Friday, July 12, 2013

When do I use HAVE and HAS?

"Have" and "has" are both present tense conjugations of the verb "to have," and we use "have" or "has" depending on the subject.  

If the subject is 3rd person, singular, then you use "has."  All other subjects take on "have".  See below:

Singular                                 
1st Person         I have            
2nd Person        You have            
3rd Person       He/She/It HAS        

Plural
1st Person          We have
2nd Person         You have
3rd Person         They have

Ex.

She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow.
They have a long day ahead of them.
My dog has a good temperament.
We both have an iPhone.
My sister has a hybrid car.


Remember that the verb "to have" serves two purposes in the English language:

  1. Verb: Of course, as you know, the verb "to have" is used to express possession, as in the examples above and as in "I have a dog, a house and a beautiful family."
  2. Auxiliary Verb: "Have" is also used as an auxiliary (or helping) verb when using the present perfect.  (Click here to learn more about the present perfect.)  See below for the grammar construction of the present perfect:

Present Perfect Grammar:

When using the present perfect, we conjugate the verb "to have" in the same way as the present tense as seen above; that is, the 3rd person singular changes to "has."

I/You/We/They + HAVE + past participle
He/She/It            + HAS    + past participle

Ex. 

I have traveled to Paris three times.
He has never seen a James Bond movie!
They have taken the test.
She has tried to help.
We have just finished writing the report.
My dog has already gone for a walk four times today.
They have taken the test.
She has tried to help.




159 comments:

  1. Example:
    The old farmer have a rooster.
    The old farmer has a rooster.

    Which one is right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you has no right to ...
      or you have no right to .. ?

      Delete
    2. you HAVE no right. Your welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Delete
    3. the old farmer has a rooster bec. its singular :-)

      Delete
    4. Yes, exactly! :) See below for my reply.

      Delete
    5. the old farmer have a rooster

      Delete
    6. No. The old farmer has a rooster. "Old farmer" can be replaced by the pronoun "He".

      Delete
  2. The old farmer is a 3rd person singular subject, so it would be has.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What have God done for you this year at the Lighthouse? Or What has God done for you this year at the Lighthouse? which should I use have or has?

      Delete
    2. What HAS God done for you this year at the Lighthouse? Please excuse the delayed response :)

      Delete
    3. Why we have used "has" here

      Delete
  3. Wow.....so simply explained.......loved it

    Thanks Megan.

    ReplyDelete
  4. is it "billy has dog, cat and mouse" or billy have dog, cat, and mouse"?

    ReplyDelete
  5. The verb changes according to the subject. Here the subject is Billy, (third person singular), so the verb must agree with Billy: Billy has a dog, a cat and a mouse.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Is it "Has Helen tore her dress?" or "Has Helen torn her dress?" please explain why it should be tore instead of torn, or torn instead of tore.. I'm just a little bit confused. Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your words have power
    your words has powe
    Which one is true

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What do you think your subject is in your sentence?

      Delete
    2. Ur words have, i think is the best or suitable sentence.

      Delete
    3. Your words is plural, and it is your subject, so it would be your words HAVE power. Power here is not your subject, so you don't conjugate it.

      Delete
  8. tear (simple present), tore (past), torn (past participle). "Helen tore her dress." (past) or "Helen has torn her dress." (present perfect) are both correct.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your words HAVE power. (words=3rd person, plural)

    ReplyDelete
  10. can i use had in place of have in i have travelled paris 3 times , i wonder if that would be correct?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes, you can say I had travelled to Paris 3 times, but that would be the past perfect, and you would have to refer to another point in time to make it work, for example "I had travelled to Paris 3 times before I met you."

    ReplyDelete
  12. In the following:

    "I was impressed by the amount of passion and creativity that has been poured into the school."

    I have a plural, "passion and creativity", but also a singular, "amount". Do I say "have" or "has"? I know that if the sentence was:
    "I was impressed by the ... passion and creativity that have been poured into the school."
    , I wold use "have", but in the first sentence, isn't the subject "amount"?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your friendship, support and encouragement "have" meant a lot to me and helped me through the year....or "has" meant a lot to me

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yes, amount is the subject, so the verb would be "has" 3rd person singular (of passion and creativity is a prepositional phrase). And again, just as you say, passion and creativity (without amount) would be the subjects, therefore making "have" the 3rd person plural verb.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Friendship, support and encouragement all make up part of the subject, which is plural (more than one concept), so the corresponding verb would also have to be plural or "have".

