Use of Has, Have, Had: Rules and Examples
Has, have and had are forms of the verb to have. We use has with he, she, it and singular nouns, have with I, you, we, they and plural nouns, and had for the past with every subject. Has and have talk about the present; had talks about the past.
These three words do two big jobs. As main verbs they show possession, relationships, illnesses and activities (She has a car). As helping verbs they build the perfect tenses (She has finished). This lesson explains both uses, plus have to, have got, negatives, questions and the mistakes learners make most often. Remember that the verb must always agree with the subject.
Which Subject Takes Has, Have or Had?
| Subject | Present | Past | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | have | had | I have a laptop. / I had a laptop. |
| You | have | had | You have time. / You had time. |
| He / She / It | has | had | She has a dog. / She had a dog. |
| We / They | have | had | We have a test. / We had a test. |
| Singular noun (Ravi, the school) | has | had | Ravi has a cold. |
| Plural noun (the students) | have | had | The students have books. |
Has is used only in the present, with he, she, it and singular nouns. Have is used in the present with I, you, we, they and plural nouns. Had is the past form for every subject, and also the past participle.
Has, Have, Had as Main Verbs
When have is the main verb, it has meanings such as “own”, “possess”, “eat/drink”, “experience” and “be related to”.
1. Possession and relationships
✅ I have a bicycle.
✅ My uncle has a shop in Jaipur.
✅ They have two daughters.
✅ When I was a child, we had a mango tree in our garden.
2. Qualities, illnesses and feelings
✅ She has long black hair.
✅ My brother has a fever.
✅ I had a terrible headache yesterday.
3. Actions: meals, drinks and activities
Here have means “eat”, “drink”, “take” or “enjoy”. This use can be continuous: I am having tea.
✅ We have breakfast at eight.
✅ She is having lunch right now.
✅ They had a great time at the wedding.
✅ Let’s have a look at the map.
When have shows possession, do not use it in the continuous form. ❌ I am having a car. ✅ I have a car. Only the action meanings (having lunch, having a bath, having fun) can be continuous.
Has, Have, Had as Helping Verbs
As a helping (auxiliary) verb, has/have/had comes before a past participle to make the perfect tenses.
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present perfect | has/have + past participle | She has finished her homework. |
| Past perfect | had + past participle | The train had left before we reached the station. |
| Present perfect continuous | has/have been + -ing | They have been waiting for an hour. |
| Past perfect continuous | had been + -ing | I had been studying for two hours. |
✅ I have already eaten.
✅ He has never visited Kerala.
✅ We had already started when the teacher arrived.
❌ She has went home. → ✅ She has gone home.
❌ I have saw that film. → ✅ I have seen that film.
For a full explanation of the tenses, read The Present Perfect Tense: A Guide for Indian Learners and Present, Past and Future Perfect Tense.
Negatives with Has, Have, Had
When it is a helping verb
Add not after the helping verb: has not (hasn’t), have not (haven’t), had not (hadn’t).
✅ She hasn’t finished yet.
✅ We haven’t met before.
✅ They hadn’t eaten anything all day.
When it is a main verb
In modern English we normally use do/does/did + not + have: don’t have, doesn’t have, didn’t have.
✅ I don’t have a car.
✅ He doesn’t have any brothers.
✅ We didn’t have time to eat.
❌ He doesn’t has any brothers. (after doesn’t, always use have)
❌ We didn’t had time. (after didn’t, always use have)
Questions with Has, Have, Had
For the helping verb, move has/have/had before the subject. For the main verb, start with Do/Does/Did and keep have.
| Use | Question | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Helping verb (present perfect) | Has she finished? | Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t. |
| Helping verb (past perfect) | Had the train left? | Yes, it had. / No, it hadn’t. |
| Main verb (present) | Do you have a pen? | Yes, I do. / No, I don’t. |
| Main verb (present) | Does he have a car? | Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t. |
| Main verb (past) | Did they have a good trip? | Yes, they did. / No, they didn’t. |
✅ Have you done your homework?
✅ Does your school have a library?
✅ What did you have for dinner?
❌ Does he has a pen? → ✅ Does he have a pen?
❌ Did you had lunch? → ✅ Did you have lunch?
Have Got and Has Got
In informal English, especially British English, have got and has got mean the same as have/has for possession. They are used in the present only.
✅ I have got a new phone. = I have a new phone.
✅ She has got two cousins in Hyderabad. = She has two cousins in Hyderabad.
✅ Have you got a charger? = Do you have a charger?
✅ He hasn’t got a ticket. = He doesn’t have a ticket.
For the past, use had, not “had got”: ✅ We had a dog.
Have To, Has To and Had To
Have to / has to / had to show that something is necessary or an obligation. They are followed by the base form of the verb.
✅ I have to wake up at five tomorrow.
✅ She has to submit the form today.
✅ We had to wait for an hour at the bus stand.
✅ Do you have to wear a uniform?
✅ He doesn’t have to come tomorrow. (It is not necessary.)
Don’t have to means “it is not necessary”. It is different from mustn’t, which means “it is forbidden”.
✅ You don’t have to come early. (You can, but it is not needed.)
✅ You mustn’t park here. (It is not allowed.)
See also Mastering Modal Verbs for must and should.
Common Mistakes with Has, Have, Had
❌ He have a bike. → ✅ He has a bike.
❌ They has finished. → ✅ They have finished.
❌ She doesn’t has a pen. → ✅ She doesn’t have a pen.
❌ Did you had breakfast? → ✅ Did you have breakfast?
❌ I am having a sister. → ✅ I have a sister.
❌ I have twenty years. → ✅ I am twenty years old.
❌ I am having a doubt. → ✅ I have a doubt.
❌ The boys has gone out. → ✅ The boys have gone out.
❌ He has went home. → ✅ He has gone home.
Notice that with a plural subject like the boys we use have. If you find subject agreement difficult, revise Subject-Verb Agreement Rules with Examples.
Practise What You Learnt
Do the printable Has and Have Worksheet with Answers for more questions. To see where you stand, try the free level test.
✍️ Quick Practice — Has, Have, Had
- My grandfather ___ a big farm in Punjab.
- The children ___ finished their lunch.
- Last year, we ___ a small flat in Kolkata.
- She doesn’t ___ any brothers or sisters. (has/have)
- ___ you ever visited Agra? (Has/Have)
- When we reached the hall, the film ___ already started. (has/have/had)
- I ___ to leave early today because of a doctor’s appointment. (has/have/had)
- Correct the error: "Does she has a ticket?"
- Correct the error: "I am having a headache since morning."
- Rewrite with "got": "He has a new bike."
Answers: 1. has; 2. have; 3. had; 4. have; 5. Have; 6. had; 7. have; 8. Does she have a ticket? 9. I have had a headache since morning. 10. He has got a new bike.
Summary
Has goes with he, she, it and singular nouns; have goes with I, you, we, they and plural nouns; had is the past form for all subjects. As main verbs they show possession, illness and actions such as eating and enjoying. As helping verbs they build the perfect tenses with a past participle. Make main-verb negatives and questions with do/does/did + have, make helping-verb negatives and questions with has/have/had itself, and remember that after does and did the verb is always have. Use have to / has to / had to for obligation.