If verbs in the grammar of any language denote the execution of an action by an object, then the function of modal verbs is to show the speaker’s attitude to the action taking place. And it, in turn, will be expressed in various ways.
Everything you need to know about the verb have
The topic of this article is devoted to the verb had, but you cannot begin to study the topic without understanding that this verb is only the past form of the verb have. In order to learn about the verb had, you need to have an idea about have. This verb is the most important in English language. It is important not only because in conversation we often talk about our property, but also because it is often found in set phrases and is never translated literally. Had is one of the variants of have, which is involved in the formation of some languages. The verb have is used in 4 ways.
1. Has its own direct meaning, that is, it acts as it is translated have. For example, to say "I have a lot of friends", The English say I have a lot of friends. That is, this sentence can be literally translated as “I have many friends.”
2. Occurs in set phrases and expressions. Here this verb no longer has a translation have. This is because stable phrases do not have a literal translation. Here are a few expressions that come up quite often.
2.1 Sayings about eating:
Have a tea - drink tea, not have tea.
2.2 Expressions related to dates and meetings:
Have a date - to make a date rather than have a date.
2.3 Statements about appearance:
Have a haircut - get a haircut.
2.4 Communication:
Have a talk - talk, have a conversation.
2.5 Health:
Have a baby - give birth to a baby.
Have a headache - my head hurts.
2.6 Travel:
Have a walk - go for a walk or stroll.
3. Occurs as a modal verb have to.
The variant had occurs in the Past Simple, Perfect and Perfect Continuous tenses.
What modal verbs exist in English?
In English, the following are considered modal: must, need, shouldd, have to, may, need, dare, might, be to, shall, ought, have got to.
If modal verbs such as have, be and should are auxiliary, then have, get, need and be have semantic meaning.
Functions of modal verbs
As you know, modal verbs are intended to indicate the attitude of the narrator to a certain action. This means we should consider the functions that modal verbs express during conversation.
1. Physical ability. For example, Helen is 20 years old. She can be in full employment. - Elena is 20 years old. She may be employed full time. That is, according to the law, she is allowed, and she has the right to do so.
2. Expresses the inability to perform a certain action. For example, Mike can't swim. - Mike doesn't (or can't) swim.
3. Expresses the need (obligation) for action. - We must respect our parents. We must (oblige) respect our parents.
4. Expresses lack of need. We do not have to buy products. - That is, we don’t have to buy food. It is not necessary.
5. Expresses a prohibition on action. Jack must not do it. - Jack shouldn't do this. That is, he is prohibited from performing a certain action.
6. Expresses confidence in action. He shouldn't be glad. - He must be happy. The speaker is sure of this.
7. Expresses probability. They ought to be in now. - They are probably inside (the building) now.
8. Expresses a hypothetical possibility. The weather can get cold in October. - It can get colder in October. That is, this is theoretically possible.
9. Express a request for permission to perform an action. Can I open the window? - Can I open the window?
10. Expresses prohibition or permission. She may not use my laptop. - She can't use my laptop. You may use my phone. - You can use my phone.
How to use the verb had in English
In fact, it is have in the past tense. As you know, have to is a modal verb, or, more precisely, the equivalent of must. Must, in turn, has a very strong meaning, which denotes an obligation to perform a certain action. Based on the above, it is concluded that have to, being the equivalent of must, is also a hard verb. If these verbs appear during a conversation, then this is not a request, but an order!
Here are examples of using have to in different times, pay attention to the tense of the verb had.
She has to do it. - She is forced to make time).
She had to do it. - She should have done it (past tense).
She will have to do it. - She will have to do it (future tense).
In the second sentence, the modal verb had to is used in the past tense.
Difference between must and have to
The modal verb must is used for personal feelings. Let's give an example: I must do it. I have to do it. This example shows that the narrator is expressing his feelings about a certain action.
