If you want your interlocutor to understand you correctly, you must know the features and some constructions of the English language. For example, the construction have something done.

We use it when we want to tell our interlocutor that we used the services of professionals to do something. For example, when we say:

“I cut my hair. He fixed the phone. She dyed her hair. They did the renovations."

By this, we mean that we did not do it ourselves, but someone else did it for us.

In this article I will tell you when and how to use this design correctly.

From the article you will learn:

Using the have something done construction in English

The construction have something done is passive. By using it, you show that you are not doing the action yourself, but that someone is doing something for you. Let's look at 2 situations.

Situation 1:

You took your own nail polish and painted them. You say: “I got my nails done.” You mean you made it yourself.

Situation 2:

You went to the salon where you had your nails painted. In this case, you say: “I got my nails done.” But you don't mean that you did it yourself, you just used the services of a professional.

As you can see, in the first situation we say that we did the manicure ourselves.

The 2nd one someone else made it for us. In such a situation, we use the construction have something done, showing that someone else did something for you.

Using this design, we focus on the result (new manicure), and not on who did it.

Attention: Confused about English rules? Find out how to easily understand English grammar.

This construction can be used in all tenses; we will analyze it using the example of the most commonly used simple tenses: Present, Past and Future Simple.

The have something done construction in the Present Simple

When we use this phrase in the Present Simple, we mean that someone regularly does something for us.

When using the phrase have something done, we:

1. We put the actor in first place - the one for whom the action was performed (I, he, she, they, etc.)

2. We put the verb have in second place (if he, she, then has is in 1st place)

• If the verb is correct, then we add the ending -ed (clean - cleaned).
• If the verb is irregular, then we use the 3rd form of the verb (cut - cut).

So, the scheme of such a proposal will be as follows:

Actor + have/has + subject + action (regular verb ending -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

They have their car washed every week.
They wash their car every week (not themselves, but take it to a car wash).

He has his hair cut every month.
He cuts his hair every month (by himself, and goes to the hairdresser).

The have something done construction in the Past Simple

Using this construction in the past simple, we say that we used someone’s service in the past. When we use this phrase in the past tense, we change have/has to had. The rest of the scheme remains unchanged:

Actor + had + subject + action (regular verb ending -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

She had the walls painted.
She painted the walls (not herself, but hired workers).

We had the windows cleaned.
They washed the windows (not themselves, but hired workers).

The have something done construction in the Future Simple

Using this construction in the Future Simple, you are saying that you are going to do something using the services of professionals. To do this, you need to put will in front of have.

The scheme for forming such a sentence will be:

Actor + will + have + subject + action (regular verb ending -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

I will have my nails done.
I'll get a manicure (not myself, but in a beauty salon).

He will have his watch repaired.
He will repair his watch (on himself, but took it to a master).

Negative sentences with the construction have something done

To say that you do not/did/will do something you need to use an auxiliary verb with a negative particle not. For each tense we use a different auxiliary verb.

Present tense -PresentSimple

We use the auxiliary verb do (for he, she, it - does) with the negative particle not.

Abbreviations:

do + not = don’t
does + not = doesn’t

We put don’t/doesn’t before our design. The outline of such a proposal:

Actor + don’t/doesn’t + have + object + action (regular verb ending -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

They don"t have their car washed every week.
They don't wash their car every week.

She doesn't have her hair cut.
She doesn't cut her hair.

Past tense -PastSimple

We use the auxiliary verb did with the negative particle not.

Reduction: did + not = didn't

We put didn"t in front of our construction. At the same time, we no longer put have in the past tense.

Offer outline:

Actor + didn’t + have + subject + action (regular verb ending -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

He didn't have his car painted.
He didn't paint his car.

They didn't have their roof repaired.
They didn't fix their roof.

Future tense - Future Simple

To our auxiliary verb will we add the negative particle not.

Reduction: will + not = won't

We put won"t in front of our construction. The scheme of such a sentence will be:

Actor + won’t + have + subject + action (regular verb ending in -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

They won't have the refrigerator repaired.
They won't fix the refrigerator.

She won't have her hair colored.
She won't dye her hair.

Interrogative sentences with the construction have something done in English

To ask a question, we put the auxiliary verb first in the sentence. Let's look at this for our three tenses.

Present tense -PresentSimple

We put the auxiliary verb do/does first. Offer outline:

Do/does + actor + have + subject + action (regular verb ending in -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

Do do they have their house tided?
Do they clean their house?

