You’re about to make one of English’s most useful verbs work for you in real conversations. Start with its core meaning, then build toward natural phrases like have lunch, have fun, and have to leave.

Have can mean to possess something. You can have a house, a phone, a car, or a book. It also works for things you hold or keep for a time: have a bag in your hand, have money in your wallet, have a seat at the table.

In everyday English, have often shows a state or condition. You have a cold, have a headache, have time, or have lunch. In these uses, the noun after have tells you what the person owns, experiences, or is dealing with.

The pattern is simple: subject + have + noun. For example, I have a key, We have lunch at noon, They have a problem.

Present simple forms of have
SujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
📒I
have
have
🚗you
have
have
🦸he
have
has
☂️she
have
has
🌀it
have
has
🥖we
have
have
🎟️they
have
have

In the present simple, have changes with the subject. Use I have, you have, we have, and they have. Use he has, she has, and it has.

The verb stays in the base form for I, you, we, and they. The third person singular takes has. Say She has a new job, not She have a new job. Say They have two children, not They has two children.

Use these forms for facts, routines, and general possession. I have a meeting every Monday. He has breakfast early. We have a small garden.

Present forms of have got
SujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
🗺️I
have got
have got
⏰you
have got
have got
🚲he
have got
has got
💡she
have got
has got
🔊it
have got
has got
🪑we
have got
have got
☕they
have got
have got

In British English, have got is very common for possession in the present. The pattern is subject + have got + noun: I have got a bike, She has got a car, They have got two cats.

The meaning is the same as present simple have for possession. Have got is more frequent in speech and casual writing. It is not used with the auxiliary do in the same way as other verbs, so the question form is Have you got a minute? and the negative is I haven’t got any cash.

Watch the short form he’s got. In this use, it means he has got, not he is. He’s got a cold means He has got a cold.

Past simple forms of have
SujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
🗓️I
have
had
🚪you
have
had
🤧he
have
had
🧠she
have
had
👃it
have
had
🌅we
have
had
😄they
have
had

The past simple form of have is had for all subjects: I had, you had, he had, she had, it had, we had, and they had.

Use had for possession, experience, or a state in the past. I had a bike when I was ten. She had a fever last night. We had lunch at the station.

The form does not change with the subject. There is no has in the past simple. Say They had a long trip, not They has a long trip.

Future forms with will have
SujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
🪟I
will have
will have
📅you
will have
will have
🍽️he
will have
will have
🚶she
will have
will have
🔋it
will have
will have
🏠we
will have
will have
🎁they
will have
will have

Use will have for future possession, future experience, or a future state. The pattern is subject + will have + noun. I will have a new laptop next month. She will have a break after work. They will have more time tomorrow.

This form also works for planned or expected situations. We will have a meeting at 3:00. He will have dinner with his family tonight.

The form is the same for all subjects. Use will have with I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.

Continuous forms of have
FormaSujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
present
🎡I
have
am having
present
🥗he
have
is having
present
💬they
have
are having
past
📞I
have
was having
past
🌧️we
have
were having

In continuous tenses, have usually means an activity, not possession. Use am having, is having, and are having for actions that are happening now. I am having lunch. She is having a shower. They are having a conversation.

The past continuous uses was having and were having. I was having dinner when you called. We were having a meeting at that time.

These forms describe something temporary and in progress. The pattern is am/is/are + having in the present and was/were + having in the past.

Perfect forms of have
FormaSujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
present perfect
📧I
have
have had
present perfect
🧾she
have
has had
past perfect
🍲they
have
had had
future perfect
⏳we
have
will have had

The perfect forms use have as an auxiliary and had as the main verb in the past participle form. In the present perfect, the pattern is have/has + had. I have had this watch for years. She has had three jobs this year.

In the past perfect, use had + had. We had had breakfast before we left. He had had enough time to finish the report.

The future perfect uses will have + had. By Friday, they will have had the results. By next summer, I will have had this car for ten years.