I have to visit my dentist. It shows that there are problems with the speaker's dental health and he should visit his dentist. It shows a fact, but not any personal emotions or feelings.
But often the line between these two modal verbs is so thin that people become confused when using them. When such situations arise, it is better to use have to.
It should be remembered that, unlike have to, the modal verb must does not have a past tense. Thus, the equivalent of have to can be used in all forms, including the past tense. In the past tense, have to becomes the modal verb had to.
I had to visit my girlfriend. The verb must cannot be used in this tense. Since it is past, the verb had is used here.
Using the verb had in the negative form
The verb had in its negative form becomes have. To understand why had turns into have, it is enough to remember the rule of the past tense. The verb had is used in the past tense, which means that when negated, it is preceded by did not, which means that had turns into have.
In British English, in interrogative sentences, the verb to have almost always comes before the subject, but in American English, the question begins with the word Do. This also applies to the negative form. Let's give a simple example:
Have you two sisters? - here is the British version.
In the American version this question will begin with Do: Do you have two sisters?
Also, the verb Had can be found in the formation of sentences in tense Present Perfect. It should be recalled that this tense expresses an action that began in the past and is ongoing or ended at the time of conversation. As you can see, this rule contains the past tense, which means the verb Had has found its tense here.
It should be remembered that when using had, the tense of the verb must only be past. This means that it cannot be used during a conversation in the present and especially the future tense.
In what tenses is the verb had used?
The fact that the verb had is used in the past tense is already clear; it is worth examining the use of had in the formation of two more English tenses.
To form the Past Perfect tense, the following construction is required:
verb had (past tense) + verb in the third form, or, more simply, the third column of irregular verbs.
Let's give an example, I had never seen him before - hence it is clear that the verb seen is the third form of the verb see - to see.
The Past Perfect Continuous is not the most common of all English tenses. This time can only be found in books. But it is worth studying to understand the entire tense system of the English language.
Tense is formed using the verb Had been + ing.
For example, We had been feeling well for some time.
That, in fact, is all that concerns the topic of the verb have and its past form had.
Since, according to school curriculum, we have traditionally studied British English, it still has a dominant meaning. On the other hand, the language of the Internet is more Americanized, so we should pay attention to this.
The verbs to have and have got behave differently in some circumstances, and the first of them is used more often in American English. To avoid any confusion, let's look at the options from a British perspective.
Verb to have
The verb to have means possession of something and is used mainly when it emphasizes the regularity of owning something, using something, or performing some procedure.
She usually has expensive cars. She usually has expensive cars.
I sometimes have coffee in a café. I sometimes drink coffee in a cafe.
I have a holiday in summer. I have a vacation in the summer.
At present there are three forms of the verb to have - having, have and has, and the last of them is used only with the third person singular of nouns.
Having is a present participle or Participle I In addition, the verb to have is irregular and in the simple past tense it has the form had. He also has the same form of the past participle ( Participle II).
We are having dinner now. Now we are having lunch.
Verb have got
There are only two forms of the verb have got - have got and has got, since it is not used in the past tense. Examples:
My nephew has got a turtle. My nephews have a turtle.
John has not got any siblings. John has no sisters or brothers.
Have you got a marker for a whiteboard. Do you have a whiteboard marker?
The verb have got is used in the sense when it speaks of possession of an object or some quality “here and now.” If a brother remains a brother, then you may not have a fountain pen today or tomorrow. Here are examples of questions and short answers:
Have you got a sister-in-law? Yes, I have. Do you have a half-sister? Yes, I have.
Have you got a sheet of paper? No, I haven't. Do you have a piece of paper? No.
You can use these sentences with the verb to have and the auxiliary verb do.
Do you have a sister-in-law? Yes, I do.
Do you have a sheet of paper? No? I don't.
These sentences are translated in exactly the same way.
Also, the verb to have in English can have the role of an auxiliary by analogy with modal verbs. Examples:
She has a cold. She has a cold.