Does she have her hair cut?
Does she cut her hair?

Past tense -PastSimple

We put the auxiliary verb did first. Offer outline:

Did + actor + have + subject + action (regular verb ending in -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

Did do you have this dress made?
Did you make this dress?

Did she have her carpet cleaned?
Did she clean her carpet?

Future tense - FutureSimple

We put the auxiliary verb will first. Offer outline:

Will + actor + have + subject + action (regular verb ending -ed, irregular verb in 3rd form)

Will do you have your hair colored?
Will you dye your hair?

Will he have his phone repaired?
Will he fix his phone?

So, today you got acquainted with another construction of the English language. Now let's put the theory into practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. I painted the walls.
2. She gets her nails done every week.
3. Have you cut your hair?
4. She fixed the sockets.
5. He won't wash the car.
6. Did she fix the car?

A few lessons ago you became acquainted with such a grammatical phenomenon in English as Passive Voice. As you remember, Passive Voce is used in cases where the performer of the action is unknown. In this case, the place of the subject in the sentence is taken by the object with which some action was performed.

Rules for using have something done

Today's lesson will be devoted to a special case of the passive voice, namely the construction “have something done”. What is private about it?

Compare:

My house wasrepaired. – My house has been renovated.
I had my house repaired. - My house was repaired.

Both sentences express a similar idea, but why then were different constructions used, you ask? It's simple. The second sentence carries the meaning that the house was not repaired by the person himself, but by specialists. In Russian there is no similar phenomenon; we would simply say “I renovated the house,” even if the repair was done by a team of hired workers.

Havesomethingdone, as a rule, is used when we talk about repairs, a haircut, going to the dentist or doctor. Instead of something The object with which the action is performed is called: for example, house.

This construction is combined with the passive voice by meaning (the performer is still not specified) and the presence of a verb in form III, which carries a “passive” meaning. In this case, the verb have as part of the phrase changes tenses. For example:

I have just had my hair cut. - I just got my hair cut. (Present Perfect)
He is having his car fixed. - His car is being repaired. (Present Continuous)

Negation and questioning are constructed using the already known auxiliary verbs “do/does” for the present and “did” for the past:

Do you have your windows cleaned every month?
She didn't have her room decorated yesterday.

So the expression havesomethingdone necessary when the action is performed not by you yourself, but by someone you hired. Also design havesomethingdone also used to describe negative experiences or unpleasant events: He had his purse stolen.

In informal conversations verb have can be replaced with a verb get:I' ll get my laptop fixed in a couple of days.

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Open the brackets using the verb have in the correct form.

1. Nick (have) his phone fixed two days ago.
2. She (have) just the report written.
3. Susan (have) regularly her blood pressure taken.
4. They (have) their flat redecorated next month.
5. My granny (have) her eyes tested last week.
6. The woman (have) already the bill brought.
7. I (have) my car washed every month.
8. John (have) the surgery done two weeks ago.

Task 2. Change using the have something done construction.

1. Somebody robbed his house last week.
2. Did she make a cake for you?
3. The walls in your room will be painted.
4. Mum has washed all my clothes.
5. Nancy walks my dog ​​every Sunday.
6. Your office is being cleaned at the moment.
7. The man is repairing Mary’s watch.
8. Did she call the plumber to fix the shower?

Some people are multifaceted. They can do anything.
But we all need help. Can you fix your car? Can you fix your washing machine? If you don’t or don’t want to, then someone else does it for you. And in this article we will talk about the have something done construction.

Dialogue with the causative form

Before you start studying hard, read the fun little dialogue and pay attention to the highlighted words. Look at how the causative phrase is used in English and try to translate it intuitively.

• A: I hardly recognized you. You have had your hair dyed blonde, Amy.
• B: You should have your eyes tested. My name's Sue not Amy.
• A: Oh! You have had your name changed too.

So how? Did you succeed? Don't be upset if not. Let's translate together:

• A: I barely recognized you. You dyed your hair blonde, Amy.
• B: You need to have your eyes checked. My name is Sue, not Amy.
• A: Wow, you also changed your name. =)

Did you get the joke? Funny, isn't it? All sentences that are highlighted in bold are our today’s “have something done” rule. All these actions were done by other people, and not by the object itself. Let's take a better look at this design.

Use have something done

• 1. Have something done rule is used when someone does something for us. Usually things that are difficult for us to do ourselves or that we simply don’t want to do.
  Let's look at the examples and analyze them like no one else has.

