Have in English – auxiliary and main verb
Is have an auxiliary or a main verb?
The verb have can be an auxiliary verb or a main verb in English.
1. have as a main verb
1.1. have as a main verb in the Simple Present (have, has, don’t have, doesn’t have)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, we, you, they | I have new shoes. | I don’t have new shoes. | Do I have new shoes? |
| he, she, it | She has new shoes. | She doesn’t have new shoes. | Does she have new shoes? |
1.2. have as a main verb in the Simple Past (had, didn’t have)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, he, she, it, we, you, they | I had new shoes. | I did not have new shoes. | Did I have new shoes? |
2. have as an auxiliary and a main verb
2.1. have as an auxiliary and a main verb – Present Perfect (had)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, we, you, they | They have had a great holiday. | They haven’t had a great holiday. | Have they had a great holiday? |
| he, she, it | He has had a great holiday. | He hasn’t had a great holiday. | Has he had a great holiday? |
2.2. have as an auxiliary and a main verb – Past Perfect (had)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, he, she, it, we, you, they | They had had a great holiday. | They hadn’t had a great holiday. | Had they had a great holiday? |
3. have as an auxiliary
3.1. have as an auxiliary in the Present Perfect (past participle)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, we, you, they | I have met Susan. | I haven’t met Susan. | Have I met Susan? |
| he, she, it | She has met Susan. | She hasn’t met Susan. | Has she met Susan? |
3.2. have as an auxiliary in the Past Perfect (past participle)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, he, she, it, we, you, they | I had met Susan. | I hadn’t met Susan. | Had I met Susan? |
3.3. have as an auxiliary in the Future Perfect (past participle)
| Pronouns | Affirmative sentences | Negative sentences | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, he, she, it, we, you, they | They will have met Susan. | They won’t have met Susan. | Will they have met Susan? |