Home of English Grammar

Grammar Guide
  • Home
  • Exercises
  • Rules
  • Test Yourself
  • Tools
    • Grammar Checker
    • Word Counter
  • Top Social Media Posts
  • Vocabulary
  • Writing Guides
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Learning / Have as an ordinary verb and an auxiliary verb

Have as an ordinary verb and an auxiliary verb

March 21, 2016 - pdf

Have can be used as a main verb. In this case it indicates ideas such as possession.

  • I have a Mercedes car.
  • She has a good job.
  • He has two daughters.
  • They have an apartment in the city.
  • She has several friends.

Have can also be used as an auxiliary verb. As an auxiliary, have helps other verbs to form the present and past perfect tense forms.

Have has three forms. The forms have and has are used in the present tense. The form had is used in the past tense.

  • I have seen this.
  • She has gone to the market.
  • They have left.
  • I have forgotten your name.
  • I had sent the parcel yesterday.
  • She said that she had taken the money.

Have can be followed by a to-infinitive. This structure expresses ideas such as compulsion and obligation.

  • I have to be there by 8 o’clock.
  • He had to pay the money back.
  • You have to face the consequences of your action.

Have + had

Sometimes the auxiliary verb have combines with the past participle form of the finite verb have.
Examples are given below.

  • I have had my breakfast. (= I have eaten my breakfast.)
  • She has had a wash. (= She has taken a wash.)
  • We have had enough of this. (= We have experienced enough of this.)
  • Share
  • Post
  • Post
  • Email
2,485,429 
735,807 

Grammar Checker

GrammarCheck.net - Try online
Hint → Bookmark GrammarCheck for future use.

Latest Exercises

  • Prepositions Exercise for ESL Students November 30, 2025
  • B1 Level Grammar Exercise November 29, 2025
  • ESL Grammar Exercise – Prepositions And Conjunctions November 28, 2025
  • Enough, Too, So November 27, 2025
  • Relative Pronouns And Adverbs Exercise November 24, 2025
  • Tenses in Subordinate Clauses ESL Grammar Exercise November 22, 2025
  • Gap Filling General Grammar Exercise November 21, 2025
  • Intermediate Level ESL Grammar Exercise Gap Filling November 20, 2025
  • Gerund vs. Infinitive ESL Grammar Exercise November 19, 2025

Copyright © 2025 · EnglishGrammar.org
Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Sitemap