There are three main types of verbs in English: to be, to have, to do (to be, to have, to do). Each of them is extremely important for building grammatical tenses, expressing modality and as part of set expressions and phrases. The English verb have got (has got) is used in British English. It translates as "to have, to own, to possess." The main feature of this verb is that it can act as a full-fledged (semantic), auxiliary (together with semantic), or modal (indicates an attitude to an action, the possibility or necessity of its implementation).
Have (has) in Present Simple (present)
The present simple is characterized by a change to has for the third person singular. The verb can take the form of an affirmative, negative, or interrogative.
As full-valued or semantic in this case, it is conjugated as follows:
- Have (for I, we, you, they).
- Has (for he, she, it).
Examples:
He has a lot ofwork. He (has) a lot of work to do.
She has a lot of free time in summer. She (has) a lot of free time in the summer.
The conjugation of the verbs has and have in the simple present tense is the easiest to remember. These forms are considered at the very beginning of language learning. They are constantly heard and further the topic only expands and consolidates.
The auxiliary verb do/does is used in the negative and interrogative forms.
Examples:
I don't have enough money to visit USA this year. I don't have enough money to travel to America this year.
Does she have a notebook? Does she have a laptop?
Has (had) in Past Simple (past)
When forming the past simple tense of the verb have as semantic, it changes form to had. In this case, the translation sounds like "had, owned, possessed." Has is an irregular verb and is therefore listed in the corresponding table. In the past tense for all persons, it is used in the form had.
Examples:
I had a white table. I had a white table.
He had many toys when he was a kid. He had many toys when he was a child.
In the interrogative or negative form of the past simple tense, the verb did is added to have, which is an auxiliary.
Examples:
I didn't have mobile phone to call her during the trip. I didn't have a mobile phone to call her during the trip.
Did she have a brother or sister? Did she have a brother or sister?
Have (has) in Future Simple (future)
To express possession in the Future Simple, have is used with the auxiliary verb will. It is the same for all persons. The verb has (rule) in this form is appropriate to express a planned future.
Example:
She has her meeting planned at 10pm tomorrow. She has a meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 22.00.
She will have many books. She will have many books.
I will not have a cat this year. I won't have a cat this year.
Will we have new equipment? Will we have new equipment?
Conjugation has (had)
According to the table of irregular verbs, have/has has the second and third forms had. The latter is called the past participle. Consider the conjugation using the example she has (she has) in the past and present.
Present Ind. – she has
Present Cont. – she is having
Present Perfect – she has had
Past Ind. – she had
Past Cont. – she was having
Past Perfect – she had had
Present Perfect Continuous – she has been having
Past Perfect Continuous – she had been having
By the same principle, the verb as a semantic one is used in other tenses of the English language. To remember all possible options, take a stable or figurative expression with have / had and “run” it through a special table. Working with visual, auditory memory and imaginative thinkingwill not be in vain, and we will easily use the necessary form when you need to build whole sentences. The verb has (had) is one of the most frequently used, and when its use is brought to automatism in a grammatical context, work on vocabulary and colloquial speech will be much more effective.
Has (had) as an auxiliary verb
This form is used to form all variants of the perfect tense with any verbs except modal. The conjugation will be the same as in the case of the full-valued variant. The auxiliary verb has is used to form the tenses of the Perfect group, agreement and the subjunctive mood.
Examples:
I've heard enough. I've heard enough.
Have you ever been to London? Have you ever been to London?
Has (had) to express modality
In this case, the verb has (had) is paired with a semantic one (in an indefinite form). It expresses the need to perform some action caused by circumstances. The second case is to give advice or recommendations if necessary. When expressing modality, the verb have is conjugated in the same way as the semantic one. The following cases are worth considering:
1. Duty or strict necessity.
We have to go now, there is no Stop sign. We have to go now, there is no stop sign here.
In this case, the use of the modal verb have to is caused by the need to explain any actions taken under the influence of externalcircumstances.
It is often in this case that confusion arises in the use of must and have to. However, there is a clear rule: the first is used to express the need for action due to personal aspirations.
2. Assumption or logical conclusion.
Most people are wearing hats outside. It has to be cold. Most are now wearing hats on the street. It must be cold in there.
The use of the verb have to in this case is necessary in order to explain on the basis of which any conclusions were drawn. In most cases, must is used for such a situation.
3. Recommendation or advice.
You have to watch this movie. It'll be useful for your history lessons. You must watch this movie. It will be useful for your history lessons.
In this case, the verb have to is intended to convince the interlocutor to do something. In Russian, the translation sounds like “should.”
Has (had) in idioms and set expressions
The versatility of the verb have often leads to difficulties in its use and translation. Such sentences cannot be conveyed verbatim; one has to look for variants corresponding to the native language. Difficulties with translation can also arise in the case of using clichés or idioms with the verb has (had). You can’t convey them verbatim, and you have to guess by the meaning, or just memorize a whole series of phrases. The easiest way to do this is to break down the use cases thematically.
Food related examples:
Have breakfast - have breakfast, have tea - drink tea, have adrink - drink.
Examples mentioning meetings and pastimes:
Have a good time - have a good time, have a meeting - make an appointment.
Examples related to thoughts and emotions:
Have a clue - have an idea, have an opinion - have an opinion, have a plan - have a plan.
After considering several categories of idioms with the verb have, choose for yourself the most used or possible for frequent use in everyday or business communication. Work through them in real sentences, say them out loud a few times, or read them. Compiling sentences with new expressions and idioms will be extremely effective. The combination of visual and auditory memory will give good results for memorization.
The verb has (had) is one of the most used in the English language, and all thanks to its versatility. It can be semantic, auxiliary, modal and be part of various idioms and clichés designed to enrich your speech and make it more natural for a foreign interlocutor. Consider each of the functions of the verb in more detail, work through in real conversational and written tasks and situations. During communication and when listening to original audio materials in English, pay attention to how and in combination with which words the verb have is used. Systemic knowledge, practice and attentiveness will allow you to master this voluminous and interesting grammatical topic quickly enough.
