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English Articles

How to use ‘to be’ and ‘to have’ in English?

By: Erin Kuester Thu Sep 12 2024
English
Grammar Tips, Verbs

To beand to have are the two most common verbs in English. To be and to have are so essential to the English language that they are used to describe the basic foundations of who someone is as a person — their name, age, profession, emotions, the qualities they possess, and more!

To be is used:

  • To form descriptions (She is blonde.)

  • To say that something exists (There is a winner.)

  • To help form continuous tenses (I am listening.)

  • To help form the passive voice (The painting was stolen.)

And to have is used:

  • To show possession of an object, a quality, etc. (Lizzie has three cats.)

  • To form causatives (They had that cake made for the party.)

  • With the word “to” to show obligation (You have to finish your homework.)

  • To help form perfect tenses (We have already finished lunch.)

If you are excited to learn about to be and to have and you have a few minutes to read this post, let’s dive into to be and to have!

Table of Contents

    How to use the verb ‘to be’ in English?

    To be is a very basic verb in English (it’s usually the first verb that people learn!), and we use it for many different situations. Typically, we use be to describe someone or something or to say that something exists, but it also has other uses. Let’s first look at the forms of to be and then we’ll look at each use of the verb to be one-by-one.

    How to conjugate the verb ‘to be’?

    To be has different forms depending on the subject and the verb tense. The table below illustrates all of the unique forms of be, depending on the subject and the tense

    Subject
    Present tense
    Past tense
    Future tense

    I

    am

    was

    will be

    he / she / it

    is

    was

    will be

    you / we / they

    are

    were

    will be

    Present participle
    Past participle

    being

    been

    Like other English verbs, to be can be conjugated in all the tenses by adding auxiliary verbs:

    auxiliary verb

    The children have been naughty.

    The clients are being difficult.

    By next week, Sarah will have been a ghost for Halloween three times!

    Have a look at these charts of the full conjugation of to be!

    When to use the verb ‘to be’?

    Now that we’ve discussed how to form to be, let’s take a look at all the ways we can use it!

    To form a description

    Using to be to form a description is probably the most common way we use to be, and is usually the first use of to be that people learn! Here are some of the most basic ways we use to be in descriptions:

    • Giving a name:

      My name is Alex.

    • Telling someone your age:

      I am twenty-two years old.

    • Feelings and emotions:

      The toddler was tired after playing.

    • Facts and general truths:

      The sun is 98.3 million miles from the earth.

    • Opinions:

      Those books are really interesting.

      → Note that we often use phrases like I think that… before an opinion, but opinions follow the same grammar structure as facts.

    • Jobs and professions:

      They were both teachers before they retired.

    TipUse 'be' to discuss the weather!

    In English, we almost always use this structure to discuss the weather:

    it

    to be

    It is raining right now.

    It was sunny yesterday.

    It will be hot tomorrow.

    To learn more about this topic, check out our post on it is sentences in English.

    However, to be can introduce lots of kinds of descriptions using this structure:

    subject

    be

    description

    The description can be an adjective, adjective phrase, noun phrase, prepositional phrase, or some combination:

    Adjective:

    She is tall.

    Adjective phrase:

    She is taller than her brother.

    Noun phrase:

    She is my favorite teacher.

    Prepositional phrase:

    She is in the library.

    Important

    To be is what we call a linking verb. Linking verbs don’t show an action, but they link a subject to a description or definition. To be is the most common and basic linking verb in English. It usually just means “equals” (=):

    • She is twenty-eight.

      → she = 28 years old

    • They are tall.

      → they = tall

    • He is a teacher.

      → he = teacher

    To say that something exists

    We can also use there + to be to say that something exists, exists in a place, or exists in a certain quantity:

    Exists:

    Be careful, there is a pothole.

    Exists in a place:

    There are books on the table.

    Exists in a quantity:

    There were fifty people in the room.

    Tip

    Read more about this use of the verb to be in our post on how to say that something exists in English!

    To form continuous tenses

    To be is used as an auxiliary verb when we form verbs in the continuous tenses (a.k.a. progressive tenses). Here’s how we use to be in continuous tenses:

    to be

    present participle of main verb

    Tip

    The English present participle is the root form of the verb + -ing.

