Have, Has or Had? A Simple Guide to Using Them Correctly

Have, has and had are among the most common words in English, and also among the most confusing. The good news is that the rules are simple once you see them together. This guide gives you clear rules, examples and a practice test.

Reading time: about 6 minutes

The quick answer

• Use have with I, you, we, they and plural nouns (present time).
• Use has with he, she, it and singular nouns (present time).
• Use had for the past, with every subject.

Time	Subject	Form	Example
Present	I, you, we, they, plural nouns	have	They have a big house.
Present	he, she, it, singular nouns	has	She has a new phone.
Past	all subjects	had	We had a test yesterday.

1. Have, has and had as main verbs

As main verbs, these words show possession, experiences, meals, feelings and more.

• I have a blue pen. (possession)
• My sister has two brothers. (family)
• We had lunch at noon. (a meal in the past)
• He has a headache. (a feeling or condition)

2. Have, has and had as helping verbs

Here they work with a past participle (the third form of the verb) to make the perfect tenses.

Tense	Pattern	Example
Present perfect	have / has + past participle	I have finished my work. She has finished hers.
Past perfect	had + past participle	The class had started before I arrived.

Notice that has follows the same rule as before: it goes with he, she, it and singular nouns.

3. Questions and negatives

After do, does or did, always use the base form have. Do not use has or had after them.

Type	Present	Past
Question	Do you have a pen? Does she have a pen?	Did he have a pen?
Negative	I do not have a pen. She does not have a pen.	He did not have a pen.

When have, has and had are helping verbs, add not directly after them: I have not finished. She has not finished. He had not finished.

4. Have to, has to and had to

These forms show obligation, meaning something you must do.

• I have to study tonight.
• She has to leave early.
• We had to wait for an hour.

5. When you see “had had”

Yes, this is correct. The first had is the helping verb (past perfect) and the second had is the main verb. Example: She had had breakfast before I arrived. The same idea works for have had and has had: I have had enough.

Common mistakes to avoid

Wrong	Correct	Why
He have a car.	He has a car.	Use has with he, she and it.
I has a book.	I have a book.	I always takes have.
Does she has a pen?	Does she have a pen?	After does, use the base form have.
He did not had a ticket.	He did not have a ticket.	After did, use the base form have.
They has finished.	They have finished.	They is plural, so use have.
She have gone home.	She has gone home.	Has goes with she, even as a helping verb.

A simple memory trick

Has goes with he, she, it (one person or thing). Have goes with everyone else. Had is for yesterday and any time before now.

Practice: choose have, has or had

Fill each gap with have, has or had.

1. She ______ a new phone.
2. They ______ many friends.
3. I ______ finished my work.
4. He ______ finished before the bell rang.
5. Ada and Chika ______ a test today.
6. The dog ______ a loud bark.
7. Does she ______ a pen?
8. Yesterday, we ______ a long meeting.
9. My brother ______ to leave early today.
10. By the time I arrived, they ______ already left.

Show the answers

1. has
2. have
3. have
4. had
5. have (two people, so plural)
6. has
7. have (base form after does)
8. had
9. has
10. had

Final thoughts

Ask yourself two questions each time: Is it past or present? and Who is the subject? Those two answers will tell you whether to use have, has or had. Practise with sentences about your own day, and the rule will soon become automatic.

Keep learning

• The complete guide to English tenses
• Parts of speech explained with examples

---

Want to go deeper? The tenses guide shows exactly how have, has and had build the perfect tenses.

Found this helpful? Share it with a classmate and leave a comment below.