Have Something Done: The Causative in English with Examples

The causative tells us that the subject arranges for something to be done, but someone else does the work. The pattern is have + object + past participle: I had my car washed.

The word order is very important. Compare I had my car washed (someone washed it for me) with I had washed my car (the past perfect: I washed it myself, before another past moment). In the causative, the object comes between have and the past participle.

The causative is closely related to the passive voice. In both, we focus on the action and the thing it happens to, not on the person who does it. If you want to say who did the job, add by: I had my car repaired by a mechanic in the village. Most of the time, the person is obvious, so we leave it out.

Have can be used in any tense, like any other verb. The rest of the pattern does not change: I'm having my car serviced, I've had my car serviced, I'm going to have my car serviced.

In simple tenses, questions and negatives need do, does or did, because have is the main verb: Did you have your hair cut? I don't have my nails done very often. Don't say Had you your hair cut? That form is not used in modern English.

You can also use modal verbs: You should have that cough checked. We must have the heating fixed before winter. Remember that past participles of common verbs are often irregular: cut, done, made, taken, sent. See the irregular verbs list to check them.

Get + object + past participle means the same as have something done. It is more informal and very common in spoken English, in both British and American English: I need to get my hair cut.

Get sometimes suggests that the job was difficult, or that you finally managed to do it: I finally got the washing machine fixed. It is also common in imperatives and with must or need: Get your eyes tested! You need to get that checked.

In formal writing, have is usually the better choice. In conversation, both are natural.

The same pattern can describe something bad that happened to you, which you did not arrange or want. She had her bag stolen means someone stole her bag. Here have does not mean she asked for it.

This use is common with stolen, broken, damaged, cancelled and taken away. It is a natural way to talk about unlucky events from your own point of view. Get is also possible in informal speech: He got his nose broken playing rugby.

The context makes the meaning clear. Nobody pays to have their car damaged, so I had my car damaged in the storm can only mean it was an accident.

Sometimes we want to say who does the job. Then the pattern changes: the person comes after have or get, and the verb is active.

Have + person + base verb means ask or tell someone to do something, often as part of their job: I'll have the receptionist call you. Get + person + to + verb means persuade someone, sometimes with effort: I got my friend to help me move. Notice that get needs to, but have does not.

Two related verbs follow the have pattern with no to: make someone do something (force them) and let someone do something (allow them). Mixing up these four patterns is a common mistake, so learn them as a set.

In everyday conversation, the causative is the normal way to talk about services. If you say I cut my hair, people will think you cut it yourself, maybe in the bathroom mirror. If you went to a hairdresser, say I had my hair cut or I got my hair cut, or simply I got a haircut.

These are some natural questions and answers you will hear: Where do you get your hair done? Have you had the car looked at? I need to get my phone screen fixed. We're having some work done on the house.

That last example, have some work done, is a common and useful phrase when builders are working on your home. Also learn get something sorted (British English, informal), which means arrange or fix it: I'll get it sorted tomorrow.