Had vs. Have — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 14, 2024
"Had" is the past tense form of "have," indicating possession, necessity, or completion in the past, while "have" is used in the present tense for similar purposes.
Difference Between Had and Have
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Had" is used to discuss actions or states that were completed in the past, such as in "I had dinner early yesterday," whereas "have" is used for the present, as in "I have dinner at home today."
In terms of grammatical structure, "had" serves as both the simple past form and the past participle of "have," while "have" functions as the base form for present constructions, including the present perfect tense when combined with a past participle.
"Had" is often used in conditional or hypothetical statements, like "If I had known, I would have come earlier," on the other hand, "have" is essential in forming the present perfect tense, indicating actions that occurred at an unspecified time before now, e.g., "I have finished my work."
When expressing necessity or obligation, "had" is used in the past form, typically in the expression "had to," such as in "I had to leave early," whereas "have" is used in the present, as in "I have to go now."
While "had" can also be used to form the past perfect tense, indicating that one action was completed before another in the past, "have" helps in constructing expressions that link the past with the present, such as in "I have been here since morning."
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Comparison Chart
Tense
Past
Present
Example Use
I had a car.
I have a car.
Function
Simple past and past participle of "have"
Base form and present perfect of "have"
Expressions
Had to (past necessity)
Have to (present necessity)
Usage in Sentences
Used for past actions or conditions
Used for present or ongoing actions or conditions
Compare with Definitions
Had
Used to express necessity or obligation in the past.
She had to attend the meeting yesterday.
Have
Indicates current possession.
I have a meeting in ten minutes.
Had
Past participle in perfect tenses.
He had been there before.
Have
Forms present perfect tense.
They have completed their assignment.
Had
Past tense of "have," indicating past possession.
I had three books on my desk.
Have
Describes experiences or actions connected to the present.
I have seen that movie twice.
Had
Forms past perfect tense.
We had arrived before the concert started.
Have
Used to express current obligations.
I have to finish this today.
Had
Expresses conditions in hypothetical or past situations.
If you had told me, I could have helped.
Have
Indicates a habitual action or state.
I have lunch at noon every day.
Had
Past tense and past participle of have.
Have
Possess, own, or hold
Have you got a job yet?
He had a new car and a boat
I don't have that much money on me
Had
Simple past tense and past participle of have|cap=1.
This morning I had an egg for breakfast.
A good time was had by all.
Have
Experience; undergo
I went to a few parties and had a good time
I was having difficulty in keeping awake
Had
Used to form the past perfect tense, expressing an action that took place prior to a reference point that is itself in the past.
I felt sure that I had seen him before.
Have
Be obliged or find it necessary to do the specified thing
Sorry, we've got to dash
You don't have to accept this situation
Had
As past subjunctive: would have.
Have
Perform the action indicated by the noun specified (used especially in spoken English as an alternative to a more specific verb)
He had a look round
The colour green has a restful effect
Had
See Have.
And lever me is be pore and trewe.[And more agreeable to me it is to be poor and true.]
Him had been lever to be syke.[To him it had been preferable to be sick.]
For him was lever have at his bed's headTwenty bookes, clad in black or red, . . . Than robes rich, or fithel, or gay sawtrie.
Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
You were best hang yourself.
Me rather had my heart might feel your loveThan my unpleased eye see your courtesy.
I hadde levere than my scherte,That ye hadde rad his legende, as have I.
I had as lief not be as live to beIn awe of such a thing as I myself.
I had rather be a dog and bay the moon,Than such a Roman.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Have
Show (a personal attribute or quality) by one's actions or attitude
He had little patience with technological gadgetry
You never even phoned, and now you've got the cheek to come back
Have
Place or keep (something) in a particular position
Mary had her back to me
I soon had the trout in a net
Have
Be the recipient of (something sent, given, or done)
She had a letter from Mark
Have
Used with a past participle to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses, and the conditional mood
He had asked her
I have finished
She will have left by now
‘Have you seen him?’ ‘Yes, I have.’
I could have helped, had I known
Have
People with plenty of money and possessions
An increasing gap between the haves and have-nots
Have
A swindle.
Have
To be in possession of
Already had a car.
Have
To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function
Has a beard.
Had a great deal of energy.
Have
To possess or contain as a constituent part
A car that has air bags.
Have
To occupy a particular relation to
Had many disciples.
Have
To possess knowledge of or facility in
Has very little Spanish.
Have
To hold in the mind; entertain
Had doubts about their loyalty.
Have
To use or exhibit in action
Have compassion.
Have
To come into possession of; acquire
Not one copy of the book was to be had in the entire town.
Have
To receive; get
I had a letter from my cousin.
Have
To accept; take
I'll have the peas instead of the spinach.
Have
To suffer from
Have defective vision.
Have
To be subject to the experience of
Had a difficult time last winter.
Have
To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion
Had my assistant run the errand.
