I have had

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Used to say that you have experienced, owned, eaten, or received something at some time up to now.

   Grammar: Formed with have/has + past participle of 'have'; the object comes after 'had': I have had a cold.

   Patterns

   • I have had something
   • have you ever had something?
   • I have had enough

   I have had this bike since I was twelve.

   She has had three cups of coffee already this morning.

   Have you ever had a job where you worked at night?

2. 2verbtransitive

   Used to say that an experience or situation has happened to you and is clearly finished now.

   Grammar: Often followed by a time phrase like 'before', 'already', or 'never': I have had that problem before.

   Patterns

   • I have had something before
   • I have never had something
   • I have already had something

   I have had that problem before, so I knew what to do.

   We have had a lot of rain this month.

   He has had enough of waiting and left.

Common combinations

have had enough

I have had enough of this noise.

have had a good time

We have had a good time at the beach.

have had experience

She has had experience in teaching.

have had it

This old car has had it; it won't start.

Word family

have verb

The base verb; 'had' is its past participle.

having verb

The -ing form, used in continuous tenses.

Commonly confused: I have had or I had?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “I have had”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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