The Comprehensive Guide to Using “Have” in English Tenses

by

The verb “have” is a versatile and essential element in English grammar, serving as both a main verb and an auxiliary verb. Its usage spans across various tenses, including the present, past, and future, and it plays a crucial role in expressing possession, relationships, actions, and activities. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricate details of using “have” in different tenses, providing you with a thorough understanding of its grammatical applications.

Main Verb Uses of “Have”

Possession and Relationships

  1. Present Tense:
  2. “I have a car.”
  3. “She has nice hair.”

  4. “They have children.”

  5. Past Tense:

  6. “I had a car.”
  7. “She had nice hair.”

  8. “They had children.”

  9. Present Participle:

  10. “I am having a shower.”
  11. “She is having a meeting.”
  12. “They are having a party.”

Actions and Activities

  1. Present Tense:
  2. “I have a shower every day.”
  3. “She has a lot of meetings.”

  4. “They have dinner at 7 o’clock.”

  5. Past Tense:

  6. “I had a shower yesterday.”
  7. “She had a meeting last week.”

  8. “They had dinner at 7 o’clock last night.”

  9. Present Participle:

  10. “I am having a shower now.”
  11. “She is having a meeting today.”
  12. “They are having dinner tonight.”

Auxiliary Verb Uses of “Have”

use of have in tense

Present Perfect Tense

  1. Affirmative Sentences:
  2. “I have done my homework.”
  3. “She has finished her project.”

  4. “They have completed their tasks.”

  5. Contractions:

  6. “I’ve done my homework.”
  7. “She’s finished her project.”
  8. “They’ve completed their tasks.”

Past Perfect Tense

  1. Affirmative Sentences:
  2. “I had done my homework.”
  3. “She had finished her project.”

  4. “They had completed their tasks.”

  5. Contractions:

  6. “I’d done my homework.”
  7. “She’d finished her project.”
  8. “They’d completed their tasks.”

Future Perfect Tense

  1. Affirmative Sentences:
  2. “I will have done my homework.”
  3. “She will have finished her project.”

  4. “They will have completed their tasks.”

  5. Contractions:

  6. “I’ll have done my homework.”
  7. “She’ll have finished her project.”
  8. “They’ll have completed their tasks.”

Conjugation and Contractions

Present Tense

  • I have
  • You have
  • He/She/It has
  • We have
  • They have

Past Tense

  • I had
  • You had
  • He/She/It had
  • We had
  • They had

Present Participle

  • Having

Contractions

  • I’ve (I have)
  • You’ve (You have)
  • He’s/She’s/It’s (He/She/It has)
  • We’ve (We have)
  • They’ve (They have)

Examples and Specific Uses

Present Perfect Tense

  • “I have invited you all here for a reason.” (First person singular)
  • “You have surmised by now.” (Second person singular)
  • “She has played banjo for four years.” (Third person singular)
  • “They have two dogs.” (Third person plural)

Past Perfect Tense

  • “I had seen the film before.” (First person singular)
  • “You had seen the film before.” (Second person singular)
  • “She had seen the film before.” (Third person singular)
  • “They had seen the film before.” (Third person plural)

Key Points to Remember

  • “Have” is used with the pronouns “I,” “you,” “we,” and “they.”
  • “Has” is used with the pronouns “he,” “she,” and “it.”
  • “Had” is used for both the past tense and past participle.
  • Contractions are commonly used in spoken English, especially with auxiliary verb forms.

References

  1. LanGeek. (n.d.). How to Use the Verb “Have” in the English Grammar. Retrieved from https://langeek.co/en/grammar/course/716/have
  2. Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). How do you use the verb ‘have’ in English? – Easy Learning Grammar. Retrieved from https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/us/easy-learning/how-do-you-use-the-verb-have-in-english
  3. Thesaurus.com. (2020, September 11). “Have” vs. “Has”: When To Use Each One. Retrieved from https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/has-vs-have/