    ReplyDelete
  16. Manifesto has some issues.
    Manifesto have some issues

    which one is correct ? i think 1st !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, its the first one i think. that is because the speaker is referring to a third party people. so "has" must be used.

      Delete
  17. The first one is correct because it is referring to a 3rd person singular subject. Because manifesto is singular, you must use an article, either "a" or "the". So the correct sentence would be: A/The manifesto has some issues.

    ReplyDelete
  18. everybody there have some problems
    or everybody there has a problems
    which of the above is correct or are they both correct....My major problem is trying to identify the subject.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Everybody is the subject, the owner of the problems. Problems can't "own" everybody. Think about who is expressing the action...it's people who own or have problems, not problems that own or have people. Therefore the correct sentence would be "Everybody there has some problems." It is incorrect to write "a problems" because the indefinite article 'a' is only used with singular nouns.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank u very much,am much cleared now...The second sentence "everybody there has a problems'' was a mistake though.Secondly,if u remove ''There'' it should still be in singular right? I would wish to know why everybody is referred to as singular.Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  21. "There" is NOT your subject; "everybody" is your subject, so it must agree with the verb. "Everybody" is singular because it is a collective group, multiple persons thought of as one. The same applies to somebody/one, anybody/one, nobody/one....All are singular and therefore take on a singular verb.

    ReplyDelete
  22. karen called and said she will not be coming to work because it have no one for breakfast,is the sentence correct.

    ReplyDelete
  23. "Karen called and said she WOULD not be coming to work because..." I'm not sure what you would like to say...? But remember that in reported speech, will becomes would.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  24. Megan - Thanks so much for sharing the information. - Yash

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I learned a lot! thank you, Megan! :)

      Delete
  25. what we use has or have for cloud, corportation, company??

    ReplyDelete
  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A cloud HAS...A corporation HAS...A company HAS...A cloud, a corporation and a company HAVE...

      Delete
    2. may has,have a flowers?is this correct i saw this from the book of daughter.

      Delete
  27. which is correct "Everton have improved me" OR "Everton has improved me". secondly should i use have or has when talking about sport teams / groups

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everton is third person singular, right? So, it would be Everton HAS improved me. In terms of sports teams with names, the same rule is followed. For example, THE LAKERS ARE the team for LA. (plural) BENFICA IS the best team in Portugal. (singular). In terms of groups, it's a bit more complicated: One can use either singular or plural depending on the context. If you want to emphasize the group as a single unit, you would say THE GROUP IS READY. But if you want to emphasize the idea of the individuals within the group, one could say THE GROUP ARE READY. Hope that helps! :)

      Delete
  28. Replies
    1. Sumei, assuming it is a name, is third person, singular, so it would be: Sumei HAS...

      Delete
  29. I have a dog or I has a dog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's "I have a dog." Because the subject is 1st person. I hope that helps. :)

      Delete
    2. Megan i love u & ur English too..

      Delete
  30. Hi,

    This article helped me clear out some inner controversy on the proper usage of has and have. Now I can sleep better because I can't sleep properly when there's something in my head.

    ReplyDelete
  31. A kid who has big dreams or who have big dreams?

    It's kinda confusing. Please help me. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A kid is 3rd person singular so it would be "has". However, one would say the kids (3rd person plural) who have big dreams....

      Delete
  32. Has your leg healed yet? or Have your leg healed yet?

    I'm not sure which is correct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leg is singular, so it would be "Has your leg healed yet?"

      Delete
  33. gud one...helped..

    ReplyDelete
  34. She needs to has her passport by next week.
    She needs to have her passport by next week.

    which one is correct ? i think 1st ! but others say 2nd. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She needs to HAVE her passport by next week. (to+have) is an infinitive. An infinitive is always to+ the simple verb. In this case the simple verb is HAVE. Simple verbs are be, go, do, walk, for example.

      Delete
  35. , but the processes for this collaboration (have) or (has) not been formalized.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The verb modifies the subject. The subject here is processes, which is plural, so it would be the processes for this collaboration HAVE been formalized. "For this collaboration" is a prepositional phrase. You could also say "The processes have not been formalized for this collaboration.

      Delete
  36. Thank You Megan - Iam preparing for GMAT and the tips have certainly helped me. ( Hope I have correctly used have in the sentence).

    ReplyDelete
  37. The price of these items have risen or has risen ... Please help

    ReplyDelete
  38. What has risen? The price... Or the items? The price of course. The price is the subject, and "of the items" is the prepositional phrase. Therefore, the price HAS risen :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. what if we use their name..rina and lisa has a good friend or rina and lisa have a good friend??

