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15-Have Something Done

We use "have something done" to talk about something that someone else does for us, usually because we pay them or ask them to do it. For example, "We have the house cleaned every Friday" means someone else cleans the house for us. We can use "have something done" in any verb tense. We can also use it with a passive meaning to talk about negative experiences, like "He had his wallet stolen." Alternatively, we can use "get something done" or "have/get someone to do something" with a similar meaning.

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60 views

15-Have Something Done

We use "have something done" to talk about something that someone else does for us, usually because we pay them or ask them to do it. For example, "We have the house cleaned every Friday" means someone else cleans the house for us. We can use "have something done" in any verb tense. We can also use it with a passive meaning to talk about negative experiences, like "He had his wallet stolen." Alternatively, we can use "get something done" or "have/get someone to do something" with a similar meaning.

Uploaded by

takinardi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Grammar » B1+ Grammar lessons and exercises » Have something done

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Have something done


 

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Someone does something for us


 
We use have + object + past participle when we want to talk about something that someone else does for us, usually because we pay them, or because
we persuade or ask them to do it. Compare:

• We clean the house every Friday. (=we clean it ourselves)


• We have the house cleaned every Friday. (=someone else cleans it for us)

The verb have is not an auxiliary verb in this construction. We need to use did or do for negative sentences and questions when there is no auxiliary verb.

• We don’t usually have the house painted, we do it ourselves. (NOT: We haven’t the house painted)
• Did you have your house painted? It looks great. (NOT: Had you your house painted?)

We can use have something done in any verb tense.

• I‘m going to have my hair cut tomorrow.


• She‘s having her house redecorated.
• I‘ve had the oil in my car changed.
• She had her hair cut yesterday. 

Negative experiences
 
We can also use have something done with a passive meaning when something bad happens to us.

• He had his wallet stolen in Piccadilly. (=his wallet was stolen)


• They had their house destroyed by the fire. 
 

Get something done


 
In informal English, we can use get + object + past participle with the same meaning as have something done.

• I need to get my eyes tested.


• They got their home rebuilt after the earthquake.  
• She got her legs burned in the fire. (negative experience)

Have someone do something


 
We can use the construction have + person + infinitive with the same meaning as have something done, but in this case we mention the person who is
doing something for us.

• We are having the architect redesign the ground floor. 


• Susanne had her brother prune all the trees. 

Get someone to do something


 
We can also use the construction get + someone + to+ infinitive to talk about someone doing something for us, because we are paying them, or because
we asked or convinced them to do it. However, get someone to do something often implies the idea that you have convinced someone to do something.

• I got a mechanic to take a look at the car.


• Tom’s boss got him to go to a conference in Germany.

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