When do we use the words “have” “had” and “has” ?

Know the answer?

13 answers from our tutors

Best answer

"Have" and "has" are in the present tense. Note that "has" is only used for the 3rd person singular pronouns 'he/she/it'. "Had" is the past tense of both, for all the personal pronouns. I have a bicycle. (1st person singular/present tense) You have a bicycle. (2nd person singular or plural/present tense) He/She has a bicycle. (3rd person singular/present tense) We have a bicycle. (1st person plural/present tense) They have a bicycle. (3rd person plural/present tense) BUT I had an exam yesterday. (1st person singular/past tense) You had an exam yesterday (2nd person singular or plural/past tense) He/She had an exam yesterday. (3rd person singular/past tense) We had an exam yesterday. (1st person plural/past tense) They had an exam yesterday. (3rd person plural/past tense)

  • I have a chocolate chip muffin (present tense) I had a chocolate chip muffin (past tense) She had a chocolate chip muffin (present tense)

  • Have is the conjunction of -to have that is used when speaking in the first person ( I, we), and second person (you), and in the third person PLURAL (they) e.g, they have two dogs. ( here, Have is the correct choice because the subject THEY is the third person, plural pronoun) Has is the conjunction of to have that used when speaking in the third person SINGULAR (He, She and it) e.g, she has a cute smile. Had is a past perfect tense. Note this! We have Past Participle -they help to make past tense of a verb, they follow verbs such as has, had, have, was and were to form new tenses. •Then we have auxiliary verbs. This is a helping verb. We use Past Perfect when we're talking about two events that happened before the other event. e.g, he had mentioned feeling sick, but then they were surprised when he suddenly fainted. ( he did say that he felt sick, and he mentioned it BEFORE he fainted.) So the past perfect helps our story to unfold overtime to create suspense and to create drama.

  • Check your English level for free

    Take our quick and free test to find out your current level of English

    Start testflagbubblecheckman
  • Have & has is used for present tense & had for past one but there's another point here that have should be used for all pronouns except she, he , it & has just for he or she or it will be used.

  • When talking about more than one person use "have" however there are exception to the rule if you say. I or You use "have". " had" is past tense so if talking about the past/yesterday use " had" "Has" use with pronoun eg she "has" he "has"

  • We use "have" when talking about the present for "I," "you," and "they." Example: "I have a toy." (Present tense) We also use "have" to show that something happened before now. Example: "We have eaten lunch." (Present perfect tense.) We use "had" when talking about the past. Example: "I had a book." (Past tense) We also use "had" to show that something happened before a specific time. Example: "She had finished her homework." (past perfect tense.) We use "has" when talking about the present for "he," "she," or "it." Example: "He has a cat." (present tense.) We also use "has" to show that something happened before now for these subjects. Example: "The dog had eaten its food." (present perfect tense.)

  • The words "have," "had," and "has" are forms of the auxiliary verb "have," which is used to form verb tenses called perfect tenses and to indicate possession. Here's a breakdown of their usage: "Have": Present tense: It is used with plural subjects (e.g., "we," "they") and the pronouns "I" and "you." Example: "We have a meeting tomorrow." Imperative mood: It is used to give commands or make requests. Example: "Have a seat." Modal verb: It is used to express obligation, necessity, or possibility. Example: "You have to finish your homework." "Had": Past tense: It is used with all subjects (singular and plural) to indicate past actions or states. Example: "She had a great time at the party." Past perfect tense: It is used to indicate an action or state that occurred before another action in the past. Example: "By the time I arrived, they had already left." "Has": Present tense: It is used w

  • Have and has are in simple present tense. Has : is used for the third personal of singular which are : he, she, it. Have : is used for the rest subject personal pronouns such as : I, you, we, you, they. Eg.: He has two cars. ( 3rd personal of singular I have two cars. ( 1st personal of singular) Had: is the past of have/has. Had: is used for all the personal pronouns, with no changes in the 3rd personal of singular. Eg.: I had a meeting yesterday. (1st personal of singular) She had a meeting yesterday. ( 3rd personal of singular)

  • Examples: I "have" a car. My dad "had" an accident at work. My mom "has" a sewing machine.

  • has and have are present tense. Example: I have a new teacher/she has a new teacher. had is a past tense Example: I had a great lesson with my new teacher.

  • They are use as main verbs. HAS and HAVE - present tense HAD - past tense

Other student questions

Show all