Have it done, get it done

  • B1 · Intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • have something done

have or get + something + past participle for the jobs other people do for us: I'm getting my passport renewed, and I'm having my car serviced on Friday. From a to-do list before six months abroad to a role-play at a hotel desk that does everything for its guests.

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have it checkedget it donehad it scanned

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: my to-do listReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find have and getGrammar exercise
  6. 6have it done, get it doneGrammar rule
  7. 7Choose the right formGrammar exercise
  8. 8Getting the house readyGrammar exercise
  9. 9Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12The hotel conciergeSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: a busy SaturdayGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a friend in your homeDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Have you ever lived or traveled abroad for a long time? Where?
  2. What do you always do in the last few days before a long trip?
  3. What was the last thing you paid someone to fix or clean for you?

Grammar rule

have it done, get it done

have / get + something + past participle

We use it for services: someone else (a shop, a garage, a professional) does the job for us, usually for money. have and get both work in any form.

Example
present simple (a habit)We have the heating checked every fall.
present continuous (a plan)I'm getting my rings resized on Friday.
past simpleShe had her old photos scanned last week.
present perfectWe've just had a new oven put in.
need to / want toYou need to get that knee looked at.
questionWhere did you have your sofa cleaned?
negativeWe didn't get the car washed.

Word order: have / get + the thing + the past participle

  • I had my jacket repaired. (a shop repaired it)
  • I repaired my jacket. (I did it myself)
  • I had repaired my jacket. (the past perfect: I did it myself, before another moment in the past)

have or get?

They mean the same here. get is more informal, and it is very common in speech. Add by + who did it only when it matters: We had the cake made by a famous baker.

Watch out

  • The past participle, not the base verb or the past simple: get it fix → get it fixed · got it send → got it sent.
  • have or get, not make or do: I made my car serviced. → I had my car serviced.
  • Questions and negatives need do / did: Did you get it done? I didn't have it checked.

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

Teach this lesson
← Unit 7The passive: has been done, will be done