Turnover Have something done examples:

We can say this:

— I ironed my T-shirt – I ironed the T-shirt (This means that I ironed it with my own hands).

If we pay someone to iron a shirt, we can, of course, say this:

—My sister ironed my T-shirt - My sister ironed my T-shirt (Well, of course, we paid her).

But another way is the causative form:

— I had my T-shirt ironed– My shirt was ironed (not by me, but by someone else).
— I had my house painted last week – My house was painted last week (special hired people who painted the house, not me myself).

In some ways, using the causative construction is similar to using the passive voice. The important thing is that the shirt is now ironed. We don't focus on who stroked her.

Compare offers:

— I check my daughter’s homework every night.
— I have my daughter’s homework checked every night.

Can you see the difference? Certainly.

In the first sentence, I am checking my daughter’s homework myself, without any help.
In the second sentence, someone else is doing it, not me.

• 2. Causative voice in English Have + object + past participle can be used instead of the passive voice to express accident or misfortune. (When something unpleasant happened to someone):

—Richard had his bicycle stolen. (= His bicycle was stolen.) — Richard's bicycle was stolen.
— She had her leg broken- She broke her leg.

• 3. Using the rule Get something done (Get + object + past participle).
  Get can be used instead have in colloquial speech.

— You should get your watch repaired. (= You should have your watch repaired.) - You need to fix your watch.
- No got his tooth taken out yesterday - Yesterday his tooth was pulled out.

• 4. The causative form in English is used to express when someone forces someone to do something. And in this case the following causative formula is used: Subject + make / have + object + bare infinitive.

Let's look at examples:

— She made me clean the house – She insisted that I clean the house.
— She had me clean the house – She asked me to clean the house.

• 5. The following causative formula is: Get + object + to-infinitive used to persuade someone to do something.

— Tracy got her friend to help her move the sofa – Tracy persuaded her friend to help her move the sofa.

Formula for the formation of sentences with the construction have something done in English

The quasative form in English is formed using the formula:
Have + object + past participle.

We will separately analyze sentences in affirmative, negative and interrogative forms:

Statement: Subject + have/has + object + ed or V3

Example: I have my bed made every morning - My bed is made every morning.

Negation: Subject + auxiliary verb (Do/does) + not + have + object + ed or V3

Example: I don’t have my bed made every morning - My bed is not made every morning.

Question: auxiliary verb (Do/does) + subject + have + object + ed or V3

Example: Do I have my bed made every morning? – Do they make my bed every morning?

Causative form table in English

The To have something done rule can be used in any tense form or verb. The only part of the structure that changes is the verb, which must conform to the appropriate form.
Compare sentences in the active voice and in The Causative Form:

You can download a reminder for yourself so you don’t forget how the causative is formed in English.

Dan from BBC explains how to correctly use causative form rules in English in just 90 seconds. Listen to how simple and easy everything is, and at the same time practice your listening skills.

Read another mini joke:

— Rob: I’m having my leg operated on tomorrow. I'm afraid I might have it cut off.
— Daisy: Oh, great. Can I borrow your car then? You won't be needing it.

Translate the dialogue and leave your translation with us in the comments! =) We will be glad to receive any translation.

Causative verbs in English

Since we have touched on the rules of the causative form in English, we will also touch on causative verbs. Causative Verbs in English, as the name suggests, are verbs that express the idea that someone causes someone to do something.

There are three such verbs in English:

However, there are other verbs that are also used as causative verbs, such as: cause, allow, help, enable, force, require, persuade, etc.

Above we already talked about the rule have / get something done and the verb make. Now we will take the verb Let.

• Let's means to allow someone to do something.
  Formula: let + object + base form of verb.

Examples:

— Will you let me use your hairdryer? -Will you let me use your hairdryer?
- Let us play outside - Let us play outside.

• Cause- to cause, to be the cause.
  Education formula: cause + object + to + base form of verb.

Examples:

- Our divorce caused us to sell our properties - Our divorce forced us to sell our property.

• Allow- allow allow.
  Formula: allow + to + base form of verb.

Examples:

- They are not allowed to use calculators in the exam - They are not allowed to use calculators in the exam.

• Help- to help.
  After the verb Help we can use to + base form of verb or base form of verb(base form of the verb). These two forms are absolutely correct and there is no difference in meaning. But more often it is used without the particle to.

Examples:

- I will help you wash the dishes OR I will help you to wash the dishes - I will help you wash the dishes.

• Enable- to give an opportunity, to make possible.
  Formula of this verb: enable + object + to + base form of verb.

