When should you use “have” or “had”?
I have a new bicycle.
She had finished her homework before dinner.
I has a dog.
They have went to the store.
When is it correct to use have, has, or had? Phrased differently, what’s the past tense of have? Let’s go ahead and have a look at the answers.
What does “have” mean?
To define the word, when you have something, you “own, hold, or possess it“. For example, in a sentence, we might say, “He had bought a new car and a boat.“
When to use have, has, and had
| present | past | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| simple | I have/has | I had | I will have |
| continuous | I am having | I was having | I will be having |
| perfect | I have had | I had had | I will have had |
| perfect continuous | I have been having | I had been having | I will have been having |
Compare how the verb ‘have’ appears in the following sentences:
- I don’t have that much money on me.
- She has a long way to go before she graduates.
- We had dinner early.
Sentence 1 is in the first-person present singular, sentence 2 is in the third-person present singular, and 3 is the simple past tense.
In other words, use ‘has’ for all third-person subjects in the present tense, ‘have’ for the first-person, second-person, and third-person present plural, and ‘had‘ as the past tense and past participle form for all subjects.
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
|---|---|---|
| have or has | had | had |
| write | wrote | written |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| ride | rode | ridden |
Has vs. had
Compare how the tenses of ‘do’ work in both sentences:
She has supported me all throughout my career.
I had a feeling something bad was going to happen.
Did and does are simply two tenses that we use to denote the past or present time. The simple past tense of do is did for all subjects. The past participle form is done, also for all subjects.
Thus, the difference is that did is in the past, and do/does are in the present (in the first/third-person singular).
“He did a lot of homework today” is the simple past tense, and mentions an action that took place at a time before now.
The second sentence with ‘he had done‘ includes the past participle ‘done‘ + the auxiliary verb had to form the past perfect tense. The past perfect, also called the pluperfect, is a form of the past that depicts something that happened before something else that also occurred in the past.
Practice using the verb in different tenses with example sentences to memorize the correct forms.
Have/had as auxiliary verbs
To have is one of English’s three auxiliary verbs (along with to be and to do). This means that apart from playing a main role in sentences, have also often plays a supporting role in forming aspects of tense, such as perfect and progressive verb tenses.
- This had been done before.
- We have eaten here many times before.
- We are having a great time!
Thus, when ‘have’ is in sentences with another verb, it’s an auxiliary verb.
“Have” / “has” / “had”, in sentence examples
| Sentence examples: have/having/has, present tenses |
|---|
| Do you have a pencil I can borrow?
I have scrubbed the walls. The soup has a savoury flavour. Let’s have a reunion soon. We’re having a great time! She’s got the flu. |
| Sentence examples: had, past tense |
|---|
| We had a great time.
I’ve had several meals at that restaurant. The ham had a smoky flavour. In 2018 the party had 10 000 members. |
Worksheet: have/had/has
| Complete the sentence with the correct verb form. | Options: |
|---|---|
| 1. Jack ___ fun at the party last Saturday. | a. has b. had c. have d. having |
| 2. I’m sorry, but I ___ to go now. | a. has b. had c. have d. having |
| 3. ___ you ever been to Canada? | a. has b. had c. have d. having |
| 4. The match ___ already started when we arrived. | a. has b. had c. have d. having |
| 5. My boss never ___ time. | a. has b. had c. have d. having |
| 6. They ___ breakfast at 6:30. | a. has b. are having c. have d. having |
| Select the tense the sentence uses: | |
| 7. Dave had passed his driving test. | a. simple present b. present perfect c. simple past d. past perfect |
| 8. I have one brother and one sister. | a. simple present b. present perfect c. simple past d. past perfect continuous |
| 9. Andrew and Sarah have gotten the flu. | a. simple present b. present perfect c. simple past d. past perfect continuous |
| 10. I’ve had time to think it over, and I don’t think it’s a good idea. | a. simple present b. present perfect c. simple past d. past perfect |
Answers
- b
- c
- c
- b
- a
- b
- d
- a
- b
- d
Origin of have
From etymology online on do (v.):
Old English habban “to own, possess; be subject to, experience,” from Proto-Germanic *habejanan.
Learn more about verbs
| Types of verbs & verb tenses | what’s the past tense of …? |
|---|---|
| forms of ‘to be’ | … seek? |
| auxiliary verbs | … teach? |
| present tense | … catch? |
| future tense | … buy? |
| past tense | … read? |
| perfect tense | … ring? |
| transitive vs. intransitive | … drive? |
| participles | … throw? |
| irregular verbs | … lead? |
| modals | … win? |
Work Sheet
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: My sister _____ a new puppy.
Which word correctly completes the sentence in the simple past tense? We _____ dinner early last night.
Choose the correct auxiliary verb to form the present perfect tense: They _____ gone to the store.
Select the correct word to form the past perfect tense: She _____ finished her homework before dinner.
Which sentence uses ‘have’ or ‘has’ correctly for present possession, based on the examples in the post?
Complete the sentence with the correct word for present possession: I a new bicycle.
Complete the sentence with the simple past form: We a wonderful time on our vacation last year.
Complete the sentence in the present perfect tense: She written three books so far.
Complete the sentence in the past perfect tense: By the time I arrived, they already eaten dinner.
Complete the sentence with the correct past tense form, similar to an example in the post: He a lot of homework yesterday.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you use have vs had?
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When is ‘has’ used instead of ‘have’?
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Is ‘had’ used for all subjects in the past?
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How is ‘had’ used as an auxiliary verb?
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Can I use ‘have went’ or ‘had wrote’?
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Yash, D. "When to Use Have or Had? (Explained with Examples)." Grammarflex, Jun 20, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/when-to-use-have-or-had-explained-with-examples/.
Sources
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Merriam-Webster, definition of have. Etymology online, origin of have.
