Causative Verbs: Have/Get Something Done (Arranging Services)
have/get something done to talk about services you arrange for others to complete.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'have' or 'get' + object + past participle when someone else performs a service for you.
- Use 'have' for formal services: 'I had my car fixed.' (max 20 words)
- Use 'get' for informal/persuasive tasks: 'I got my hair cut.'
- The object always goes between the verb and the participle: 'Have + [Object] + [V3].'
Overview
Use 'have' or 'get' when someone does a job for you. It shows you did not do the work yourself.
Consider the difference in meaning here:
I cut my hair.(This implies you took the scissors and did it yourself.)I had my hair cut.(This means you went to a salon or barbershop and a professional did it for you.)
This tells what happened, not who did the work. It is good for repairs. You do not need the worker's name.
The words 'have' and 'get' are almost the same. 'Have' is more common. 'Get' is for casual talking.
How This Grammar Works
have something done: This is the more standard, neutral, and slightly more formal choice. It is the default for discussing routine professional services where the arrangement is straightforward. For example,We have our accounts audited annuallyis a standard business statement. Likewise,I need to have my passport photo takenrefers to a common, transactional service.
get something done: This construction is typically more informal. It can also suggest that some effort, persuasion, or challenge was involved in arranging the service. It can make the sentence feel more dynamic or personal. For instance,I finally got my laptop repaired after two weeks!implies a struggle. Similarly,She needs to get that leaky pipe fixed before it causes damageconveys a sense of urgency or necessity.
have something done | get something done |The CEO had his speech written by a consultant. | I managed to get a last-minute ticket booked. |Formation Pattern
I, you, he, she, we, they, my boss).
have/has ... done | get/gets ... done | She gets her dog groomed once a month. |
had ... done | got ... done | I had my watch battery replaced yesterday. |
will have ... done | will get ... done | We will have the carpets cleaned next week. |
am/is/are going to have ... done | am/is/are going to get ... done| He is going to get his suit dry-cleaned. |
have/has had ... done | have/has gotten ... done | She has just had her nails painted. |
had had ... done | had gotten ... done | He had already had the problem fixed by the time I arrived. |
When To Use It
- Arranging and Paying for Services: This is the most common use case. It applies to any situation where you commission a professional or a business to perform an action for you.
I'm going to have my car serviced this weekend.(At a garage)Before selling, they had their house deep-cleaned.(By a cleaning company)She gets her groceries delivered to save time.(From a supermarket)
- Personal Care and Grooming: Used extensively for services related to health, wellness, and appearance.
He gets his hair cut at a traditional barbershop.I'm having my teeth whitened before the wedding.My mother has her blood pressure checked regularly by her doctor.
- Unfortunate or Unplanned Events: A very important and idiomatic use of this structure is to describe negative events that happen to you or your possessions. In this context, you are the victim, not the arranger, but the grammatical focus remains on you as the affected party.
I had my wallet stolen on the metro.(The focus is on my loss, not the thief.)She came back to find she'd had her car window smashed.He got his nose broken in a rugby match.
- Delegating Tasks in a Professional Setting: In the workplace, this structure is used to talk about assigning work to subordinates or commissioning work from other departments or external contractors.
I need you to get these figures checked by the finance team.The marketing director had a new logo designed by an external agency.We must have the server security updated by the end of the quarter.
Common Mistakes
- 1Confusing with the Active Causative (
have someone do something)
- Incorrect mixture:
I had the mechanic repaired my car.(Combines agent with past participle) - Why it's wrong: In the passive causative (
I had my car repaired), the object (my car) is followed by the past participle (repaired). In the active causative, the agent (the mechanic) is followed by the base verb (repair). You must choose one pattern.
- 1Using the Wrong Verb Form instead of the Past Participle
- Incorrect:
I need to get my suit to clean.(Infinitive) - Incorrect:
She is having her portrait painting.(-ingform) - Correct:
I need to get my suit cleaned.;She is having her portrait painted. - Why it's wrong: The object is receiving the action. Only a past participle can convey this completed, passive state. Using an infinitive or
-ingform suggests the object itself is performing the action, which is illogical.