Have
To cause to be in a specified place or state
Had the guests in the dining room.
Had everyone fascinated.
Have
To permit; allow
I won't have that kind of behavior in my house.
Have
To carry on, perform, or execute
Have an argument.
Have
To place at a disadvantage
Your opponent in the debate had you on every issue.
Have
(Informal) To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception
They realized too late that they'd been had by a swindler.
Have
(Informal) To influence by dishonest means; bribe
An incorruptible official who could not be had.
Have
To procreate (offspring)
Wanted to have a child.
Have
To give birth to; bear
She's going to have a baby.
Have
To partake of
Have lunch.
Have
To be obliged to; must
We simply have to get there on time.
Have
Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action
The troublemaker has gone for good. I regretted that I had lost my temper. They will have finished by the time we arrive.
Have
One enjoying especially material wealth
"The gulf widens between the feast of the haves and the famine of the have-nots" (Salman Rushdie).
Have
(transitive) To possess, own.
I have a house and a car.
Have
(transitive) To hold, as something at someone's disposal.
Look what I have here—a frog I found on the street!
Have
(transitive) To include as a part, ingredient, or feature.
The stove has a handle. The shirt has sleeves.
The words cow and dog have three letters.
A government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial.
The movie has lots of action.
Have
(transitive) Used to state the existence or presence of someone in a specified relationship with the subject.
I have two sisters.
She doesn’t have any friends.
I have a really mean boss.
Have
(transitive) To consume or use up (a particular substance or resource, especially food or drink).
I have breakfast at six o'clock.
You've already had five drinks!
She's had more than enough time already.
Have
(transitive) To undertake or perform (an action or activity).
Can I have a look at that?
He's having a tantrum about it.
I’m going to have a bath now.
Let’s have a game of tiddlywinks.
Have
(transitive) To be scheduled to attend, undertake or participate in.
What class do you have right now? I have English.
Fred won’t be able to come to the party; he has a meeting that day.
I have a lot of work to do.
Have
To experience, go through, undergo.
We had a hard year last year, with the locust swarms and all that.
He had surgery on his hip yesterday.
I’m having the time of my life!
Have
To be afflicted with, suffer from.
He had a cold last week.
Have
(auxiliary verb, taking a past participle) Used in forming the perfect aspect.
I have already eaten today.
I had already eaten.
I will have left by the time you get here.
Have
Used as an interrogative verb before a pronoun to form a tag question, echoing a previous use of 'have' as an auxiliary verb or, in certain cases, main verb. (For further discussion, see the appendix English tag questions.)
They haven’t eaten dinner yet, have they?
Your wife hasn’t been reading that nonsense, has she?
He has some money, hasn’t he?
Have
See have to.
I have to go.
Have
(transitive) To give birth to.
The couple always wanted to have children.
My wife is having the baby right now!
My mother had me when she was 25.
Have
(usually passive) To obtain.
The substance you describe can't be had at any price.
Have
(transitive) To accept as a romantic partner.
Despite my protestations of love, she would not have me.
Have
To cause to, by a command, request or invitation.
They had me feed their dog while they were out of town.
Her very boyfriend is the person the criminal has do most of her dirty deeds.
Have
To cause to be.
He had him arrested for trespassing.
The lecture’s ending had the entire audience in tears.
Jim has his eyes closed.
Have
To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.)
The hospital had several patients contract pneumonia last week.
I’ve had three people today tell me my hair looks nice.
Have
To depict as being.
Their stories differed; he said he’d been at work when the incident occurred, but her statement had him at home that entire evening.
Have
To defeat in a fight; take.
I could have him!
Have
To inflict punishment or retribution on.
You broke the window! Teacher’ll have you for that!
Have
To be able to speak (a language).
I have no German.
Have
To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of.
Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before.
Have
To trick, to deceive.
I bought a laptop online but it never arrived. I think I've been had!
You had me alright! I never would have thought that was just a joke.
Have
To allow; to tolerate.
The child screamed incessantly for his mother to buy him a toy, but she wasn't having any of it.
I asked my dad if I could go to the concert this Thursday, but he wouldn't have it since it's a school night.
Have
To believe, buy, be taken in by.
I made up an excuse as to why I was out so late, but my wife wasn't having any of it.
Have
(transitive) To host someone; to take in as a guest.
Thank you for having me!
Have
(transitive) To get a reading, measurement, or result from an instrument or calculation.
What do you have for problem two?
I have two contacts on my scope.
Have
To consider a court proceeding that has been completed; to begin deliberations on a case.
We’ll schedule closing arguments for Thursday, and the jury will have the case by that afternoon.
Have
To make an observation of (a bird species).
Have
A wealthy or privileged person.
Have
(uncommon) One who has some (contextually specified) thing.
Have
A fraud or deception; something misleading.
They advertise it as a great deal, but I think it's a bit of a have.