    ReplyDelete
  40. Rina and Lisa = They. They HAVE a good friend.

    ReplyDelete
  41. is it "all other information has been provided" or "all other information have been provided"
    thanks for your quick response

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All is your subject. All is singular. Therefore, it would be "All information has been provided". Information is also singular. Therefore, if you made a sentence with information, it would be "The information has been provided."

      Delete
    2. Hi Megan.
      Are they right?
      Who "HAS" my Cup..??
      &
      Who "HAVE" my Cups..??
      In single cup i use has and for plural cups i use Have.. is it ok??

      Delete
    3. Who is the subject here, so it would be: Who has my cup? or Who has my cups? The subject doesn't change, so neither does the verb.

      Delete
  42. The politics of division has/have consequences?

    ReplyDelete
  43. dont be like those who has sold their lives to the devil.. or like those who have sold their lives.... please which one is correct? thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those is plural so it would be "who have sold". Who can take on singular or plural. For example, if it were "that person", it would be "Don't be like that person who has sold..." :)

      Delete
  44. can i say (you have got my approval and till today i'm waiting the material)?

    ReplyDelete
  45. This would be better and clearer: "You have got my approval and I'm waiting for the material but only until today." :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Which is correct? Does the rabbit have a pink nose? or Does the rabbit has a pink nose?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question. In English when we ask questions using do, does and did, we always use the simple verb (unchanged). For example: Does he LIKE to play piano? Does she WRITE good books? Do you GO home early? Did he WIN the game? Look at the following:

      He likes chocolate ice cream.
      Does he like chocolate ice cream?

      Imagine that the 's' from 'likes' went to "does". The does is already inflected, so we are left with a simple verb: like.

      Hope this helps!

      Delete
    2. Plzzz can u clear this once again... Does do did always confuses me...

      Delete
  47. which is correct?
    the children has a new swing set. or
    the children have a new swing set.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Children is an irregular plural noun. Even though it does not have an 's', it is still, in fact, plural. Therefore, the correct sentence is "The children HAVE a new swing set."

      Delete
  48. which is correct ?
    does it have a yard ?
    or
    does it has a yard ?
    (does : for your house)

    help me please

    ReplyDelete
  49. Short answer: Does it HAVE a yard? If you want a longer answer see below from a previous question:

    Good question. In English when we ask questions using do, does and did, we always use the simple verb (unchanged). For example: Does he LIKE to play piano? Does she WRITE good books? Do you GO home early? Did he WIN the game? Look at the following:

    He likes chocolate ice cream.
    Does he like chocolate ice cream?

    Imagine that the 's' from 'likes' went to "does". The does is already inflected, so we are left with a simple verb: like.

    Hope this helps!

    ReplyDelete
  50. My place have some medicine or my place has some medicine?

    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My place is singular, right? So, it would be "My place HAS some medicine."

      Delete
  51. Is it
    Everyone in those excercise classes HAVE lost weight or Everyone in those excercise classes HAS lost weight

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everyone is singular (one is singular). Everybody is also singular, so it would be "Everyone HAS lost weight."

      Delete
  52. I think Everyone is the Subject, since everyone is 3rd person singular, it should be has... so i think the correct sentence should be 'everyone in those exercise classes HAS lost weight'
    Megan Hilton has enlightened me more on the usage of 'has and have', thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent reply Damilola...you are correct! Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  53. Hi, please help me, is this sentence correct?
    Does the instructor really have a Coursera tattoo?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this is correct. Does + subject + simple verb... Remember: In questions with do, does and did, the verb is simple; we do not conjugate the verb (change or add 's').

      Delete
  54. a map has or have key,scale and direction
    which one is correct?

    ReplyDelete
  55. I'm more than grateful to you for your patience in explaining this nightmare. Priceless!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Which is correct:

    Recently several events has occurred? or Recently several events have occurred?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Events is plural, as is several, so it would be HAVE occurred.

      Delete
  57. Rabbit has four legs?
    Rbbit have four legs?
    which sentens is correct.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Many a man's back HAVE fallen victim to an unwieldy pipe organ, or...many a man's back HAS fallen victim to an unwieldy pipe organ?

    ReplyDelete
  59. Thanks for contacting me and for the question. Without trying to find an answer via Google I would say this is tricky. I think the statement is incorrect grammatically but correct as a colloquialism. The way to find the correct conjugation is to identify the subject: Is it multiple males and many men (plural) OR a man's back meaning one man's back (singular)? I think the subject is referring to many MEN and not one man's back, so in my humble opinion, I would say the correct is "Many a man's back HAVE fallen victim......" Hope that helps; thanks for reading,

    ReplyDelete
  60. One more thought....the grammatically correct statement would be "Many men's backs have fallen..."