- 1Incorrect Tense Conjugation
- Incorrect:
Last year, we have our office repainted. - Correct:
Last year, we had our office repainted. - Why it's wrong: This is a fundamental subject-verb agreement and tense error.
have/getfunctions as the main verb and must reflect the time of the event.
- 1Incorrect Word Order
- Incorrect:
I had repaired my car.(This is the Past Perfect tense, meaning you did the repair earlier.) - Correct:
I had my car repaired.(Meaning, you arranged for someone to repair it.) - Why it's wrong: Word order is critical in English. Changing the position of
my caralters the entire meaning of the sentence, switching it from a causative construction to a standard active one.
Real Conversations
The have/get something done pattern is extremely common in all forms of modern communication. It is not just a feature of formal or written English.
Texting and Instant Messaging:
- Can't talk now, am getting my hair done.
- omg I just had my phone stolen 😭
- Did u remember to get the tickets printed?
- Gotta get my laptop looked at, it's so slow.
Social Media Captions (Instagram, X, Facebook):
- Finally got my first tattoo! So happy with how it turned out.
- New kitchen vibes! ✨ We had the cabinets painted and new countertops installed.
- That feeling when you just had your car detailed. #cleancar
Professional Emails and Workplace Chat (Slack/Teams):
- Hi team, please remember to have your expense reports submitted by EOD Friday.
- I'm having the final draft of the proposal proofread before we send it to the client.
- We need to get this contract reviewed by the legal department ASAP.
Casual Spoken English:
- Ugh, the landlord still hasn't gotten our broken dishwasher fixed.
- I'm thinking of having my eyes tested. I've been getting headaches.
- Let's not cook tonight, we could just get a pizza delivered.
- I hate having my picture taken; I never know how to stand.
Quick FAQ
have and get?Yes, but it's subtle. have something done is more neutral and often used for standard, professional services (I had my suit dry-cleaned). get something done is more informal and can imply you had to make an effort (I finally got my brother to fix my bike, which uses a different pattern, or I finally got my bike fixed). In many casual conversations, they are used interchangeably without any confusion.
You can add the agent using the preposition by at the end of the sentence: I had my portrait painted by a local artist. However, remember that the main purpose of this structure is to avoid naming the agent. If the agent is the most important information, it's often better to use an active sentence (A local artist painted my portrait) or the active causative (I had a local artist paint my portrait).
Yes, it is perfectly correct and idiomatic. This is the standard way to describe unfortunate events where you are the victim. The structure focuses on you as the person affected by the action. It communicates what happened to your possessions from your perspective. My wallet was stolen is also correct but I had my wallet stolen more personally frames the unfortunate experience.
The regular passive voice (The report was written) focuses only on the object and the action. The causative have/get something done (I had the report written) adds another layer: the initiator. It tells us who arranged for the action to happen, making it a more personal and specific construction.
Conjugating 'Have Something Done'
| Tense | Subject | Have/Get | Object | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Present Simple
|
I
|
have
|
my car
|
serviced.
|
|
Present Continuous
|
She
|
is having
|
her hair
|
cut.
|
|
Past Simple
|
We
|
had
|
the roof
|
repaired.
|
|
Past Continuous
|
They
|
were getting
|
the house
|
painted.
|
|
Present Perfect
|
I
|
have had
|
my watch
|
fixed.
|
|
Future (will)
|
You
|
will have
|
the report
|
typed.
|
|
Modals
|
He
|
should get
|
his eyes
|
checked.
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
I have had
|
I've had
|
I've had my hair cut.
|
|
She is having
|
She's having
|
She's having it fixed.
|
|
I will have
|
I'll have
|
I'll have it done.
|
Meanings
A structure used to describe a situation where we do not perform an action ourselves, but instead arrange for someone else to do it for us, usually a professional or a service provider.
Arranging Services
Paying or asking someone to do a job for you.
“She is having her laptop repaired.”
“We need to get the carpets cleaned.”
Unpleasant Experiences
Describing something bad that happened to you (where you didn't arrange it, but it affected your property).
“He had his phone stolen on the subway.”
“They had their flight cancelled at the last minute.”
Persuasion/Completion
Using 'get' to emphasize the effort or persuasion required to finish a task.
