Have vs Has
[A1] Learn how to use have, has, and had correctly in English across present and past contexts. This module covers subject-verb agreement, contractions, questions, and negatives.
Have basics
Have is the base form of the verb that shows possession, relationships, or experiences. Use have with I, you, we, and they in the present, and after modal verbs like can, will, and should. It can be a main verb for ownership or an auxiliary verb to build perfect tenses.
Have es la forma base del verbo que indica posesión, relaciones o experiencias. Usa have con yo, tú, nosotros y ellos en el presente, y después de verbos modales como can, will y should. Puede ser un verbo principal para la posesión o un verbo auxiliar para formar tiempos perfectos.
Has basics
Has is the present simple form used with third-person singular subjects: he, she, it, and singular names. It expresses the same meanings as have, but only with those subjects in the present. It is also the auxiliary form for present perfect with third-person singular.
Has es la forma del presente simple usada con sujetos en tercera persona del singular: él, ella, ello y nombres singulares. Expresa los mismos significados que have, pero solo con esos sujetos en el presente. También es la forma auxiliar para el presente perfecto con tercera persona del singular.
Had basics
Had is the past form for all subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Use had to talk about possession or experiences in the past, and as the auxiliary verb for the past perfect. Had often signals that something was true before another past time or event.
Had es la forma pasada para todos los sujetos: yo, tú, él, ella, ello, nosotros y ellos. Usa had para hablar de posesión o experiencias en el pasado, y como verbo auxiliar para el pasado perfecto. Had a menudo señala que algo era verdadero antes de otro momento o evento en el pasado.
Present simple use
In the present simple, choose have or has based on the subject, not the object. Use have with I, you, we, and they, and use has with he, she, it, and singular nouns. This form is common for facts, routines, and states like ownership and health.
En el presente simple, elige have o has según el sujeto, no el objeto. Usa have con yo, tú, nosotros y ellos, y usa has con él, ella, ello y sustantivos singulares. Esta forma es común para hechos, rutinas y estados como posesión y la salud.
Subject | 🇪🇸 Español Sujeto | Form | 🇪🇸 Español Forma | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 I | 👤 Yo |  have | ✅ tengo |  I have a meeting today. | 💬 Tengo una reunión hoy. |
| you | 👤 Tú | have | ✅ tienes | You have good timing. | 💬 Tienes buena puntualidad. |
| he | 👤 Él | has | ✅ tiene | He has a new job. | 💬 Él tiene un nuevo trabajo. |
| she | 👤 Ella | has | ✅ tiene | She has a question. | 💬 Ella tiene una pregunta. |
| it | 👤 Eso | has | ✅ tiene | It has a strange smell. | 💬 Eso tiene un olor extraño. |
| we | 👤 Nosotros | have | ✅ tenemos | We have enough time. | 💬 Tenemos suficiente tiempo. |
| they | 👤 Ellos | have | ✅ tienen | They have two kids. | 💬 Ellos tienen dos hijos. |
Past simple use
In the past simple, had is used for every subject. Use it for past possession, past states, and past experiences. If you can replace it with a past time like yesterday or last year, had is usually the correct choice.
En el pasado simple, had se usa para todos los sujetos. Úsalo para posesiones pasadas, estados pasados y experiencias pasadas. Si puedes reemplazarlo con un momento pasado como ayer o el año pasado, had suele ser la opción correcta.
Subject | 🇪🇸 Español Sujeto | Form | 🇪🇸 Español Forma | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 👤 Yo | had | ✅ tuve | I had a headache yesterday. | 💬 Ayer tuve dolor de cabeza. |
| you | 👤 Tú | had | ✅ tuviste | You had the keys last night. | 💬 Anoche tuviste las llaves. |
| he | 👤 Él | had | ✅ tuvo | He had a busy week. | 💬 Él tuvo una semana ocupada. |
| she | 👤 Ella | had | ✅ tuvo | She had a dog as a kid. | 💬 Ella tuvo un perro cuando era niño. |
| it | 👤 Eso | had | ✅ tuvo | It had a flat tire. | 💬 Eso tuvo una llanta ponchada. |
| we | 👤 Nosotros | had | ✅ tuvimos | We had dinner early. | 💬 Cenamos temprano. |
| they | 👤 Ellos | had | ✅ tuvieron | They had a plan. | 💬 Ellos tuvieron un plan. |
Present perfect use
Use have or has as an auxiliary verb plus a past participle to form the present perfect. This tense connects the past to now, often focusing on results, life experience, or unfinished time periods. Choose have or has by the subject, then use the past participle, not the past simple form.
