Have Something Done

Área Lectura y Escritura, Inglés

Resultados de aprendizaje
Conocer el uso de la expresión to have something done en contextos de escritura formal.
Utilizar la expresión to have something done con tiempos verbales en pasado, presente y futuro.

Contenidos

1. Verbos en pasado simple

2. Verbos en pasado participio
3. Pasado Perfecto
4. Presento Perfecto

Debo saber
Para desarrollar esta guía de mejor manera, es necesario que el estudiante deba tener
conocimientos de los siguientes tiempos verbales:

- Pasado Simple
- Pasado Continuo
- Pasado Perfecto
- Presente Perfecto
- Presente Perfecto Continuo

En caso de no poseer los conocimientos anteriormente nombrados, puedes revisar la carpeta de

inglés del área de lectura y escritura, donde encontrarás guías de trabajo e introducción a los
tiempos verbales mencionados.

Have Something Done

In order to understand the use of the expression to have something done, we will check the
example below:

- The roof of Jill’s house was damaged by an earthquake, so she arranged

for a workman to repair it. Yesterday the workman came and did the job.
- Jill had the roof repaired yesterday.
- This means that Jill didn’t repair the roof herself. She arranged for
someone else to do it for her.

As a result the expression to have something is used to express when somebody did something for
you. Check and compare:

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 - Jill repaired the roof. (= she did it herself)
- Jill had the roof repaired. (=she arranged for someone else to do it).

Now study these sentences:

- Did Ann make that dress herself or did she have it made?
- Are you going to repair the car yourself or are you going to have it repaired?

To say that we arrange for someone else to do something for us, we use the structure have
something done. It is important to note that the word order is important as we must include have,
the object or action that is done and the past participle. Check the table below to see how have
changes depending on the verbal tense:

Have + Object + Past Participle

Jill Had The roof Repaired Yesterday.
Where did you Have Your hair Done?
We are Having The house Painted At the moment.
Tom has just Had A telephone Installed In his flat.
How often do you Have Your car Serviced?
Why don’t you Have That coat Cleaned?
I want to Have My photograph Taken.

As you can see in the table, the expression to have something done can be used in several verbal
tenses (past, present and future). Based on your tense, you must change the conjugation of the
word “have” and place the object in the middle. Finally, the action verb must always go in its past
participle.

It is also possible the expression ‘get something done’ instead of ‘having something done’ in
informal spoken English:

- I think you should get your hair cut. (= have your hair cut).

‘Have something done’ sometimes has a different meaning. For example:

- He had all his money stolen while he was on a holiday.

This doesn’t mean that he arranged for somebody to steal his money! ‘He had all his money stolen’
means only: ‘All his money was stolen’.

With this meaning, we use ‘have something done’ to say that something (often something not nice)
happened to someone:
- George had his nose broken in a fight. (= his nose was broken).

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 Exercises
1. In this exercise you have to answer the questions in the way shown.

Example: ‘Did Ann make that dress herself?’ ‘No, she had it made.’

1. ‘Did you cut your hair yourself?’ ‘No, I ______________________________________’.

2. ‘Did they paint the house themselves?’ ‘No, they ______________________________.’
3. ‘Did Jim cut down that tree himself?’ ‘No, ___________________________________.’
4. ‘Did Sue repair the car herself?’ ‘No, ________________________________________.’

2. This time you have to complete the sentences. Use the words in brackets.

Example: We are having the house painted (the house / paint) at the moment.
Did you have your hair cut (you / your hair / cut) last week?

1. Your hair is too long. I think you should _______________________________ (it / cut).
2. How often _____________________________________ (you/ your car / service)?
3. The engine in Tom’s car couldn’t be repaired, so he had to _________________ (a new
engine / fit).
4. _____________________________ you (your newspaper / deliver) or do you go to the
shop yourself to buy it?
5. A: What are those workmen doing in your garden?
B: Oh, I _________________________ (a swimming pool / build).
6. A: Can I see those holiday photographs you took?
B: I’m afraid not. I _________________________ (not/ the film / develop) yet.
7. It is true that many years ago he _____________________ (his portrait / paint) by a
famous artist?

3. Now you have to read a situation and then write a sentence with have something done.

Example: Jill’s coat was dirty so she took it to the cleaners. Now it is clean. What has Jill
done? She has had her coat cleaned.

1. Tom thinks his eyesight is getting worse, so he’s going to the optician. What is Tom
going to do there? He is _______________________________________________.
2. Sue is at the hairdresser’s at the moment. A hairdresser is cutting her hair.
What is Sue doing? ___________________________________________________.
3 Ann’s watch was broken, so she took it to a jeweller’s. Now it’s working again
What has Ann done? __________________________________________________.

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 4. Now you have to use have something done with its second meaning (see section c).

Example: George’s nose was broken in a fight. What happened to George?

He had his nose broken in a fight.

1. John’s money was stolen on a train. What happened to John?

He ___________________________________________________________________.

2. Fred’s hat was blown off in the wind. What happened to Fred?
______________________________________________________________________.

3. George’s papers were taken from him at the police station. What happened to George?
______________________________________________________________________.

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 Key
1. In this exercise you have to answer the questions in the way shown.

1. I had it cut.
2. They had it painted.
3. He had it cut down.
4. She had it repaired.

2. This time you have to complete the sentences. Use the words in brackets.

1. Have it cut
2. Do you have your car serviced?
3. Have a new engine fitted
4. Do you have your newspaper delivered
5. Am having a swimming pool built
6. Haven’t had the film developed yet
7. Had his portrait painted

3. Now you have to read a situation and then write a sentence with have something done.

1. He is going to have his eyes tested.

2. She is having her hair cut.
3. She has had her watch repaired.

4. Now you have to use have something done with its second meaning (see section c).

1. He had his money stolen on a train.

2. He had his hat blown off in the wind.
3. He had his papers taken from him at the police station.

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