These forms often show how long something existed or happened before another time.

Core irregular forms of have
FormaSujeitoInfinitivoConjugação
base form
🔤verb form
have
have
third person singular
⭐verb form
have
has
past tense
📚verb form
have
had
past participle
🏷️verb form
have
had
present participle
🌿verb form
have
having

Have is irregular because its past form and past participle are both had. The present participle and gerund are having.

The main forms are have, has, had, had, and having. That means the verb does not follow the regular -ed pattern. Say I had a ticket, She has had the flu, and They are having dinner.

When you need a verb form after an auxiliary, use had as the past participle: have had, has had, had had, will have had.

Using have to for obligation
UsoExplicação
🪪Strong necessityUse have to when something is necessary because of a rule, duty, or outside situation.
🚆Everyday obligationUse have to for ordinary duties that feel practical rather than personal choice.
🥣Less formal than mustUse have to when you want a natural everyday tone, while must sounds more formal or forceful.

Have to means need to, duty, or obligation. The pattern is subject + have to + base verb. I have to leave now. She has to study tonight. We have to wear uniforms.

In the present simple, the third person singular is has to. Use have to with I, you, we, and they, and has to with he, she, and it.

Must and have to can both express obligation, but have to is more common in everyday speech. Must sounds stronger or more formal. I have to call my doctor is natural in conversation. You must stop here sounds firmer and more official.

Common experience phrases with have
FraseObjetivo
🤒I have a colddescribes a temporary illness
🎉She has fun at partiesdescribes enjoyment
😎We had a great timedescribes a positive experience in the past
🤕He has a headachedescribes a physical problem
👀They had a surprise visitdescribes an unexpected experience

English often uses have with a noun to describe an experience or condition. The pattern is subject + have + noun. have a cold, have a headache, have fun, have a look, have a problem.

These expressions work like fixed phrases. She has a sore throat. We had a great time. I’m having a bad day. The noun carries the main meaning, and have connects it to the person.

Some of these phrases are very common in speaking: have breakfast, have lunch, have a shower, have a nap, have a conversation.

Fixed everyday phrases with have
FraseObjetivo
🪑Have a seatoffers someone a place to sit
😊Have a nice daygives a polite farewell
🔍Have a lookasks someone to check something
🧳Have a good tripwishes someone well before travel
☕Have a breaksuggests resting for a while
😄Have a laughencourages friendly amusement

Many everyday English phrases use have in a fixed way. Some common patterns are have a look, have a go, have a try, have a word, have a seat, and have a rest.

These phrases are ready-made. Say Have a look at this, Let’s have a go, Can I have a word with you?, or Please have a seat.

Other useful expressions include have a chance, have an idea, have an answer, have a conversation, and have a good time. In these phrases, have is part of the expression, so the full phrase should be learned together.

Main rules for using have
Ideia
🚲Use has with he, she, and it in the present simple
🪑Use have with I, you, we, and they in the present simple
🎈Use had for the past with all subjects
🔑Use have got mainly in British everyday English for possession
💻Use has got for the third person singular in that pattern

Choose have for possession, states, experiences, and many common expressions. Use has with he, she, and it in the present simple. Use had for the past with all subjects. Use will have for the future with all subjects.

Use have got for possession in present-time British English, especially in speech. Use have for possession in American English and in more neutral written English.

Remember the pattern changes with the form, not with the meaning only. She has a car. She had a car. She will have a car. She has got a car. For obligation, use have to + base verb: He has to work late.

Faça o Quiz!

You can now use have, has, had, and having for possession, experiences, obligations, and everyday expressions. You can also choose between have and have got with confidence and recognize have in perfect and continuous forms. Next, put these patterns into action with a module on Do in English, another high-frequency verb that shapes questions, negatives, and everyday speech.

Módulos sugeridos: A1

All content was written by our AI and may contain a few mistakes.

Last updated: Sun Sep 13, 2026, 1:37 AM