Examples:

- This money has enabled me to buy a new computer - This money gave me the opportunity to buy a new computer.

• Force- force, compel.
  Formula: force + object + to + base form of verb.

Examples:

- I forced Dave to marry me - I forced Dave to marry me.

• Persuade- persuade, persuade.
  Formula: persuade + object + to + base form of verb.

Examples:

- He persuaded his mum to bake him a cake - He persuaded his mother to bake him a pie.
- My husband is planning to persuade me to go see a doctor - My husband plans to convince me to go to the doctor.

• Require- demand.
  Formula: require + object + to + base form of verb.

Examples:

- Pupils are required to wear their school uniform - Pupils are required to wear a school uniform.

The causative construction in English is complex at first glance, but the more often you use the rule in colloquial speech, the faster you remember the phrase have something done.

Advice:
After reading today's rule and doing the exercise, rest. Later, after a couple of hours or before going to bed, take 10 minutes to read the causative form and try to say some dialogue that you come up with yourself. And you need to repeat this for some time until you feel that you no longer need to repeat it. You will notice the result yourself.

Have something done exercises

Exercise 1.
Your boyfriend/girlfriend does everything himself. And you pay others to do something for you. Write sentences using the construction have something done, and many other interesting tasks await you.
P.S. Do not put dots on the test, otherwise the score will not be counted.

In Russian it is so common to hear phrases like: I'll go get my hair cut or I had my teeth treated, I had my eyes checked and so on. And, of course, we understand that the speaker does not perform these actions independently, but attracts specialists: a hairdresser, a dentist, a doctor. It wouldn’t even occur to us that someone could cut their own hair or treat their own teeth, although the grammatical sentences imply exactly this, since they are formulated in the active voice.

In English everything is different. If you want to tell someone that you have cut your hair, use , not active. For actions that are not performed by you, but by someone hired by you, the have something done construction is used. In English grammar this construction is called "The Causative".

For example, you want to say that you cut your hair (get a haircut) every month. If you cut your own hair, you can state:

I cut my hair every month. - I get my hair cut (cut my own hair) every month.

If you go to the hairdresser, the have something done construction is used. In English it will sound like this:

I have my hair cut every month. - I get my hair cut every month.

If you translate the construction “word for word”, you get: "I have my hair cut every month". That is, I don’t cut them myself, but “have them cut”, someone else does it.

Now that you more or less understand the essence of the design, let's look at some more examples:

I check my eyes once a year. - I check it myself, I have the equipment, I know how to do it.
I have my eyes checked once a year. - I go to an ophthalmologist who will check my vision.
He repairs his car at this car service station. - He repairs the car with his own hands.
He has his car repaired at this car service station. - His car is being repaired by auto mechanics.

The two examples above are given in Present Simple tense: these are habitual, repeated actions. Remember that the verb have changes to has for the third person.

The Causative is usually used with verbs such as build, clean, decorate, deliver, mend, copy, print, repair, service, test, cut, check and others that imply that the action is performed by someone other than the speaker himself.

The Causative (have something done) consists of three parts. All parts of this design are changeable. Instead of done, you substitute any verb in the third form, something is an object, an object on which the action is performed. And have serves to change time.
Some textbooks give the following formula: have + object + Past Participle.

Let's look at the table of tenses in which this construction can be used, and compare sentences in the active voice and in The Causative:

If you need to ask a question or construct a negative, use auxiliary verbs:

Did you have your hair cut? - You had a haircut?
Will she have her walls painted? - Will they paint the walls for her?
Are you having your pool cleaned? - Is your pool being cleaned now?

In an informal conversation, it is acceptable to replace have with get :

I got my watch repaired. - My watch was repaired.
We got our essays checked. - Our essays were checked.

Get is better used in imperative sentences, since get is a “stronger” verb than have:

Get your pressure measured. - Why don't you take your blood pressure.
Why don't you get your car fixed. - Why don't you get your car fixed.

The construction have something done can also be used to denote an unpleasant action that happened to someone:

He had his car stolen. - His car was stolen.
They had their window broken. - Their window was broken.
She had her dress ruined. - Her dress was ruined.

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Causative form in English is represented by the following constructions

• have something done (literally – to have something done for oneself)
• have someone do something (make someone do something for you)

HAVE SMTH DONE

We use the expression have + object + past participle (have something done) to describe a service that was provided to us, or some unpleasant event that happened to us in cases where the action is not performed by us, but it is directed at us or at our property.

