Had vs Have
The difference between Had and Have is in the tenses in which they are used. However, before discussing the difference between have and had, one needs to know that have and had are two auxiliary verbs in English language. They have different usages too. The main fact about have and had is that both are different forms of the verb ‘to have.’ Have is a present form while had is the past form. As an auxiliary verb, have is used in the case of present perfect tense. On the other hand, the auxiliary verb had is used in the case of past perfect tense. This is the main difference between the two auxiliary verbs, namely, have and had.
What does Have mean?
The verb have is a present tense form of the verb ‘to have.’ Look at the example given below.
I have a pen.
They have three cars.
The policemen have batons in their hands.
In all the sentences given above, have is used as the verb. However, it should be noted that have is used only with plural nouns or pronouns. Observe the two sentences given below.
I have come to see you.
You have given me a book yesterday.
In both the sentences, you can find that the auxiliary verb have is used in the present perfect tense. Moreover, it is used either with the first person or with the second person. It is important to know that the auxiliary verb have cannot be used with the third person. Third person is used with the verb has.
It is interesting to note that the verb have is also used in the formation of questions such as ‘have you been to London before?’ In this sentence, the verb have is used in the formation of a question.
What does Had mean?
The verb had is the past tense form of the verb ‘to have.’ Look at the following examples.
She had a bag.
I had an umbrella.
They had a huge quarrel.
You can see that had is used with both singular and plural nouns and pronouns.
Moreover, the auxiliary verb had is used in the case of the first person, second person and third person past perfect tense. Observe the three sentences,
I had seen a bad dream the night before.
You had given up the idea long back.
She had come here several years ago.
In all the three sentences, you can find that the auxiliary verb had is used in the case of the past perfect tense of the first person, second person and third person respectively.
On the other hand, had has a peculiar usage as in the sentence ‘had you been late we would have missed the train’. It is actually a sentence constructed according to the conditional tenses.
What is the difference between Had and Have?
• Have is a present form of the verb ‘to have’ while had is the past form.
• As an auxiliary verb, have is used in the case of present perfect tense.
• On the other hand, the auxiliary verb had is used in the case of past perfect tense.
• Have is used with only plural nouns and pronouns.
• Had is used with both singular and plural nouns and pronouns.
These are the important differences between the two verbs have and had.