Causative Have
Use "have/get + object + past participle" when someone else does something for you — "I had my car repaired" means a mechanic repaired it, not that you did it yourself.
Formula
Examples
Usage
- •Arranging for someone else to do something for you
- •Expressing that a service was done by a professional
- •Formal and informal contexts (have = formal, get = informal)
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Try 5 cards free — no signup →"Have something done" vs doing it yourself — what's the difference?
Causative "have" (subject + have + object + past participle) shows that someone else performed the action for the subject, usually a professional: "I had my car repaired" means a mechanic repaired it, not "I repaired my car" (which would mean you did it yourself). Compare simple past "I repaired my car" (you did it) with causative "I had my car repaired" (you arranged for someone else to do it).
The same structure covers unpleasant or unarranged events too, where no one deliberately organized anything: "He had his wallet stolen" doesn't mean he arranged the theft — it just describes something that happened to him, using the same grammar.
When do you use "get" instead of "have" in causative structures?
"Have" and "get" are largely interchangeable in causative structures, but "get" is more informal and can suggest a bit more effort in arranging the service: "I got my hair cut" sounds slightly more casual than "I had my hair cut", though both mean the same thing.
In everyday spoken English, "get" is often the more natural choice; "have" is preferred in formal or written contexts. Either way, the object always comes before the past participle: "have/get + object + past participle", never the other order.
Comparison Table
| Form | Who performs the action | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Causative have | Someone else, arranged by the subject | Neutral / formal | I had my car repaired. |
| Causative get | Someone else, arranged by the subject | Informal | I got my car repaired. |
| Passive voice | Someone else, no arranger implied | Neutral | My car was repaired. |
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Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / You / We / They | have the car repaired | don't have the car repaired (do not) | Do you have the car repaired? |
| He / She / It | has the car repaired | doesn't have the car repaired (does not) | Does she have the car repaired? |
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When to Use Causative Have
Present: arranging a service now
I'm having my kitchen renovated this month.
Past: a completed arrangement
I had my car repaired last week.
Future: a planned arrangement
She's going to have her hair done for the wedding.
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More Examples
I'm having my teeth cleaned tomorrow.
Appointment arranged with a professional
She got her phone fixed at the shop.
Informal causative with "get"
They had their house built in 2015.
Past causative — arranged construction
I need to get my eyes tested.
Need to arrange a service
He had his wallet stolen.
Causative for unpleasant events (not arranged!)
Common Mistakes
- ✗Confusing causative "have" with possession "have": "I had a haircut" (I did it myself or got it done) vs "I had my hair cut" (someone else did it).
- ✗Forgetting the past participle: "I had my car repair" should be "I had my car repaired".
Tips
- ✓"Have something done" (neutral/formal) and "get something done" (informal) are interchangeable in most cases.
- ✓When the event is negative/unwanted (theft, accident), the causative still uses the same structure.
Advanced Notes
Causative "have" and "get" share the same structure but differ in register: "have" is neutral to formal, "get" is informal and slightly implies effort or difficulty in arranging. The passive voice looks superficially similar but means something different — "My car was repaired" (passive, someone repaired it) vs "I had my car repaired" (causative, I arranged for it to happen). The structure also covers unwanted experiences — "She had her bag stolen" — where no arrangement took place; context makes the reading clear. "Make + object + infinitive" and "let + object + infinitive" are related causative patterns with different force.
FAQ
What's the difference between "I had a haircut" and "I had my hair cut"?
"I had a haircut" describes the event happening to you (you went and got one done), while "I had my hair cut" is the explicit causative structure naming what was done — both usually mean someone else cut your hair, but "I cut my hair" would mean you did it yourself. The key contrast is causative vs simple past, not the wording of "haircut" itself.
What's the difference between causative "have" and passive voice?
They can describe the same event but shift the focus. "My car was repaired" (passive) simply states the action happened to the car, without emphasizing who arranged it. "I had my car repaired" (causative) emphasizes that the subject arranged for someone else to do it. Causative always includes the person who benefits from or arranges the action; passive doesn't need to.
Do you always need the past participle after causative have?
Yes — "have/get + object + past participle" is the full pattern. "I had my car repair" is incomplete; it must be "I had my car repaired". Dropping the participle is one of the most common causative errors.
Can causative "have" describe something bad that happened to you?
Yes — the same structure covers unwanted or unarranged events, not just services you organized: "He had his wallet stolen" or "She had her flight cancelled" use the identical grammar as "I had my car repaired", even though no one arranged the theft or cancellation. Context tells you which reading applies.
Is "have" or "get" more common in everyday speech?
"Get" is generally more common and informal in everyday spoken English ("I got my hair cut"), while "have" leans slightly more formal or neutral ("I had my hair cut"). Both are grammatically correct and widely used — the choice is a matter of register, not correctness.
Practice
- 1.I (have/my teeth/clean) at the dentist yesterday.
- 2.She (get/her phone/fix) at the shop last week.
- 3.They (have/their house/build) in 2015.
- 4.He (have/his wallet/steal) on the train.
- 5.I need to (get/my eyes/test) soon.
Compare With
Other B2 Topics
Past Perfect
Used for the earlier of two past events to show sequence
Future Perfect
Used for actions completed before a specific future point
Conditionals (0, 1, 2, 3)
Forms real, hypothetical, and impossible conditions across all time frames
Reported Speech
Used for converting direct speech to indirect speech with tense and pronoun shifts
Gerund vs Infinitive
Used for choosing between -ing and to+verb after verbs, adjectives, or prepositions
Past Perfect Continuous
Used for an ongoing action that continued up to a past event
Future Perfect Continuous
Used for duration of an ongoing action up to a future point
Modal Perfects: Deduction About the Past
Expresses deductions about past events using must/can't/might + have
Participle Clauses
Used for reducing clauses using -ing or past participle for concise formal style
Dependent Prepositions
Fixed prepositions that always follow certain verbs, adjectives, and nouns.