Home › B2 › Grammar › Have/get something done
Have/get something done
B2 B2 grammar · lesson 7 of 21
We use have or get something done when another person does a job for us. This structure is very common when we talk about services like haircuts, repairs and deliveries.
Rule
Compare: I cut my hair. (I did it myself.) I had my hair cut. (A hairdresser did it for me.) The structure is have + object + past participle. It is a kind of passive: the object receives the action.
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present simple | I have my car washed every month. |
| Present continuous | We are having the kitchen painted. |
| Past simple | She had her eyes tested last week. |
| Present perfect | Have you had your hair cut? |
| Future | I’ll have the documents sent to you. |
| Going to | They’re going to have a new roof put on. |
We often use this structure when we pay for a service: at the hairdresser’s, the garage, the dentist’s or the dry cleaner’s. The person who does the job is usually not important, so we do not mention them. If we want to say who did it, we can add by: I had my portrait painted by a local artist.
Only have changes for tense. Questions and negatives use the normal auxiliary: Did you have the TV repaired? We didn’t have it fixed.
Get something done
Get + object + past participle has the same meaning. It is more informal and common in speech. It can also suggest that we need to organise something or it is a little difficult.
I need to get my phone repaired.
Ali got his suit cleaned for the wedding.
Where do you get your hair done?
Lucy has her shopping delivered every Friday.
We had a new kitchen fitted last year.
Bad experiences
We also use have something done for something bad that another person did to us, not a service we asked for.
Tom had his wallet stolen on the train.
They had their flight cancelled twice.
Common mistakes
✗ I had cut my hair yesterday. (meaning: at the hairdresser’s)
✓ I had my hair cut yesterday.
✗ We’re having painted the house.
✓ We’re having the house painted.
✗ She got her nails do at the salon.
✓ She got her nails done at the salon.