For example:

I had my car stolen - My car was stolen.

We had the roof repaired last year. “We had our roof fixed last year.”

Not has had his application turned down - His application was rejected.

My girlfriend has her letter published in the Times - My girlfriend’s letter was published in the Times.

The subject of such a sentence will be the person at whom the action is directed, or the person at whose property the action is directed. This construction is used quite often in English.

Please note that in oral speech the expression is often used with get instead of have without change in meaning.

We have our fence pulled down = We get our fence pulled down.

How to use the expression have something done?

The Causative form have something done can be used in any tense. In this case, only the verb to have changes. Let's look at the example of the sentence We have the office cleaned (Our office was cleaned)

Of course, all Perfect Continuous forms and the Future Perfect form are practically not used in oral speech, as they are too overloaded.

HAVE SMB DO SMTH

The second possible form of Causative is have someone do something. This expression is more typical. It means that you forced/asked someone to do something for you.

For example:

I will have the waiter bring you the menu. – I’ll ask the waiter to bring you a menu.

I had my assistant type the report. — I asked the assistant to print the report.

In Britain we often say get instead of have, as in the expression have / get something done. However, when using get, the expression will be like get someone to do something (the to particle appears).

I will get the waiter to bring you the menu.

I got my assistant to type the report.

Thus, causative in English is represented by the following constructions:

• Have someone do something

• Get someone to do something.

Exercises on Causative form with answers.

Let's practice a little.

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences using the correct form of “to have something done”

1. The Smiths ___________ the roof _______________ last year. (repair)
2. Molly ______________ the room ____________________ next month. (decorate)
3. You should ___________ your eyes ___________ regularly. (test)
4. We ___________ the television _________________ only last year! (repair)
5. ________ you ____________ your car ______________ regularly? (service)
6. How often ___________ you _____________ your windows _____________? (clean)
7. We _________________ the office _________________ every evening. (clean)
8. Our neighbors __________________ a new garage ______________ at the moment (build)

Exercise 2. Write down the sentences using the correct causative form. Use a modal verb where appropriate.

1. Bob must/really/the heating/fix. Winter is coming soon.
2. She / her hair / dye blonde yesterday.
3. They / the rooms / paint at the moment.
4. After Alex / the sleeves / shorten, the blazer fits him perfectly.
5. Instead of buying a new car, why / you / not / your old one / fix / ?
6. What are those workmen doing in your garden? – Oh, we / a garage / build
7. They / not / their TV / fix / yet
8. Her coffee maker was broken. Now it's working again. She/it/repair

Exercise 3. Rewrite the sentences using HAVE SOMETHING DONE

1. Someone cut Kate's hair at 13.30 pm.

Kate……………………………………………………

1. The mechanic is changing Peter’s car battery.

Peter ……………………………………………...

My mother………………………………………...

1. Someone checks Henry’s guitar after every show.

Henry……………………………………………………

I………………………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 3. Rewrite the sentences using HAVE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING

1. The mechanic changes Peter’s car battery yearly.

Peter ……………………………………………...

1. The hairdresser dyed my mother’s hair last Saturday.

My mother………………………………………...

1. The assistant checks Henry’s guitar after every show.

Henry……………………………………………………

1. The dentist checks my teeth once a year.

I………………………………………………………………………………………

Answers:

1. The Smiths had the roof repaired last year.
2. Molly is going to have/is having the room decorated next month.
3. You should have your eyes tested regularly.
4. We had the television repaired only last year!
5. Do you have your car serviced regularly?
6. How often do you have your windows cleaned?
7. We have the office cleaned every evening.
8. Our neighbors are having a new garage built at the moment.

1. Bob really must have the heating fixed.
2. She had her hair dyed blonde yesterday
3. They are having the rooms painted at the moment
4. After Alex had the sleeves shortened, the blazer fit him perfectly.
5. Instead of buying a new car, why don’t you have your old one fixed?
6. We are having a garage built.
7. They have not had their TV fixed yet.

1. Kate had her hair cut at 13.30 pm.
2. Peter is having his car battery changed.
3. My mother had her hair dyed last Saturday.
4. Henry has his guitar checked after every show.
5. I have my teeth checked once a year.

1. Peter has the mechanic change his car battery yearly.
2. My mother had the hairdresser dye her hair last Saturday.
3. Henry has his assistant check his guitar after every show.
4. I have the dentist check my teeth once a year.

I hope the rules and exercises helped you understand the topic of causative forms.