Understanding Has, Have, and Had
Knowing when to use has, have, and had is important for speaking and writing correctly.
These helping verbs show possession or are used with other verbs to form perfect
tenses. Let’s break them down.
1. HAS and HAVE – Present Tense
Both has and have are used to show something someone owns or experiences now. The
difference depends on the subject of the sentence.
● HAS is used with:
○ He, she, it, or a singular noun (e.g., Sarah, the dog)
● HAVE is used with:
○ I, you, we, they, or plural nouns (e.g., the boys, my parents)
Examples:
● She has a new backpack.
● I have two pencils.
● The teacher has a loud voice.
● We have a lot of homework.
2. HAD – Past Tense
Had is used when talking about the past, no matter what the subject is. It works with both
singular and plural subjects.
Examples:
● I had a cold last week.
● They had lunch already.
● She had a fun time at the park.
Using Has/Have/Had in Perfect Tenses
These verbs also help form the present perfect and past perfect tenses:
● Present Perfect (has/have + past participle):
○ I have eaten breakfast.
○ She has finished her work.
● Past Perfect (had + past participle):
○ We had left before the rain started.
○ He had done his homework already.
Quick Chart:
Subject Present (Now) Past (Before)
I have had
You have had
He/She/It has had
We/They have had
Common Mistake:
❌ "He have a dog."
✅ "He has a dog."
