has | not | sent | the email. |
The choice of auxiliary depends on tense and subject:
- For present perfect, we use have not / haven’t with I / you / we / they OR has not / hasn’t with he / she / it.
- For past perfect, we use had not / hadn’t with all subjects.
- For future perfect, we use will not / won’t have with all subjects.
| Tense | Positive Sentence | Negative Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect – have / has | – The pizza has arrived – let’s eat! | – The pizza hasn’t arrived yet. I am starving! |
| Past Perfect – had | – The meeting had started when I arrived. | – The meeting had not started when I arrived. |
| Future Perfect – will have | – The train will have departed by then. | – The train won’t (will not) have departed yet. |
Questions in Perfect Constructions
To form questions in perfect constructions requires moving have, has, or had (or will in future perfect) to the beginning of the sentence.
For example:
| Positive Sentence | Question Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Auxiliary | Past Participle | Rest of Sentence Sarah | has | bought | a new car. | ➝ | Auxiliary | Subject | Past Participle | Rest of Sentence? Has | Sarah | bought | a new car? |
More examples of perfect questions by tense:
| Tense | Positive Sentence | Question Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect | – We have decided on a date. | – Have we decided on a date? |
| Past Perfect | – He had been there before. | – Had he been there before? |
| Future Perfect | – We will have arrived by then. | – Will we have arrived by then? |
– Question Words
We can also ask questions using question words like what, where, when, and why. These questions use the question word first, followed by the auxiliary verb, subject, and then past participle:
- What have you done with my keys?
- Where has she gone?
- Why had they left early?
- When will you have completed the project?
– Yes/No Questions & Short Answers
The verb to have is commonly used to ask questions that expect a simple yes or no answer:
- Have you ever been to Scotland? (Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.)
- Has the meeting started? (Yes, it has. / No, it hasn’t.)
- Had you met him before? (Yes, I had. / No, I hadn’t.)
The Verb To Have in Modal Expressions
The verb to have can also combine with to (have + to) to express obligation and necessity, and in this way it acts like a modal verb. Have to expresses obligation and works similarly to the modal verb must.
We typically use have to to express requirements that come from rules, laws, or situations:
- I have to leave early today. (work/personal requirement)
- You have to wear a helmet in this country while riding a motorbike. (law)
- He has to finish his report by Friday. (work requirement)
- We have to be quiet in the library. (library rule)
- Students have to wear uniforms. (school rule)
- Did you have to wait long? (external delay/circumstances)
On the other hand, we use don’t have to to show when something is not required:
- You don’t have to answer that question. (not required by law/rule)
- You don’t have to pay for parking here. (not required by parking rules)
- You don’t have to bring food and drink to the party. (not required by host)
- We don’t have to work on Sundays. (not required by company)
- Students don’t have to wear ties. (not required by school)