“I finally got the kids to finish their homework.”
“It took ages, but I got the engine started.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj + have + obj + V3
|
I had my phone repaired.
|
|
Negative
|
Subj + auxiliary + not + have + obj + V3
|
I didn't have my phone repaired.
|
|
Question
|
Auxiliary + subj + have + obj + V3?
|
Did you have your phone repaired?
|
|
Informal
|
Subj + get + obj + V3
|
I got my phone repaired.
|
|
Experience
|
Subj + have + obj + V3 (unpleasant)
|
He had his car stolen.
|
|
Continuous
|
Subj + be + having + obj + V3
|
We are having the house painted.
|
Formality Spectrum
We had the fleet vehicles serviced by the authorized dealer. (Car repair)
I had my car fixed at the garage. (Car repair)
I got my car fixed. (Car repair)
I got my ride sorted. (Car repair)
The Passive Causative Ecosystem
Services
- Haircut Have hair cut
- Car Repair Get car fixed
Accidents
- Theft Have wallet stolen
- Damage Have window broken
Active vs. Passive Causative
Should I use Passive Causative?
Did you do the work yourself?
Is it a professional service?
Common Objects for Causatives
Body
- • Hair cut
- • Eyes tested
- • Teeth cleaned
Home
- • Roof repaired
- • House painted
- • Carpets cleaned
Examples by Level
I have a clean car.
The barber cuts my hair.
I wash my bike.
He fixes the phone.
I had my hair cut yesterday.
She gets her car washed every week.
We had the pizza delivered.
Do you have your house cleaned?
I'm going to have my eyes tested tomorrow.
He's having his kitchen repainted at the moment.
You should get your coat dry-cleaned.
We didn't have the windows cleaned last month.
I've just had my wisdom teeth removed.
We need to get the contract signed by the director.
Have you ever had your identity stolen?
I'll have my assistant call you with the details.
The CEO had the entire department restructured.
It's high time you had that leak looked at.
She got herself caught up in a very difficult situation.
We had our application rejected without any explanation.
The diplomat had his credentials revoked following the scandal.
I won't have my integrity questioned by someone like him.
They had the manuscript painstakingly restored by experts.
To have one's life's work dismissed so casually is heartbreaking.
Easily Confused
Learners confuse 'I had fixed my car' (Past Perfect) with 'I had my car fixed' (Causative).
Learners forget the 'to' in 'I got him to fix it' but try to use it in 'I got it fixed'.
Learners think 'My car was fixed' is the same as 'I had my car fixed'.
Common Mistakes
I cut my hair (at the salon).
I had my hair cut.
I have my car fix.
I have my car fixed.
I had fixed my car.
I had my car fixed.
I wash my car yesterday (by a man).
I had my car washed.
I am having cut my hair.
I am having my hair cut.
Did you had your car fixed?
Did you have your car fixed?
I got my house paint.
I got my house painted.
I had my wallet steal.
I had my wallet stolen.
I had the mechanic to fix my car.
I had the mechanic fix my car.
I got fixed my computer.
I got my computer fixed.
I had my hair been cut.
I had my hair cut.
I got my car stolen.
I had my car stolen.
They had the work doing.
They had the work done.
Sentence Patterns
I need to have my ___ ___.
Where can I get my ___ ___?
I'm thinking of having the ___ ___.
He had his ___ ___ while he was ___.
Real World Usage
I'd like to have my hair dyed blonde.
I need to get my brakes checked.
We are having the quarterly reports reviewed by the legal team.
We're having a new security system installed.
I had my passport stolen at the airport.
You should have that mole looked at by a dermatologist.
The 'By' Rule
Don't Forget the V3
Get for Persuasion
Politeness
Smart Tips
Always use 'have' or 'get'. If you say 'I fixed my car,' people will ask you for mechanical advice!
Swap 'have' for 'get'. It's the #1 way to sound more natural in a coffee shop or with friends.
Use 'have' + object + V3 to describe the event without sounding like you caused it.
Remember: The 'Thing' goes in the 'Middle'. Have + Thing + Done.
Pronunciation
Weak 'have'
In the causative, 'have' is often unstressed and sounds like /həv/ or even /əv/.
