Uses of verb to have [As main verb and Helping/auxiliary verb]

Forms of verb "To have"

Present (V1)	Past (V2)	Past Participle (V3)	Present Participle
have, has	had	had	having

1. "To have" as a main verb

• "To have" as a main verb typically indicates possession or ownership, such as "I have a car", or experiences, like "She had a cold."

1. Present form - have/has (As a main verb)

Positive	Negative	Yes/No Question	Wh Question
I have a car.	I do not have a car.	Do I have a car?	What do I have?
You have a dog.	You do not have a dog.	Do you have a dog?	What do you have?
He has a book.	He does not have a book.	Does he have a book?	What does he have?
She has a cat.	She does not have a cat.	Does she have a cat?	What does she have?
It has a tail.	It does not have a tail.	Does it have a tail?	What does it have?
We have time.	We do not have time.	Do we have time?	What do we have?
They have a meeting.	They do not have a meeting.	Do they have a meeting?	What do they have?
The student has a pen.	The student does not have a pen.	Does the student have a pen?	What does the student have?

2. Past form - had (As a main verb)

Positive	Negative	Yes/No Question	Wh Question
I had a car.	I did not have a car.	Did I have a car?	What did I have?
You had a dog.	You did not have a dog.	Did you have a dog?	What did you have?
He had a book.	He did not have a book.	Did he have a book?	What did he have?
She had a cat.	She did not have a cat.	Did she have a cat?	What did she have?
It had a tail.	It did not have a tail.	Did it have a tail?	What did it have?
We had time.	We did not have time.	Did we have time?	What did we have?
They had a meeting.	They did not have a meeting.	Did they have a meeting?	What did they have?
The student had a pen.	The student did not have a pen.	Did the student have a pen?	What did the student have?

3. Past Participle - had (As a main verb)

• Can be used in perfect tenses.

Positive	Negative	Yes/No Question	Wh Question
I have had a car.	I have not had a car.	Have I had a car?	What have I had?
You have had a dog.	You have not had a dog.	Have you had a dog?	What have you had?
He have had a book.	He have not had a book.	Have he had a book?	What have he had?
She have had a cat.	She have not had a cat.	Have she had a cat?	What have she had?
It have had a tail.	It have not had a tail.	Have it had a tail?	What have it had?
We have had time.	We have not had time.	Have we had time?	What have we had?
They have had a meeting.	They have not had a meeting.	Have they had a meeting?	What have they had?
The student have had a pen.	The student have not had a pen.	Have the student had a pen?	What have the student had?

4. Present Participle - having (As a main verb)

• Can be used in continuous tenses.

Positive	Negative	Yes/No Question	Wh Question
I am having lunch.	I am not having lunch.	Am I having lunch?	What am I having?
You are having coffee.	You are not having coffee.	Are you having coffee?	What are you having?
He is having a meeting.	He is not having a meeting.	Is he having a meeting?	What is he having?
She is having a snack.	She is not having a snack.	Is she having a snack?	What is she having?
It is having a bath.	It is not having a bath.	Is it having a bath?	What is it having?
We are having dinner.	We are not having dinner.	Are we having dinner?	What are we having?
They are having fun.	They are not having fun.	Are they having fun?	Why are they having fun?
The student is having a break.	The student is not having a break.	Is the student having a break?	What is the student having?

2. "To have" as a helping (auxiliary) verb

• "To have" as a helping verb is used to form perfect tenses, which indicate actions that are completed in relation to the present, past, or future.

1. Present form - have/has (As a helping/auxiliary verb)

Present Perfect Tense:

Positive	Negative	Yes/No Question	Wh Question
I have done the work.	I have not done the work.	Have I done the work?	What have I done?
You have cleaned the room.	You have not cleaned the room.	Have you cleaned the room?	What have you cleaned?
He has eaten lunch.	He has not eaten lunch.	Has he eaten lunch?	What has he eaten?
She has written a letter.	She has not written a letter.	Has she written a letter?	What has she written?
It has broken down.	It has not broken down.	Has it broken down?	What has broken down?
We have made dinner.	We have not made dinner.	Have we made dinner?	What have we made?
They have finished the project.	They have not finished the project.	Have they finished the project?	What have they finished?
The student has answered the question.	The student has not answered the question.	Has the student answered the question?	What has the student answered?

1. Past form - had (As a helping/auxiliary verb)

Past Perfect Tense:

Positive	Negative	Yes/No Question	Wh Question
I had done the homework.	I had not done the homework.	Had I done the homework?	What had I done?
You had eaten breakfast.	You had not eaten breakfast.	Had you eaten breakfast?	What had you eaten?
He had finished the task.	He had not finished the task.	Had he finished the task?	What had he finished?
She had watched the movie.	She had not watched the movie.	Had she watched the movie?	What had she watched?
It had collapsed by morning.	It had not collapsed by morning.	Had it collapsed by morning?	What had collapsed by morning?
We had planned a trip.	We had not planned a trip.	Had we planned a trip?	What had we planned?
They had started the meeting.	They had not started the meeting.	Had they started the meeting?	What had they started?
The teacher had taught the lesson.	The teacher had not taught the lesson.	Had the teacher taught the lesson?	What had the teacher taught?

The verb "to have" plays a crucial role in English grammar, both in expressing possession and in constructing complex tenses that reflect the completion of actions at different points in time.

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FAQs: Uses of the Verb "To Have" (Main Verb & Helping Verb)

1. What are the uses of the verb "to have"?

The verb "to have" is used as a main verb to show possession and as a helping verb to form perfect tenses.

2. How is "have" used as a main verb?

As a main verb, "have" means to own, hold, or experience something. Example: "I have a bicycle."

3. How is "have" used as a helping/auxiliary verb?

As a helping verb, "have" is used with the past participle to form perfect tenses. Example: "She has finished her work."

4. What are examples of "has," "have," and "had"?

"Has" is used with he/she/it, "have" with I/you/we/they, and "had" is the past form. Examples: "He has a book." "We have dinner." "They had a meeting."

5. What is the difference between "have" and "have got"?

Both mean possession. "I have a car" and "I have got a car" are similar, but "have got" is more common in British English.

6. What tenses use "have" as a helping verb?

"Have" helps form present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses. Examples: "I have eaten," "She had gone," "They will have arrived."

7. Can "have" be used in questions and negatives?

Yes. As a main verb, use "do/does/did" in questions and negatives: "Do you have a pen?" "He does not have time."

8. How can I learn to use "have" correctly?

Practice sentences with both possession and perfect tenses. Listen to native speakers and complete grammar exercises daily.

See also:

1. Uses of verb "to do"
2. Uses of verb "to be"
3. Helping or Auxiliary Verbs - Types, Uses & Examples

References

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