What is the Difference Between Have Had and Had?

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The difference between "have," "had," and "has" lies in their usage in different tenses and with different pronouns. Here's a breakdown of their usage:

  1. Have:
  • Used with first-person pronouns (I, we, they) and plural nouns/pronouns in the present tense.
  • Functions as a helping verb to represent the present perfect tense (have been) and the present perfect continuous tense (have been having).
  • Example: I have a dog, She has a cat, They have a car.
  1. Has:
  • Used with third-person pronouns (he, she, it) and singular nouns/pronouns in the present tense.
  • Functions as a helping verb to represent the present perfect tense (has been) and the present perfect continuous tense (has been having).
  • Example: He has a new job, She has a beautiful dress, It has a blue cover.
  1. Had:
  • Indicates the past tense.
  • Functions as a helping verb to represent the past perfect tense (had been) and the past perfect continuous tense (had been having).
  • Example: I had a great time at the party, She had a difficult exam, They had a lot of fun.

In summary:

  • "Have" is used with first-person pronouns and plural nouns in the present tense and to represent the present perfect tense.
  • "Has" is used with third-person pronouns and singular nouns in the present tense and to represent the present perfect tense.
  • "Had" is used to indicate the past tense and to represent the past perfect tense.

Comparative Table: Have Had vs Had

The difference between "have had," "has had," and "had had" lies in their tenses and uses in sentences. Here is a table summarizing their differences:

Verb Tense Use
have had present perfect completed action in the present
has had present perfect completed action in the present
had had past perfect completed action in the past
  • "have had" and "has had" are both present perfect tense verbs, indicating completed actions in the present.
  • "had had" is a past perfect tense verb, indicating a completed action in the past.

For example:

  • I have had a busy day at work. (present perfect)
  • She has had a hard time learning French. (present perfect)
  • They had had enough of the rain and decided to stay indoors. (past perfect)

In summary, the main difference between these verbs is their tenses and when the actions they describe took place.