Usa have o has como verbo auxiliar más un participio pasado para formar el presente perfecto. Este tiempo conecta el pasado con el presente, a menudo enfocándose en resultados, experiencia de vida o periodos de tiempo no terminados. Elige have o has según el sujeto, luego usa el participio pasado, no la forma del pasado simple.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
 Use have with I, you, we, they plus past participle | 📌 Usa have con yo, tú, nosotros y ellos más participio pasado | They have finished the report. | 💬 Ellos han terminado el informe. |
| Use has with he, she, it plus past participle | 📌 Usa has con él, ella, ello más participio pasado | She has moved to London. | 💬 Ella se ha mudado a Londres. |
| Present perfect links past to now and often implies relevance now | 📌 El presente perfecto enlaza el pasado con el presente y a menudo implica relevancia ahora | I have lost my wallet. | 💬 He perdido mi cartera. |
| Use present perfect with unfinished time like today, this week, lately | 📌 Usa el presente perfecto con tiempos no terminados como hoy, esta semana, últimamente | We have worked a lot this week. | 💬 Hemos trabajado mucho esta semana. |
Past perfect use
Use had as an auxiliary verb plus a past participle to form the past perfect. This tense shows that one past action or state happened before another past moment or event. It helps make the order of past events clear, especially when the sequence matters.
Usa had como verbo auxiliar más un participio pasado para formar el pasado perfecto. Este tiempo muestra que una acción o estado en el pasado ocurrió antes de otro momento o evento pasado. Ayuda a dejar claro el orden de los eventos pasados, especialmente cuando la secuencia importa.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use had plus past participle for an earlier past | 📌 Usa had más participio pasado para un pasado anterior | I had left before she called. | 💬 Antes de que ella llamara, ya me había ido. |
| Often paired with another past event in past simple | 📌 A menudo se empareja con otro evento pasado en el pasado simple | They had eaten when we arrived. | 💬 Ellos habían comido cuando llegamos. |
| Use it to explain causes in the past | 📌 Úsalo para explicar causas en el pasado | He was tired because he had worked late. | 💬 Él estaba cansado porque había trabajado tarde. |
Modals with have
After modal verbs, use have, not has or had. The modal stays the same for all subjects, and have follows it as the base form. This includes can have, will have, should have, and would have, which can refer to possibility, plans, or past expectations depending on context.
Después de verbos modales, usa have, no has ni had. El modal permanece igual para todos los sujetos, y have lo sigue como la forma base. Esto incluye can have, will have, should have y would have, que pueden referirse a posibilidad, planes o expectativas pasadas según el contexto.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| After a modal, use base form have | 📌 Después de un modal, usa la forma base have | She can have a day off. | 💬 Ella puede tomarse un día libre. |
| Modal plus have plus past participle refers to the past | 📌 Modal más have más participio pasado se refiere al pasado | They should have called. | 💬 Ellos deberían haber llamado. |
| Would have often shows an unreal past result | 📌 Would have a menudo muestra un resultado pasado irreal | I would have helped if I had known. | 💬 Habría ayudado si hubiera sabido. |
Have as action
Have can be a main verb that means to possess, but it can also mean to experience or to do an activity. In many expressions, have describes actions like eating, resting, or taking a wash. In these cases, have behaves like a normal verb and follows present and past forms: have, has, had.
Have puede ser un verbo principal que significa poseer, pero también puede significar experimentar o hacer una actividad. En muchas expresiones, have describe acciones como comer, descansar o ducharse. En estos casos, have se comporta como un verbo normal y sigue las formas presentes y pasadas: have, has, had.
Word/Phrase | 🇪🇸 Español Palabra/Frase | Definition | 🇪🇸 Español Definición | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 have breakfast | 🧩 desayunar |  eat breakfast | 🍽️ comer desayuno | We have breakfast at 7. | 💬 Desayunamos a las 7. |
| have a shower | 🧩 ducharse |  take a shower | 🚿 ducharse | I had a shower after work. | 💬 Me duché después del trabajo. |
| have a break | 🧩 tomar un descanso |  rest for a short time | ⏸️ descansar por un corto tiempo | She is having a break. | 💬 Ella está tomando un descanso. |
| have a good time | 🧩 divertirse |  enjoy yourself | 🎉 disfrutar de sí mismo | They had a good time. | 💬 Ellos lo pasaron muy bien. |
Have got vs have
Have got is a common alternative to have for possession, especially in British English. In meaning, I have and I have got are usually the same for ownership, but have got is less common for habits and more limited in tense changes. Had got exists but is much less common in everyday speech.
Have got es una alternativa común a have para posesión, especialmente en el inglés británico. En significado, I have y I have got suelen ser lo mismo para la propiedad, pero have got es menos común para hábitos y más limitado en cambios de tiempo. Had got existe pero es mucho menos común en el habla cotidiana.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| For possession, have and have got often mean the same | 📌 Para posesión, have y have got a menudo significan lo mismo | I have a car. / I have got a car. | 💬 Tengo un coche. / Tengo un coche. |
| Have got is not typically used for routines | 📌 Have got no se usa típicamente para rutinas | I have lunch at noon. | 💬 Almuerzo al mediodía. |
| Questions and negatives often use have with do, but have got uses have | 📌 Las preguntas y las negaciones a menudo usan have con do, pero have got usa have | Do you have a pen? / Have you got a pen? | 💬 ¿Tienes un bolígrafo? / ¿Tienes un bolígrafo? |
| Have got is especially common in British English | 📌 Have got es especialmente común en el inglés británico | She has got two sisters. | 💬 Ella tiene dos hermanas. |