Has she a cold? Does she have a cold?
She hasn't a cold. She doesn't have a cold.
On the other hand, it is precisely in the role of a modal verb that it “causes confusion” in the ranks of English language learners. Example:
Pat has to go back to Moscow. Pat has to return to Moscow.
According to the logic of modal verbs, the following interrogative sentence suggests itself:
Has Pat to go...
but in fact, only the following option is possible here:
Does Pat have to go back to Moscow?
Respectively:
Pat doesn’t have to go back to Moscow.
The correct form of the verb to have depends on the tense in which it is used and the person in the present tense. Here are examples of all forms:
He has a dog. He had a dog. They are having breakfast.
To better remember the use of the verb have got and other forms of this one of the most popular verbs in English, it will be useful to fill out the table:
|
Statement |
Question |
Negation |
When working with the table, use all forms of words. remember, that have got is used only in the present tense.
First, take sentences from the text, and then use the power of search engines. Also learn to work with different types dictionaries.
Today we will talk about the different forms and functions of one strong English verb have (having). The rule for the formation and use of this verb is quite extensive, but at the same time simple. Once you carefully study the information, you will no longer have problems using it. The whole essence of the verb lies in its versatility. We will try to review each of the functions as easily as possible.
general characteristics
While studying English, we are faced with different options the verb we are interested in: had, has, have, having. The rules for using each of these forms are quite precise, so it is difficult to confuse them if you carefully study all the information. To begin with, we note that this verb can perform the following functions:- A semantic verb, which in translation means “to have”. He has a big house. He has big house. It should be added that the translation into Russian may differ, since the option sounds more literary: He has a big house. An auxiliary verb that serves to form different tense forms. In this case it is not translated. She has done it already. She's already done it. They are having dinner now. We are having lunch now. A modal verb expressing obligation. He has to visit a doctor. He is forced to go to the doctor.
British and American versions
One of the simplest uses of this verb is its use as a semantic one. In this case we will be dealing with the forms have and has, have got and has got. The rule for their application is quite simple: - In British English, the simple form "have" is used to express one-time possession of something. He has a nice toy. He has a beautiful toy. Here we mean that he now has a toy in his hands. When expressing possession of something on an ongoing basis, the form with got will be used in the sentence. He has got a nice toy. In this case, the translation will sound unchanged: “He has a beautiful toy,” but it is implied that this thing belongs to him permanently.
- In the British version, this verb is perceived as strong, so it does not need any help when asking a question. Has he (got) a dog? Does he have a dog? In the American version, the verb is used in pairs with the auxiliary verbs do/does. Do you have a dog? You have a dog?
Features of forms in the present tense
It doesn’t matter which form you choose: has or has got/have got, the rule for forming forms for different persons and numbers must be observed in any case. So, in the present tense this verb has the forms:The same forms are used to form negative sentences.
- He has not (hasn’t) any enemies.He does not (doesn’t) have any enemies.
Past tense
Separately, it is necessary to note the past tense forms for the verb have (having). The rule of application is the same as in the present tense, that is, it is possible to use the British or American style. In this tense, the verb has only one form - had, so there is no need to choose, but when forming questions and negatives, you still have to think a little. For example, the sentence: He had a big pie. He had a big pie. - British version: Had he a big pie? Did he have a big pie?American version: Did he have a big pie? Did he have a big pie?
Have/having: rule of education
A very important function that this verb performs is the formation of different tense forms. This refers to the formation of such verb variants as have done/has done or have been, has been. The rule for the formation of tense formulas in which our verb is involved is:In the present and past tenses, the verb have is perceived as a strong auxiliary and is used to pose questions and negations to a sentence.
- Has he left the city?They hadn’t done it yet.Have you been reading?
- Will you have finished the work by the end of the week?We will not have been sitting.
