Have something done: tenses

What does have something done mean?

Use have something done when the subject arranges, commissions or receives a service rather than performing the action personally. The person doing the work is often unimportant or clear from the situation: a hairdresser cuts hair, a technician repairs a phone, or a translator translates a document.

The object — a thing or body part affected by the action — goes between have and the past participle. This order indicates that someone else performs the action.

How to build it

subject + have in the required tense + object receiving the work + past participle (V3)

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

I have my bike serviced every spring.

The owner arranges a regular service; a mechanic services the bicycle.

We had the locks changed yesterday.

The subject we identifies those receiving the service; the object the locks precedes the past participle changed.

What changes with the tense?

The verb phrase around have expresses tense and agreement. Present Simple uses have or has; Present Continuous uses am, is or are + having; Past Simple uses had; future forms include will have and be going to have.

Saying 'have changes' is a useful shorthand, not an absolute rule. Questions and negatives add do, does or did; the continuous needs be; future constructions need will or a form of be before going to. The object stays between have and V3. The past participle does not become an -ing form when the tense changes.

How to build it

have/has; am/is/are having; had; will have; am/is/are going to have + object + V3

V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

She's having her coat cleaned now.

Having is the form of have after is; cleaned remains the past participle.

They will have the sign made tomorrow.

After will, use have, not has or having.

Present Simple: a regular service

Present Simple suits a service received regularly or according to a usual schedule. Use have with I, you, we and they; use has with he, she and it.

Frequency expressions such as every month, twice a year and regularly help establish recurrence. However, the situation's meaning determines the choice, not a single signal word.

How to build it

I/you/we/they have + object + V3; he/she/it has + object + V3

V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

Marta has her eyes tested once a year.

This regular eye test uses has because the subject is Marta.

Do you have your heating checked every autumn?

A Present Simple question places do before the subject, while have remains in its base form.

Present Continuous: a process or arrangement

Am/is/are having + object + V3 describes a service taking place now or during a temporary period around the present.

The same form can describe an arranged future service when the time is specified: We're having the office painted next week. Context distinguishes a current process from a future arrangement.

How to build it

subject + am/is/are having + object + V3

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

I'm having my laptop repaired at the moment.

At the moment identifies an ongoing process, so use am having.

We're having the office painted next week.

Present Continuous expresses a specific future arrangement.

Past Simple: a completed past service

Had + object + V3 describes a service completed in the past. Had is the same for every subject.

In Past Simple questions and negatives, did carries the tense: Did you have ...? and didn't have .... Do not use had after did.

How to build it

subject + had + object + V3; did + subject + have ...?; subject + did not have ...

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

Leo had his passport photo taken yesterday.

The service was completed at the stated past time, so use had.

Did you have the windows replaced last year?

Did already expresses past tense, so it is followed by have.

Future forms: will and be going to

Will have + object + V3 suits a decision, promise or neutral statement about a future service. Will always takes the base form have.

Be going to have + object + V3 often expresses an existing intention or plan. Am/is/are agrees with the subject. Both future constructions are grammatical; context determines the communicative nuance.

How to build it

subject + will have + object + V3; subject + am/is/are going to have + object + V3

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

I'll have the contract translated by Friday.

As a promise, this commits the speaker to arranging a completed translation by Friday, not merely placing the order by that date.

We're going to have the boiler checked next week.

Going to expresses a plan already made.

Distinguish it from doing the action yourself and from the perfect

Compare I painted the room and I had the room painted. In the first, I did the painting; in the second, I arranged for someone else to do it. Both sentences can be grammatical, but assign different roles.

Causative have is not the same as Present Perfect. In I have repaired the bike, repaired immediately follows auxiliary have, and I performs the action. In I have the bike repaired, the object the bike precedes repaired, and the meaning normally concerns a service.

Get something done is a common parallel form, often less formal, but this lesson practises tenses with have. Unwanted events such as had my phone stolen and complex perfect forms of causative have belong to neighbouring topics.

How to build it

own action: subject + verb + object; service: subject + have + object + V3; perfect: subject + have + V3 + object

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
V3 / past participle: The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
object / O: Who or what an action affects: in I read a book, a book is the object.

I repaired my bike.

The active construction shows that the subject performed the action.

I had my bike repaired.

The object between had and repaired indicates a service received.

I have repaired my bike.

This is the Present Perfect of active repair, not causative have.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:We'll has the car serviced before the trip.

Correct:We'll have the car serviced before the trip.

After will, use the base form have.

Incorrect:She having her hair cut now.

Correct:She is having her hair cut now.

Present Continuous requires auxiliary is before having.

Incorrect:I had my phone repair yesterday.

Correct:I had my phone repaired yesterday.

The object must be followed by the past participle repaired.

Incorrect:Did you had your eyes tested last year?

Correct:Did you have your eyes tested last year?

After did, use the base form have.

Incorrect:He have his windows cleaned every spring.

Correct:He has his windows cleaned every spring.

Present Simple with he requires has.

Incorrect:They will having the documents printed tomorrow.

Correct:They will have the documents printed tomorrow.

Do not use having directly after modal will; use have.

Sources