    ReplyDelete
  61. Hi, Which is correct? "My husband and I HAVE WATCHED a movie last week" or "My husband and I WATCHED a movie last week"? Please help. TIA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whenever you use "last," you must use the simple past. This is a strict and easy to understand rule. The idea behind the rule is that last week, last year or last night...describe situations that are, of course, in the past, but more importantly...finished. We use the present perfect to describe situations that continue....Ex. I have taught English for eleven years. (I will continue to teach English.) Does that make sense? You can see my posts on the present perfect to help you understand further. Best, M.

      Delete
  62. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Thank you! Very informative!! ��
    -anthony

    ReplyDelete
  64. Which one is correct?

    My BSOA students has or have a big mouth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. My BSOA students HAVE big mouths. (Students=plural)

      Delete
  65. Triangle has /have 3 sides and 3 angles

    ReplyDelete
  66. thank you so much. is really helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  67. your father has your toy
    is this sentence is correct?

    ReplyDelete
  68. The accessories HAS arrived. Or
    The accessories HAVE arrived. ? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  69. The accessories HAS arrived. Or
    The accessories HAVE arrived. ? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Accessories is plural, so it would be HAVE arrived. If it were singular, it would be the accessory HAS arrived.

      Delete
  70. I have fun. I had fun. Which one is correct?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both are correct. The first is in the present, and the second is in the past :)

      Delete
  71. Both are correct. The first is in the present, and the second is in the past :)

    ReplyDelete
  72. Girls have flowers .
    Girls has flowers .
    which one is correct ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Girls = They. So...it would be "Girls HAVE flowers." Thanks for reading :)

      Delete
  73. She is Having that Red Jacket Correct or She has that red jacket

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She has that red jacket is correct. With the verb to have, in terms of possession, we never use it in the progressive tense (having). However, to have a good time is not an expression of possession, and you could say "I'm having a good time." Does that make sense? Thanks for reading,

      Delete
  74. thanks@megan for you met my needs.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Does he has a pen?
    Does he have a pen?
    Which one is correct? Guide me please. I have mostly seen the second one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does he HAVE a pen? is correct. Remember, we always use the simple verb with DO/DOES/DID questions. For example, Do you KNOW the answer? Does he LIKE his job? Did your team WIN? Thanks for reading :)

      Delete
    2. http://eslmeetingpoint.blogspot.pt/2013/04/when-do-i-use-dodoesdid.html

      Delete
  76. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Thanks Megan
    Your information is very helpful to understand as well for teaching.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading! Share my link if you feel so inclined... :)

      Delete
  78. Beijing have lots of trees.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beijing HAS lots of trees. Beijing is singular;)

      Delete
  79. Which is correct?make sure each one of you have a copy or each one of you has a copy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Each is singular, right? So it is "Make sure each one of you HAS a copy". Thanks for reading my blog. Share with others if you like it :)

      Delete
  80. Which is correct? Such studies...has led me to... or
    Such studies...have led me to ....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the present perfect tense. Studies is no doubt plural, right? So ... "Such studies HAVE led me..." Thanks for reading;) Share my blog if you like it!

      Delete
  81. I watched batman vs superman movie,when the president gave them the green light to nuke the beast he said 'GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL' why he used 'have'?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question. God is singular, but in this case it's an imperative, the grammar terminology for a command. For example, I could tell you: Student! Have some patience! So here they are commanding or telling God! Please HAVE mercy on us! You would say in the present simple: God HAS mercy on us, but this is a statement NOT command or plea for mercy. Thanks for reading;)

      Delete
  82. Hi, please help me, is this sentence correct?
    youth centre has or have conducted youth forum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the present perfect tense. Youth center is singular, so the youth center HAS conducted a youth forum. Thanks for reading:)

      Delete
    2. Reena and her friend _____(has/have) arrived.

      Delete
    3. Hi plz help me to choose the correct one..

      Delete
    4. Reena and her friend = They, so Rena and her friend HAVE arrived.

      Delete
  83. Thank you for this clear explanation with fine examples that are easily understood. I look forward to more lessons from this site.

    ReplyDelete

Featured Post

When do I use HAVE and HAS?

"Have" and "has" are both present tense conjugations of the verb "to have," and we use "have" or &q...