Modal verb have to
The rule for using this verb as a modal says that it is applicable as an expression of obligation, and the subject himself does not realize the need to perform an action, but this is caused by some circumstances. It is this shade of compulsion that made this form more commonly used in Lately. Translated into Russian, such a verb means “necessary, forced, must, had to,” etc. - He has to do it at once. He is forced to do it right away.
- She has to leave now. She must leave now.
- Do they have to buy it? Should they buy it?You don’t have to read this book. You don't have to read this book.
Phraseologisms
In the end, I would like to remind you that in combination with some words, our verb can lose its direct meaning and be translated completely differently. Most often in such cases, when asking questions and denials, the auxiliary verb do/does/did is used.
- She has lunch at 1. She has lunch at 1.We had a talk after dinner. After dinner we talked.Did you have a bath? Have you already bought? I didn’t have a smoke yet. I haven't smoked yet.
In the present and past tenses, it can merge with the negative particle not, in which the letter o is dropped and an apostrophe is used instead.
Conjugation of the verb have in Present Tense
| Affirmative form | Negative form | Interrogative form |
|---|---|---|
| I have (I've) | I have not (haven’t) | Have I? |
| you have (you've) | you have not (haven’t) | Have you? |
| he has (he's) | he has not (hasn’t) | Has he? |
| she has (she's) | she has not (hasn’t) | Has she? |
| it has (it's) | it has not (hasn’t) | Has it? |
| we have (we've) | we have not (haven’t) | Have we? |
| you have (you've) | you have not (haven’t) | Have you? |
| they have (they've) | they have not (haven’t) | Have they? |
NOTE:
The British English language is characterized by the formation of interrogative and negative forms with this verb without the auxiliary verb do, if isolated cases (actions) are meant, and with the help auxiliary verb do, if we mean constant possession (presence). Moreover, in the present tense in the first case in colloquial speech the construction with the verb is more often used get.
For example:
Have you (got) time for a game of chess?
Do you (now) have time to play chess?
Have you (got) any brothers?
Do you have brothers?
For American English and variants characteristic of other English-speaking countries, the use of forms with the auxiliary verb do is in all cases preferable.
For example, where an American might say: Can you help me now? Do you have time?, the Englishman will say: Can you help me now? Have you got time?
In cases where the verb have is used without the auxiliary verb do, the negative form is formed using the negation not (in the short form haven’t) or the negation before the noun, which in this case is used without an article.
Have you (got) a sister? - Do You have a sister? -
No, I have not. No.
I have no sister. I have no sister.
In the 3rd person singular, the contractions for the verbs be and have are the same, i.e. ‘s.
She's a doctor. = She is a doctor.
She's a book. = She has a book.
Conjugation of the verb have in Past Tense
| Affirmative form | Negative form | Interrogative form |
|---|---|---|
| I had (I'd) | I had not (hadn’t) | Had I? |
| you had (you'd) | you had not (hadn’t) | Had you? |
| he had (he'd) | he had not (hadn’t) | Had he? |
| she had (she'd) | she had not (hadn’t) | Had she? |
| it had | it had not (hadn’t) | Had it? |
| we had (we'd) | we had not (hadn’t) | Had we? |
| you had (you'd) | you had not (hadn’t) | Had you? |
| they had (they'd) | they had not (hadn’t) | Had they? |
Use
The verb to have is used:
- 1. As an independent verb in the meaning of “to have”, “to possess”.
We have a summer cottage. We have a dacha.
As noted above, the meaning of “to have”, “to possess” in the British version is also conveyed by the combination have got.
I have(have got = I’ve got) an interesting book.
I have an interesting book.
Have did you get the latest newspaper? -
Do you have last number newspapers (fresh newspaper)? -
No, I haven't got it.
No, I don't have one.
In the interrogative and negative forms, the auxiliary verb do is used to express ordinary actions (but not with the combination have got).
Do you have dinner at home?
Do you have lunch at home?
I don't have dinner at home very often.
I don't have lunch at home very often.