Have
To hold in possession or control; to own; as, he has a farm.
Have
To possess, as something which appertains to, is connected with, or affects, one.
The earth hath bubbles, as the water has.
He had a fever late.
Have
To accept possession of; to take or accept.
Break thy mind to me in broken English; wilt thou have me?
Have
To get possession of; to obtain; to get.
Have
To cause or procure to be; to effect; to exact; to desire; to require.
I had the church accurately described to me.
Wouldst thou have me turn traitor also?
Have
To bear, as young; as, she has just had a child.
Have
To hold, regard, or esteem.
Of them shall I be had in honor.
Have
To cause or force to go; to take.
Have
To take or hold (one's self); to proceed promptly; - used reflexively, often with ellipsis of the pronoun; as, to have after one; to have at one or at a thing, i. e., to aim at one or at a thing; to attack; to have with a companion.
Have
To be under necessity or obligation; to be compelled; followed by an infinitive.
Science has, and will long have, to be a divider and a separatist.
The laws of philology have to be established by external comparison and induction.
Have
To understand.
You have me, have you not?
Have
To put in an awkward position; to have the advantage of; as, that is where he had him.
Myself for such a face had boldly died.
Have
A person who possesses great material wealth
Have
Have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense;
She has $1,000 in the bank
He has got two beautiful daughters
She holds a Master's degree from Harvard
Have
Have as a feature;
This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France
Have
Of mental or physical states or experiences;
Get an idea
Experience vertigo
Get nauseous
Undergo a strange sensation
The chemical undergoes a sudden change
The fluid undergoes shear
Receive injuries
Have a feeling
Have
Have ownership or possession of;
He owns three houses in Florida
How many cars does she have?
Have
Cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition;
He got his squad on the ball
This let me in for a big surprise
He got a girl into trouble
Have
Serve oneself to, or consume regularly;
Have another bowl of chicken soup!
I don't take sugar in my coffee
Have
Have a personal or business relationship with someone;
Have a postdoc
Have an assistant
Have a lover
Have
Organize or be responsible for;
Hold a reception
Have, throw, or make a party
Give a course
Have
Have left;
I have two years left
I don't have any money left
They have two more years before they retire
Have
Be confronted with;
What do we have here?
Now we have a fine mess
Have
Undergo;
The stocks had a fast run-up
Have
Suffer from; be ill with;
She has arthritis
Have
Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner;
The ads induced me to buy a VCR
My children finally got me to buy a computer
My wife made me buy a new sofa
Have
Receive willingly something given or offered;
The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter
I won't have this dog in my house!
Please accept my present
Have
Get something; come into possession of;
Receive payment
Receive a gift
Receive letters from the front
Have
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);
She suffered a fracture in the accident
He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars
She got a bruise on her leg
He got his arm broken in the scuffle
Have
Achieve a point or goal;
Nicklaus had a 70
The Brazilian team got 4 goals
She made 29 points that day
Have
Give birth (to a newborn);
My wife had twins yesterday!
Common Curiosities
Can had and have be used interchangeably?
No, they cannot be used interchangeably as they belong to different tenses.
How is "had" used in sentences?
"Had" is used to indicate past possession or as part of the past perfect tense to talk about actions completed before another past event.
What does "have to" signify?
"Have to" signifies necessity or obligation in the present or future.
What is a common mistake when using "had" and "have"?
A common mistake is using "had" for present situations or "have" for past contexts.
Can "had" and "have" be used in negative forms?
Yes, "had not" or "hadn't" and "have not" or "haven't" are their negative forms.
How do I form a question with "had"?
Form a question with "had" by using it with a subject and main verb in the past perfect tense, e.g., "Had you finished your meal when they arrived?"
What is the basic difference between had and have?
"Had" is the past tense form, used for past possession or actions, whereas "have" is the present tense form, used for current possession or actions.
Is "had" ever used without a following verb?
Yes, "had" can be used without a following verb when discussing past possession, e.g., "I had a bicycle."
How does "had" function in the structure of past perfect tense?
In past perfect tense, "had" precedes the past participle of a verb to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past.
Can "have" be used as an auxiliary verb?
Yes, "have" is commonly used as an auxiliary verb in forming perfect tenses.
What does "have got" imply in usage?
"Have got" is a colloquial form often used to mean "have," emphasizing possession or necessity.
How do modal forms of "had" and "have" differ?
The modal form "had to" expresses past obligations, whereas "have to" indicates present or future obligations.
How can I correctly use "have" in a present perfect question?
Use "have" with the past participle of the main verb to ask about actions affecting the present, e.g., "Have you seen this movie?"
Are there idiomatic uses of "had" and "have"?
Yes, both verbs participate in idioms and fixed phrases, like "have a break" or "had better."
What role does "had" play in conditional sentences?
"Had" is used in the third conditional to talk about hypothetical situations in the past.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
