be • do • have
Nouns, Subjects, and Objects
Passive Voice
have
have is used in different ways in English. These are four of the most common ways.
1) The most common way is to say that a thing (or person) is a possession, or something that is ours. In the present tense, we use has with he, she, and it.
Johnny has two brothers and two sisters.
They all have brown hair.
Their parents have a big van to take them to school.
For this use, it’s also possible to use have got (or has got), but only in the present tense.
Johnny has got two brothers and two sisters.
They have all got brown hair.
Their parents have got a big van to take them to school.
2) We use the verb have with meals (have breakfast, lunch, dinner), food (have a sandwich), and drink (have coffee). It’s a different way to say eat, or drink.
I have breakfast at 7am every morning.
It’s common for Americans to have a sandwich for lunch.
I have coffee with my best friend once a month.
3) We use the verb have with many expressions, and the meaning changes with the other words. Here are three common examples -
have a good time - enjoy yourself - “Have a good time at the party!“ ”Say hi to Johnny for me!”
have a look - observe, inspect - “My car isn’t working!” ”Let me have a look at it.”
have to - need to - “I have to finish my homework before I go to the concert.”
4) We use the verb have as an auxiliary verb for the present perfect (haber in Spanish) and other perfect tenses. We use the present perfect (has / have + past participle) for things that happened recently, and for experiences.
It’s common to use contractions with the Present Perfect (I have = I’ve, You have = You’ve, He has = He’s, She has = She’s, It has = It’s, We have = We’ve, They have = They’ve).
I’ve done a lot of work today.
I’ve been in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
Have you ever traveled to another country?