The interrogative and negative forms with the verb have meaning “to have” can be formed in two ways.
- 2. As an auxiliary verb in combination with Past Participle (3rd form of the main verb) to form the following tenses:
I have been in hospital. I was in the hospital.
Doesn't have dug the patch for potatoes. He dug up a plot for potatoes.
Have you heard the new rock-group? Have you listened to the new rock band?
- 3. As a modal verb in combination with an infinitive in the meaning of obligation, conditioned by circumstances (i.e., the need to perform an action, as required by conditions, circumstances, situation). The combination have to in such cases is translated must, need to, necessary, have to. In this meaning, the interrogative and negative forms are formed using the auxiliary verb do.
I have to go there. I must go there (i.e. I have to go there, I am forced to go there).
He has to take a bus to get to his office. He has to take a bus to his work.
In dialogues, the combinations have to/had to are often used independently, that is, the infinitive itself is omitted, but is implied.
Why do you put on your raincoat? - Why are you wearing a cloak? -
I have to. It looks like rain. I have to (put it on). It looks like it will rain.
Why do you wear spectacles? - Why do you wear glasses? -
I have to(wear them). I am short-sighted. I am forced (to wear them). I'm nearsighted.
I didn't want to stop but I had to(stop) as I needed petrol.
I didn't want to stop, but I had to because I ran out of gas (I needed gas).
- 4. The verb to have in combination with nouns forms a whole series of phraseological expressions that have the meaning of a verb.
to have a talk - talk
to have supper - have dinner
to have a smoke - smoke
to have lunch - have breakfast
to have a swim - swim
to have a bath - take a bath
to have a rest - relax
to have difficulties/troubles - encounter difficulties/troubles
to have a good holiday - have a good holiday/vacation
to have dinner - have lunch
Interrogative (if it is general question or the question is not directed to the subject) and the negative forms with these expressions are formed using the auxiliary verb do.
When do you have supper? When do you have dinner?
Did you have breakfast? Did you have breakfast?
The construction have + object + Past Participle expresses an action that is, has been, or will be performed by someone for the speaker or for the person indicated by the speaker.
The verb to have in English, along with the verbs to be and to do, plays one of the key roles in the construction of phrases and sentences in relation to all tenses used. Depending on the context in which the semantic phrase is used, its meaning can be completely different.
Verb to have: basic meaning
As for the main use of this verb, so to speak, in its pure form, it is most often translated or defined as “to have” or “to possess.”
In the simplest case, when the phrase is constructed in a singular or plural first and third person, it is used in the basic form. For example, I (we, they, you) have a dog - “I (we, they, you) have a dog.” However, for the third person singular and for constructing sentences indicating a past (accomplished) event, other forms are used.
Conjugation
In order to fully understand the specifics of its application, the verb has (had) as a derivative of the basic indefinite form to have should be considered precisely in the context of conjugation using persons and tenses. The meaning put into any phrase will depend on this.
The forms of the verb have (or more correctly, to have) look like this.
Please note that in relation to the pronoun you, the verb is used in the same form, but sometimes in English the pronoun itself can have the context of both references to “you” and references to “you”. In the American language, everything is simpler in this regard. The fact is that it always uses the “you” address, even in the sense of using the verb to be (in this case, its forms are).
For example, the phrase Are you sure? Can be translated both as “Are you sure?” and as “Are you sure?” The same is true with the verb to have.
Verb has (had): difference in usage
Based on the above system of conjugation of the main verb, it is not difficult to draw a conclusion about the use of some of its forms. As is already clear, the English verbs “has” refer to the third person present tense (he, she, it), and the form “had” is a derivative for constructing sentences of the past tense for any person and number (this will be discussed separately).
Using a verb in the present tense
As already mentioned, the basic form of to have and its derivative ( English verb has in particular) in the present tense denote the possession of something (as was shown in the example above).