    Be should always agree with the subject, and will change its form depending on the tense:

    Present Continuous

    I am waiting for the bus.

    You are waiting for the bus.

    He is waiting for the bus.

    We are waiting for the bus.

    You all are waiting for the bus.

    They are waiting for the bus.

    Past Continuous

    I was listening to the teacher.

    You were listening to the teacher.

    She was listening to the teacher.

    We were listening to the teacher.

    You all were listening to the teacher.

    They were listening to the teacher.

    You can learn more about how to form and use the continuous tenses in English from the following posts:

    To form passive verbs

    To be is also used as an auxiliary verb when we form verbs in the passive voice. In a passive verb, the action is being done to the subject and there is no object.

    Active:

    Sally likes Fido.

    → Sally, the subject, does the action.
    Passive:

    Fido is liked by Sally.

    → Fido, the subject, undergoes the action.

    Here’s how to use to be to form a passive verb in English:

    to be

    past participle of main verb

    Tip

    The English past participle is usually the root + -ed but there are also irregular forms.

    Here are some examples:

    • I was called by my boss.

    • You were given a copy of the report.

    • The room can be accessed by a keypad.

    • Dinner will be served at 7 pm.

    If you’d like to learn more, check out our post on the passive voice in English!

    How to use the verb ‘to have’?

    To have is another very basic verb in English. Along with to be, to have is one of the first verbs people learn in English because it is essential to understanding English! Let’s check out all the different ways we use to have!

    How to conjugate the verb ‘to have’?

    The table below shows all the unique forms of to have that you will need to conjugate this verb in English. The form will depend on the tense and sometimes the subject:

    Subject
    Present tense
    Past tense

    I / you / we / they

    have

    had

    he / she / they (sg.) / it

    has

    had

    Present participle
    Past participle

    having

    had

    Like other English verbs, to have can be conjugated in all the tenses by adding auxiliary verbs:

    auxiliary verb

    She has had this dog since she was 12.

    I have been having a difficult time teaching Billy to play baseball.

    Nick and Bob had had a big fight last week.

    To see the full conjugation of this verb in all the tenses, check out our chart of the conjugation of to have in English!

    When to use the verb ‘to have’

    In English we use have to discuss possession (of various sorts) and experiences. We also use it to form causative constructions, to discuss obligation (to have to), and to form the perfect tenses. Let’s look at each of these uses!

    Tip

    Watch out for these other common mistakes with to have! While many languages use to have to describe age, feelings, and emotions, In English, we use to be instead:

    • ✅ I am 35 years old.
      ❌ I have 35 years.

    • ✅ She is hungry.
      ❌ She has hunger.

    • ✅ They are angry.
      ❌ They have anger.

    How to use ‘have’ to discuss possession?

    The most common way that we use to have in English is as a main verb showing ownership or possession of something.

    • To have is used to show possession of physical objects:

      • My sister has two cars.

      • They had an apartment, but now they have a house.

    • To have is also used to show possession of certain qualities:

      • Harriet and Eileen both have red hair.

      • My mom has a good sense of humor.

    • Finally, to have can be used to show a temporary state (especially illness):

      • The toddler had a stomach ache, but she feels fine now.

      • Sorry, I can’t hang out today. I have a cold.

    Tip

    You can use the verb to have to express most of the relationships that are covered by the possessive construction with -‘sin English!

    How to use ‘have’ to discuss experience?

    We sometimes use to have to discuss experiences, both when the subject experiences something and when the subject creates an experience for others.

    • The subject experiences something:

      • I had a great time at your party!

      • Jeff had a bad dream last night.

      • The students are having recess right now.

      Tip

      Use have this way as a polite way to order food or drinks:

      I will have the fried fish and a diet coke, please!

    • The subject creates an experience for others:

      • My parents are having an anniversary party next week.

      • The school has a graduation ceremony every spring.

    This second use is much like our next use of to have…

    How to use ‘have’ in causative constructions?

    To have can also be used together with an object and a verb to form a causative. A causative sentence describes a situation where the subject encourages, arranges, or makes someone do something. There are three different ways to make a causative:

    • to have

      object

      bare infinitive

      The teachers had the students form a line.

