have something done

have something done, get something done, had my hair cut, causative, service, repaired, fixed

Says that someone else does a job for you, often a paid service, with have + object + past participle, as in .

AI-generated

Structure

[subject] + have + [object] + [past participle]

[subject] + get + [object] + [past participle]

Description

Have something done means that you arrange for another person to do something for you. You don't do it yourself. The object (the thing) comes before the past participle.

I had my hair cut yesterday.

A hairdresser cut it.

I cut my hair yesterday.

I did it myself.

Word order

The order is have + object + past participle. If you put the participle before the object, it becomes the present perfect, with a different meaning.

I've had the car repaired.

A mechanic repaired it.

I've repaired the car.

I did it.

Any tense

Have changes for the tense. The past participle stays the same.

Get something done

In everyday speech, get can replace have. The meaning is the same, and it is a little less formal.

Something bad that happened

The same pattern can describe something bad that someone else did to you.

Common mistakes

× I had cut my hair. (when a hairdresser did it) → I had my hair cut.
× I'm going to have repaired my car. → I'm going to have my car repaired.
× She had her nails do. → She had her nails done.

Examples

get

-ing as a subject