The form changes from have to has only when the person and number change. That is, has is used exclusively in cases where the main pronoun is he, she or it (third person singular). For example, She has a dog - “She has a dog.” This one is simple. However, the correct form of the verb has is the main verb to have (indefinite form).
Using a verb in the past tense
With the past tense things are not so simple. The point here is that phrases may not be limited to the use of the special form had, and therefore a sentence may have different meanings in terms of the period of time when a certain action occurred.
To make it clearer, let's look at two examples. For the first case, let's take the phrase I had a pen. It can be translated as “I had a pen” (once upon a time). But if you use two forms of the main verb in the sentence I have had a pen, the meaning changes radically. This expression can also be interpreted as “I had a pen,” but the action has just ended. Roughly speaking, the pen was there a few moments ago, but now it’s gone.
In addition, the verb to have can be used with other verbs, but together they indicate different time periods of actions and their completeness. Thus, the phrase I have visited an exhibition can be translated as “I visited (visited) the exhibition” (just now). But when the sentence I have been visiting an exhibition is used (or with the abbreviation I've been - forms of the verb have can also have this form like shortened versions of to be in affirmative, interrogative or negative sentences), the interpretation implies that visiting the exhibition as lasting action took place at the very moment in question.
If the sentence also contains a past tense verb, the meaning changes accordingly (I’ve been visited... - “I was visited (by someone)”, “I was visited/visited”).
But participles may also be present, for example, I’ve been crying - “I cried / cried” at the very moment in question (literally - “I was / was crying / crying”).
By the way, Americans often add the verb to get when constructing past tense phrases. In this case, the phrase I’ve got.. is almost equivalent to a regular past tense sentence, although it can be literally translated as “I received/received”, “I became/became the owner”, etc.
Constructing sentences in the future tense
The conjugation of the verb has, hopefully, is already clear, although by and large this is an absolutely incorrect formulation of the question, since it is not the verb has that is conjugated, but its basic form to have. But let's move on to constructing sentences in the future tense. There is a lot of interesting things here too. As a rule, to describe actions in the near future, that is, if something needs to be done right now, the verb to have can also be used, but in this case it means some kind of obligation. True, in the Russian language there is no pure analogue to such phrases. Let's explain with an example.
The phrase I have to go into Russian can be literally translated as “I have to go.” Brad, isn't it? To adjust in terms of the described obligation, the translation “I must leave” is used, which more clearly describes English phrase I must go. But a complete analogy in translation can be found in the same Ukrainian language, which in this regard is somewhat closer to European ones. Literally, the above phrase can be translated as “I may go,” which means “I must (must) leave.” In this case, the meaning includes an action that needs to be performed now or in some period of time after voicing the intention.
Inconsistencies between English and American: Interrogative Sentences
Let's leave the verb has (had) aside for now and look at some of the nuances that can be found in pure English and unified American languages. From the point of view of constructing interrogative sentences, in English they must begin with a main verb denoting a specific action. In other words, you could ask your interlocutor whether he has a dog using the phrase Have you a dog?. From an English point of view this is correct. But Americans often add the action verb to do to the seemingly main verb to have, which fulfills main role. Thus, the question about a dog in the American version looks like this: Do you have a dog?
In addition, very often you can find phrases like “You have a dog?”, and in interrogative form. If translated, this phrase could mean surprise, “Oh, you have a dog?” The emphasis is either on the word “is” or on the word “dog”. In other words, the question implies ordinary surprise at a certain fact. By the way, classic rules Americans simply ignore the construction of sentences of any time or any level of complexity, in contrast to the inhabitants of old England with its established traditions.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the above, the verb has (had) is just one of the forms of the main verb to have. And its use, depending on the type of situation, can be completely different. But, I think, the main aspects are already clear to most readers using the simplest examples. By and large, the American language is easier for residents of non-English-speaking countries, and it is simply impossible to learn English, not to mention the Scottish or Irish dialect, without living in the UK with everyday communication.