The affirmative form of to have: How and When to Use in English

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The affirmative form of to have

The verb to have can be used to express possession.

I have a new fridge.

Shorty has brown hair.

In the present simple tense it is conjugated as follows:

TO HAVE
I have
You have
She / He / It has
We have
You have
They have

To have can often be followed by got, especially in spoken language.

I have (got) a house near the beach.

Magda has (got) a sister.

We also use to have in expressions such as to have breakfast/lunch/dinner, to have a shower/a bath, to have a nap, to have fun, etc. We always use it without got and only in the long form. 

Lucy has dinner with her colleagues.

We all have a nap after lunch.

Notes

  • The verb to have also has a short form, which we mainly use in informal conversations.

We've got (have got) a dog.

She's got (has got) a cat.

  • You can also use to have + to as a way to indicate an obligation.

I have to go home now.


Exercise 1

Pick the correct option to complete each sentence with the verb to have.

Anna a son.

The guests (they) a nap at the hotel. 

Dr Meyer grey hair.


Pick the correct option to complete each sentence with the verb to have.

Anna has got 1 a son.

The guests (they) have 2 a nap at the hotel. 

Dr Meyer has got 3 grey hair.

1 has got:

Anna has got a son, with has (the form of to have that we use after she or a female name) To have, present simple tense + got, to stress their relationship. Note that got is not compulsory. Example: Betty has (got) a sister.

1 have got:

You can say Anna and Mike have got a son because the subject is Anna and Mike (= they), but you cannot use have after Anna.

1 forgot:

Anna forgot a son means that Anna didn't remember her son, but here we are using the verb to have, not the verb to forget!

2 have:

The guests have a nap at the hotel, with have To have, present simple tense following the subject the guests (=they). To have a nap means to have a short sleep. Example: after lunch, she always has a nap.

2 has:

You can say the guest (=he/she) has a nap, but you cannot use has after the guests (=they).

2 hat:

A hat is a fashion item that you wear on your head, not a form of the verb to have! Example: Sherlock Holmes always wears a hat.

3 has got:

Dr Meyer has got grey hair. After Dr Meyer (=he), we use has got To have, present simple tense. We often use the verb to have to describe physical appearance. Example: Mary has got blonde hair.

3 have got:

You could say we have got grey hair, but you cannot use have after Dr Meyer.

3 have:

You could say they have grey hair, but you cannot use have with a subject like Dr Meyer.

Exercise 2

Complete the table with the missing full forms of the verb to have. Click on “Help me” if you need a hand!

TO HAVE
I
You have
She / He / It 
We have
You
They have
TO HAVE
I have
You have
She / He / It has
We have
You have
They have
Help me
Test yourself

Complete the table with the missing full forms of the verb to have. Click on “Help me” if you need a hand!

TO HAVE
I have 1
You have
She / He / It has 2
We have
You have 3
They have
1 have:

The full form that corresponds to the subject I is I have To have, present simple tense. Example: I have got a big family.

2 has:

She/He/It has. To have, present simple tense This is the only irregular form of the verb to have. Examples: he has got a big house; the spider has long legs.

3 have:

You have To have, present simple tense. Example: you have a beautiful smile.

Exercise 3

Drag and drop the words into the blanks to create affirmative sentences with the verb to have. Pro tip: you do not need to use all the words!

Timmy fun.

 I got a good job.

They a bath in the morning.


Drag and drop the words into the blanks to create affirmative sentences with the verb to have. Pro tip: you do not need to use all the words!

Timmy has 1 fun.

 I have 2 got a good job.

They have 3 a bath in the morning.

1 has:

Timmy has fun, with has To have, present simple tense, which we use after she/he/it (Timmy=he). To have fun means to enjoy oneself, to have a good time. Example: Laura has fun at the party.

2 have:

I have got a good job. After I, use have To have, present simple tense. Since you are expressing possession, you can also add got. Example: I have got two cats. 

3 have:

They have a bath in the morning. After they, use have To have, present simple tense, in this case to create the expression to have a bath. Example: when we need to relax, we have a bath.


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