Have or Has: The Difference in English (With 40 Examples)

"Have" and "has" both come from the verb "to have," but they are not interchangeable. Using the wrong one is one of the most common English mistakes for learners in the UAE. This guide gives you the rule in one sentence, 40 example sentences, and 20 exercises so you never mix them up again.

Once you master have vs has, review our past continuous tense guide for the next building block of English.

The one-sentence rule

• Has = only for he / she / it (or a singular noun like "my brother", "the car", "Ahmed")
• Have = for everything else (I / you / we / they + plural nouns)

That is the entire rule. Now let us look at every situation where you use them.

Have vs has as a main verb (possession)

When "have" means "own" or "possess":

• I have a car. → first person, use have
• You have a great smile. → second person, use have
• He has three brothers. → third person singular, use has
• She has an interview tomorrow. → third person singular, use has
• It has a big garden. → for things, use has
• We have a meeting at 3 PM. → first person plural, use have
• They have an office in DIFC. → third person plural, use have

Singular nouns take "has"

• My brother has a new job.
• The car has a flat tyre.
• Ahmed has three children.
• The company has 200 employees.
• Dubai has the tallest building in the world.

Plural nouns take "have"

• My brothers have new jobs.
• The cars have flat tyres.
• Ahmed and Sara have three children each.
• The companies have branches in JLT.
• All the buildings have panoramic views.

Have vs has as a helping verb (present perfect tense)

You also use have / has to form the present perfect tense: something that started in the past and continues to affect the present. The rule is the same: has for he/she/it, have for everyone else.

• I have lived in Dubai for 5 years.
• You have seen this film before.
• He has finished the report.
• She has travelled to 12 countries.
• It has rained for three days straight.
• We have worked together since 2019.
• They have already booked their tickets.

Have vs has in questions

Move have / has to the beginning of the sentence:

• Have you seen my keys?
• Has she called you back?
• Have they arrived yet?
• Has the meeting started?
• Have we met before?

Have vs has in negatives

Add "not" after have / has:

• I have not (haven't) received your email.
• She has not (hasn't) finished her homework.
• We have not (haven't) been to Abu Dhabi yet.
• He has not (hasn't) called me back.

40 example sentences

Have (I / you / we / they / plural nouns)

1. I have a meeting at 10 AM tomorrow.
2. You have a beautiful home in Al Barsha.
3. We have two children.
4. They have lived in Dubai for a decade.
5. My colleagues have the day off today.
6. The students have an exam next week.
7. My parents have just retired.
8. We have worked with this supplier for years.
9. I have finished my report.
10. Have you tried the new restaurant on The Palm?

Has (he / she / it / singular nouns)

1. He has a strong background in finance.
2. She has three degrees.
3. It has been raining since morning.
4. The car has a full tank of petrol.
5. My father has a house in Sharjah.
6. Ahmed has just moved to Abu Dhabi.
7. The bank has branches all across the UAE.
8. This building has 45 floors.
9. The company has offices in DIFC.
10. She has finished her IELTS course.

Present perfect (has / have + past participle)

1. I have visited Egypt three times.
2. She has worked in this company for 6 years.
3. We have never eaten at that restaurant.
4. They have already left the office.
5. He has just called his mother.
6. The internet has been slow all day.
7. My car has broken down twice this month.
8. You have grown so much since I last saw you.
9. The government has announced new rules.
10. I have not slept for 24 hours.

Questions

1. Have you booked your flight?
2. Has she confirmed the meeting?
3. Have the guests arrived?
4. Has it stopped raining?
5. Have we sent the invoice?

Negatives

1. He hasn't replied to my message.
2. I haven't finished the project yet.
3. They haven't decided where to eat.
4. The manager hasn't returned from Riyadh.
5. We haven't met in person.

20 exercises

Fill in the blank with have or has.

1. My brother ______ two dogs.
2. We ______ a lot of work to do this week.
3. She ______ never been to Europe.
4. The children ______ finished their homework.
5. I ______ a headache this morning.
6. ______ you seen my phone anywhere?
7. Dubai ______ a very hot climate in summer.
8. My parents ______ lived here for 20 years.
9. The company ______ opened a new branch in Abu Dhabi.
10. They ______ just moved into a new villa.
11. Ahmed ______ a meeting with the client at 2 PM.
12. ______ she called you back yet?
13. I ______ not seen him since last month.
14. The cars in the parking lot ______ scratches on them.
15. This restaurant ______ excellent reviews online.
16. Her husband ______ started a new job.
17. We ______ decided to travel to Turkey next month.
18. My friends ______ recommended this book.
19. It ______ rained heavily since Monday.
20. The airport ______ improved its terminals recently.

Answer key

1. has (my brother = he)
2. have (we)
3. has (she)
4. have (the children = plural = they)
5. have (I)
6. Have (you)
7. has (Dubai = it)
8. have (my parents = they)
9. has (the company = it)
10. have (they)
11. has (Ahmed = he)
12. Has (she)
13. have (I)
14. have (the cars = plural = they)
15. has (this restaurant = it)
16. has (her husband = he)
17. have (we)
18. have (my friends = they)
19. has (it)
20. has (the airport = it)

Common mistakes UAE learners make

1. Using "have" with third person singular

Wrong: My father have three cars. Right: My father has three cars.

If you can replace the subject with "he," "she," or "it," use has.

2. Using "has" with plural nouns

Wrong: The students has finished the exam. Right: The students have finished the exam.

More than one person or thing = have.

3. Forgetting the "s" changes on the verb after has

Wrong: She has go to Sharjah yesterday. Right: She has gone to Sharjah yesterday.

After have / has, the main verb needs its past participle form (gone, done, seen, taken, etc.), not the base form.

4. Confusing "has / have" with "has / have got"

British English commonly uses "have got" to mean "have" (possession):

• American English: I have a car.
• British English: I have got a car. (or "I've got a car.")

Both are correct. In the UAE, either works, but "have got" is more common in casual speech.

Note: "Have got" is only for possession. For actions, you use plain "have":

• Right: I have a shower every morning. (an action)
• Wrong: I have got a shower every morning. (unless you mean you own a shower)

5. Contraction confusion

Both are common:

• I have → I've
• You have → you've
• He has → he's
• She has → she's
• We have → we've
• They have → they've

Careful: "he's" can mean both "he is" AND "he has." Context tells you which:

• He's tired. = He IS tired.
• He's finished the project. = He HAS finished the project. (because "finished" is a past participle)

Have or Has: quick decision tree

Ask yourself: "Is the subject he / she / it, or a singular thing?"

• Yes → use has
• No (I / you / we / they, or a plural thing) → use have

That is 90% of the rule. The remaining 10% is remembering that after has/have, the main verb uses the past participle (gone, done, seen, been), not the base form.

Practise have vs has with a real teacher

Subject-verb agreement is a skill that improves fastest with correction in real time. Wall Street English UAE runs English classes near you in Jumeirah Lakes Towers Dubai and online across all Emirates, with small group and one-to-one options. Every lesson is with a CELTA-qualified native English teacher.

Book a free level test and lock in your grammar foundations.

Related grammar guides

• Past continuous tense in English (with 30 examples)
• In, on, at: the complete guide to prepositions of place
• How to improve English writing skills