      → The students formed a line.

      I had the students take a group picture.

      → The photographer took a group picture.

      In this format, the objects are doing an action or existing in some situation.

    • to have

      object

      prepositional phrase

      The cat had the mouse under her paw.

      The acting student had his back to the audience.

      In this format, the subject keeps the object in a particular location or position.

    • to have

      object

      past participle

      I usually have my hair cut by Tara.

      → Tara cuts my hair.

      She has her pool cleaned once a week.

      → Someone cleans the pool.

      With this format, the object undergoes the action.

    Check out our post on English causative verbs to learn more!

    How to use ‘have to’ to discuss obligation?

    We can use the phrase have to to show obligation. We can follow this formula:

    have to

    base form of verb

    I have to finish my homework.

    By Friday, Joel will have to buy more milk.

    We had to be there by noon.

    We didn’t have to cook, because we did not host Thanksgiving dinner.

    Tip

    Have a look at our post on discussing modal verbs in English to learn more about how to express obligation!

    How to use ‘to have’ in the English perfect tenses?

    To have is used as an auxiliary verb for the perfect aspect of all tenses in English. Here’s how we use to have in the perfect aspect:

    have

    past participle of main verb

    Make sure to change the form of have to match the subject and tense of the sentence!

    Present Perfect

    I have visited China.

    You have visited China.

    She has visited China.

    We have visited China.

    You all have visited China.

    They have visited China.

    Past Perfect

    I had done the dishes.

    You had done the dishes.

    He had done the dishes.

    We had done the dishes.

    You all had done the dishes.

    They had done the dishes.

    Tip

    You can learn more about how to form and use perfect tenses from the following posts:

    Can you use ‘be’ or ‘have’ more than once in one verb form?

    Yes! In English, you will sometimes use be or have more than once when forming a single complex verb. When and why? Let’s have a look!

    When to use ‘to be’ more than once in an English verb form?

    There are two main cases where you will need to use the verb be more than once in an English verb form:

    • You are using a passive verb in a continuous tense:

      When you use a passive verb (which uses auxiliary )be in a continuous tense (which uses auxiliary be), you’ll need to follow this formula:

      be
      continuous

      being + past participle
      passive

      The mouse is being hunted by the cat.

      The grass was being cut.

      We are being forgotten already!

      You all have been being taught about English!

    • You are using be as the main verb in a continuous tense:

      The linking verb be is a stative verb. This means that it is not usually used as the main verb in a continuous sentence:

      • ❌ I am being a doctor.
        ✅ I am a doctor.

      • ❌ She was being tall.
        ✅ She was tall.

      HOWEVER, the verb to be has some uses when it is not a linking verb. Mostly, this is when be means “to behave or act like one is a certain way.” In this meaning, it can be the main verb in a continuous tense. For example:

      'be' auxiliary'be' = to behave like

      You are being mean to your sister.

      → You are behaving in a mean way towards your sister.

      Alexandra was being a good friend.

      → She was behaving like she was a good friend.

    When to use ‘to have’ more than once in an English verb form?

    You can use have twice in a single English verb form when you are using the perfect aspect and haveis the main verb. This is most common when you are talking about possession, experiences, or causation.

    auxiliary 'had'main verb 'had'

    She had had a dog in the past, but now she had a cat.

    → She possessed a dog before the time she possessed a cat.

    They have had a lot of trouble hiring new employees.

    → They have experienced a lot of trouble hiring new employees.

    My mother has had her hair dyed many times in the past.

    → She has caused her hair to be dyed.

    Summary

    In this post, we’ve covered a lot of information about the most common verbs in English: to be and to have. So what did we talk about? Let’s a do a quick review:

    • To be has many different uses, including: names, ages, feelings and emotions, opinions, facts and general truths, and jobs and professions.

    • To have is used for relationships of possession, discussing experiences, showing a quality of something, discussing what something is made of, showing obligation, and having an event or activity.

    Now you might be an expert in using to be and to have, but if you have some extra time, why not check out our practice activities? And of course, don’t forget to check out the conjugation charts for to be and to have!

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