Have and Has
A1 · BeginnerBe, Have & DoHave and has say the same thing — you have something, or someone else has it. The only real challenge is picking the right one, and forming questions and negatives without accidentally doubling up the ending.
What you'll learn
- I/you/we/they + have, he/she/it + has
- Using have and has for possession, family, and everyday states
- Asking questions and making negatives with do/does
- Why the main verb goes back to plain "have" after does or doesn't
The core idea
Have and has both mean the same thing — they show that something belongs to someone, describes someone, or is true of someone right now. The word you pick just depends on the subject: most subjects use have, and he, she and it use has instead.
This is the exact same pattern you'll see with other present-simple verbs — one form for most subjects, a special form for he/she/it — so if that idea already feels familiar, have and has will click quickly.
I/you/we/they + have
With I, you, we and they, use have: "I have a small apartment." "You have great timing." "We have a few minutes." "They have three kids."
This is the default form — it's correct for every subject except he, she and it.
He/she/it + has
With he, she or it — and with any singular noun you could replace with one of those words, like your sister, the printer, or the company — use has instead: "He has a new laptop." "The printer has a paper jam." "My sister has a job downtown."
This is the one place learners most often slip, usually by keeping have out of habit: "She have a car" is incorrect — it needs to be "She has a car."
What have and has actually say
Possession: "I have a laptop." "They have a house near the park."
Family and relationships: "She has two brothers." "We have a new neighbor."
Attributes and features: "The apartment has a balcony." "This phone has a great camera."
Everyday states, problems, and appointments: "He has a headache." "We have a problem with the order." "I have a dentist appointment at noon."
Questions and negatives: do/does + have
To ask a question with have, use do or does — the same he/she/it split as always: "Do you have a minute?" "Does she have a car?" "Does the hotel have parking?"
To make a negative, use don't or doesn't: "I don't have time right now." "He doesn't have a car." "It doesn't have a warranty."
Once do or does is doing the job of agreement, the main verb goes back to its plain form — have, never has: "Does he have a car?" is correct; "Does he has a car?" is not. The same rule applies to negatives: "She doesn't have a car," not "She doesn't has a car."
One note on style: you may see "Have you a car?", built by moving have to the front instead of using do — that pattern is old-fashioned or formal British-leaning usage, not standard in everyday American English. The default here — and the one to use — is "Do you have a car?"
Real English
Watch out
He/she/it needs has, not have — even though have is the form used almost everywhere else.
Once does is doing the agreement job, the main verb goes back to plain have — no extra -s.
Same rule as questions: after doesn't, the main verb stays plain — have, not has.
Moving have to the front without do sounds old-fashioned or formal British-leaning — American English defaults to do you have.
Real life — Picking up a prescription
"Hi, do you have a prescription ready for Martinez?"
"Yes, we have it right here. Does your insurance card have your current address on it?"
"I think so — I have a new card in my wallet."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct form
Which sentence uses the correct form?
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct form
Which sentence uses the correct form?
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct form
Complete the sentence: "My parents ___ a small apartment downtown."
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct form
Complete the sentence: "The printer ___ a paper jam again."
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct form
Complete the question: "Do you ___ time for a quick call?"
Exercise 6 · Sort into groups
0 / 6 sorted
Exercise 7 · Build the sentence
Exercise 8 · Build the sentence
Exercise 9 · Build the sentence
Exercise 10 · Complete the sentence
Complete with the correct form of "have": "Our team ___ a big presentation tomorrow." (one word)
Exercise 11 · Complete the sentence
Complete with "I" and the correct form of "have": "___ two tickets for tonight's show."
Exercise 12 · Complete the sentence
Complete with the correct form of "have": "Does your brother ___ a driver's license?" (one word)
Exercise 13 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake and type the correct sentence: "She have a car."
Exercise 14 · Choose the correct form
Which is the correct question?
Exercise 15 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake and type the correct sentence: "She doesn't has a car."
Exercise 16 · Real-life scenario
You want to ask a coworker if they're free to talk. Which is the natural way to ask in American English?
Quick challenge
Five mixed questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
Which is correct?
You learned
- Use have with I/you/we/they, and has with he/she/it.
- Have and has cover possession, family, attributes, and everyday states.
- Form questions and negatives with do/does and don't/doesn't.
- After does or doesn't, the main verb goes back to plain have — never has.
- American English defaults to Do you have...? rather than the older Have you...? pattern.
Related grammar lessons
Have Got and Has Got
Learn have got and has got for talking about possession and lasting characteristics — the contracted forms, negatives, questions, and when British and American English actually differ.
Do, Does and Did as Auxiliary Verbs
Learn how do, does and did build questions and negatives for ordinary verbs in the present and past simple — and why the main verb always stays in its base form.
Verb To Be
Learn am, is and are — statements, negatives, questions and short answers, contractions, and how be is used for identity, description, age and location.
Subject–Verb Agreement
Learn to match the verb to its subject in the present simple — I/you/we/they with the plain verb, he/she/it with -s, the forms of be, and do/does — and avoid the most common agreement mistakes.