Linking 'get'
When using 'get', the 't' often links to the following object if it starts with a vowel.
Focus on the Participle
I had my car FIXED ↗
Emphasizes that the action is completed.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
H.O.P.: Have + Object + Participle. Remember the HOP to the shop for a service!
Visual Association
Imagine a wealthy person sitting on a sofa pointing at a broken window while a repairman fixes it. The person isn't touching the window; they are 'having it fixed.'
Rhyme
If you didn't do the chore, use 'have' and 'get' to say much more. Put the object in the middle, and the V3 ends the riddle.
Story
Last week, I was too busy to do anything. I had my car washed by a pro, I got my suit cleaned for the party, and I even had my groceries delivered. I didn't lift a finger, but everything got done!
Word Web
Challenge
Look around your room. Identify three things that you didn't make or fix yourself. Say out loud: 'I had this [object] [V3].' (e.g., 'I had this wall painted.')
Cultural Notes
BrE speakers use 'have something done' very frequently for even minor services. It sounds more polite and less 'demanding' than active forms.
AmE speakers use 'get something done' much more often in daily conversation than BrE speakers, reflecting a more informal, action-oriented culture.
In corporate settings, using 'have' (e.g., 'We had the report audited') is a way to show delegation and professional oversight without taking personal credit for the manual labor.
The causative 'have' developed in Middle English as an extension of the possessive 'have'.
Conversation Starters
When was the last time you had your hair cut?
Have you ever had anything stolen while traveling?
If you won the lottery, what chores would you have done for you?
How often do you get your car serviced?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Which sentence means someone else fixed the computer?
She is ___ her house ___ (have / paint) at the moment.
Find and fix the mistake:
I got repaired my watch yesterday.
The mechanic is checking my brakes.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Select the informal version of 'I had my car repaired.'
Next week, I ___ my wisdom teeth ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
He got his window broken in the storm.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesWhich sentence means someone else fixed the computer?
She is ___ her house ___ (have / paint) at the moment.
Find and fix the mistake:
I got repaired my watch yesterday.
The mechanic is checking my brakes.
1. Haircut, 2. Stolen Bag, 3. Eye Test
Select the informal version of 'I had my car repaired.'
Next week, I ___ my wisdom teeth ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
He got his window broken in the storm.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
11 exercisesI need to ____ my laptop fixed as soon as possible.
She is going to have her teeth clean next week.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Hice que me revisaran los ojos ayer.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the subjects with the correct ending:
They ____ their kitchen renovated last year.
I had my computer to fix yesterday.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Ella consiguió que le entregaran el paquete rápidamente.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Score: /11
FAQ (10)
Almost, but avoid it for accidents. 'I got my wallet stolen' sounds like you wanted it to happen. Use 'I had my wallet stolen' instead.
The first is the causative (someone else did it). The second is the Past Perfect (you did it yourself before another past action).
Usually no. We only add `by + person` if the specific person is surprising or important to the story.
Yes, it is very common in spoken English, though 'have' is preferred in formal writing.
Yes! 'You should have your car serviced' or 'I must get my eyes checked' are perfect examples.
Because the object (the car, the hair) receives the action, just like in a normal passive sentence.
No. You must use the past participle (V3). 'Cutting' is the present participle and is incorrect here.
It has the same meaning, but it is an 'Active Causative'. It focuses on the barber, not the hair.
Use the auxiliary 'don't/didn't/won't'. For example: 'I didn't have my house painted.'
No. 'Make' implies force or obligation (e.g., 'I made him clean it'), which is different from arranging a service.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Mandar a + infinitive / Hacerse
English uses V3 (past participle), Spanish uses the infinitive.
Faire + infinitive
In French, the object comes after both verbs; in English, it's in the middle.
Lassen
German uses the infinitive 'schneiden' (to cut) while English uses 'cut' (past participle).
~shite morau / ~saseru
Japanese focuses on the favor/benefit; English focuses on the arrangement.
Form II verbs (Causative)
Arabic uses internal verb changes; English uses a periphrastic (multi-word) structure.
Rang / Jiao / Qing
Chinese usually requires naming the person (the barber, the mechanic), whereas English omits them.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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