Lesson 64 · Stage 5: Passive, reporting & questions
“Have something done”
IntermediateForm & use
have/get + object + V3 — arranging for someone else to do it
1.Form
have + thing + V3 means you arrange or pay for someone else to do it — you don't do it yourself. Have changes for tense; the thing and the V3 stay in the same order.
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present simple | I have my car serviced every six months. |
| Present continuous | We're having the kitchen painted this week. |
| Past simple | Mai had her nails done yesterday. |
| Present perfect | Have you had your eyes tested recently? |
| Future | I'm going to have my hair cut tomorrow. |
| After a modal | You should have the brakes checked. |
| Negative / question | I didn't have it repaired. / Where do you have your hair cut? |
Here have is an ordinary verb, so questions and negatives use do / does / did: Did you have your teeth checked? (not: Had you your teeth checked?).
2.When to use it
1. Paying or asking someone to do a service for you — repairs, haircuts, nails, cleaning, check-ups…
We had the roof repaired after the storm.
Linh had her photo taken for her CV.
I'm too busy to clean the flat, so I have it cleaned every Friday.
2. get + thing + V3 — the same meaning as have, but more informal and very common in speech. Get sometimes suggests you finally managed to get it done.
My laptop was very slow, so I got it repaired at a shop.
Where do you usually get your car washed?
I finally got my visa sorted out.
3. Something bad happens to someone's things or body — here the subject did not arrange anything; they are simply the one affected
Hung had his bike stolen outside the cinema.
Hung didn't arrange this!
She had her bag snatched in the street.
I cut my hair usually means you cut it yourself. To say a hairdresser did it, use I had / got my hair cut (or I got a haircut). The same goes for I repaired my bike vs I had my bike repaired.
3.Structures that are easy to confuse
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I cut my hair. | I cut it myself. |
| I had my hair cut. | A hairdresser cut it for me. |
| I had cut my hair. | Past perfect: I had cut it myself (before another past moment). |
| I had the barber cut my hair. | have + person + base verb: says who did it (more common in American English). |
| I got my brother to cut my hair. | get + person + to + verb: you persuaded someone to do it. |
Quick check: if the thing comes between have and the V3 (had my hair cut), someone else did it. If the V3 comes right after had (had cut my hair), it's the past perfect.
4.Common mistakes
I had cut my hair at the barber's yesterday.I had my hair cut at the barber's yesterday.
The thing goes between have and the V3; had cut is the past perfect.
She's getting her jacket clean before the party.She's getting her jacket cleaned before the party.
Use the V3 (cleaned) after the thing, not an adjective or base form.
We need to have the windows wash.We need to have the windows washed.
Use the V3 after the thing.
I'm going to have cut my hair this weekend.I'm going to have my hair cut this weekend.
The order is have + thing + V3.
Had you your teeth checked last year?Did you have your teeth checked last year?
Have is an ordinary verb here → ask with did.
I repaired my phone at a shop near my house.I had my phone repaired at a shop near my house.
The shop fixed it, not you → have + thing + V3.
Examples
- I'm going to have my hair cut tomorrow.
- We had our kitchen painted last month. It looks great now.
- You keep holding your phone so close. You should have your eyes tested.
- We had the roof repaired after the storm last week.
