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Have vs. Has in English: Which One to Use and When
Have goes with I/you/we/they, has goes with he/she/it. It's the irregular version of the third-person -s.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
Have and has both mean "to possess." Have is used with I, you, we, and they (I have a car). Has is used with he, she, and it (She has a car). It's the exact same third-person rule from the Present Simple, except have is irregular: it's not "haves."
When to use have and when to use has
It follows the same rule as any other verb
In the Present Simple, he/she/it add -s to the verb (she works, she plays). Have is irregular: instead of "haves," the third-person form is has. That's the only irregularity, everything else works the same as with any other verb.
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Practice have vs. has with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
It also applies to names and singular nouns
The has rule isn't just for he/she/it, it applies to any singular third-person subject: "John has a dog." "My sister has two kids." "The house has three bedrooms."
Common mistakes learners make
Saying "she have" or "he have" instead of "has," forgetting that have is irregular and doesn't follow the normal pattern of adding -s. It's also common to say "my family have" thinking of the members separately; in English, the simplest approach, and the one taught first, is to treat "family" as singular: "my family has."
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between have and has?
Have is used with I, you, we, they. Has is used with he, she, it, and with singular subjects in general (John has, the house has).
When do you use has?
With he, she, it, and with any singular third-person subject: proper names, a singular noun, etc.
"My family has" or "my family have"?
The simplest approach, and the one taught first, is "my family has," treating the family as a single unit. "My family have" is also heard, especially in British English, but start out always using has.
What's the difference between have, has, and had?
Have and has are present tense (have with I/you/we/they, has with he/she/it). Had is the past tense and doesn't change based on subject: I had, she had, they had.
Are "have been" and "has been" the same as have/has?
Not exactly. "Have been" and "has been" belong to a different tense (Present Perfect), more advanced than the basic use of have/has to mean "to possess."
Do have and has follow the same rule as other verbs?
Yes, the same third-person rule from the Present Simple (adding something for he/she/it), except have is irregular: the correct form is has, not "haves."
Practice have vs. has with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.