Have Something Done

🎯 Lesson Goal:

Learn to talk about services, actions done by other people, and unpleasant experiences using have something done.

1. Warm-Up (3 min)

🗣️ Discuss:

1. When was the last time you paid someone to do something for you?

2. Do you fix things yourself or get someone else to do them?

3. What are some things people usually get done for them (e.g. haircut, car repair)?

💬 Sample answers:

I had my hair cut yesterday.
We had our house painted last summer.

🎯 Focus:
We use “have something done” when someone does a service or job for us.

2. Presentation (7 min)

A. Structure

Subject + have + object + past participle

I had my car washed.
She is having her nails done.
They will have their house cleaned tomorrow.

🧠 Meaning:

• You don’t do the action yourself — someone else does it for you.

B. Uses

1️⃣ Services or Professional Work

We use have something done when we pay or ask someone to do something.

I had my hair cut last week. (= The hairdresser did it.)
We had our roof repaired in June.

2️⃣ Unpleasant Situations (something bad happens to you)

He had his wallet stolen on holiday.
They had their car broken into last night.

🧠 You didn’t want it to happen — but it happened to you.

3️⃣ Different Tenses

TenseExamplePresentI have my car cleaned every week.PastI had my car cleaned yesterday.FutureI will have my car cleaned tomorrow.Present ContinuousI am having my car cleaned right now.Present PerfectI have had my car cleaned recently.

💬 Tip: “Get” can replace “have” in informal English:

I got my car washed yesterday.

3. Controlled Practice (5 min)

Complete the sentences with the correct form of have something done.

1. I __________ (my hair / cut) every month.

2. We __________ (our house / paint) last summer.

3. She __________ (her phone / repair) right now.

4. They __________ (their car / steal) last night.

5. He __________ (his teeth / whiten) next week.

6. We __________ never __________ (our kitchen / renovate).

7. I __________ (my suit / dry-clean) before the wedding.

✅ Answers + Explanations

1. I have my hair cut every month. (Present habit)

2. We had our house painted last summer. (Past service)

3. She is having her phone repaired right now. (Ongoing action)

4. They had their car stolen last night. (Unpleasant event)

5. He will have his teeth whitened next week. (Future plan)

6. We have never had our kitchen renovated. (Present perfect — experience)

7. I had my suit dry-cleaned before the wedding. (Completed action)

🧠 Key idea: The subject doesn’t perform the action — someone else does.

4. Transformation Practice (5 min)

Rewrite the sentences using have something done.

1. The mechanic repaired my car yesterday.
   → ______________________________

2. A professional photographer took our wedding photos.
   → ______________________________

3. Someone stole his bike last week.
   → ______________________________

4. The dentist will whiten her teeth tomorrow.
   → ______________________________

5. A designer is decorating their flat.
   → ______________________________

✅ Sample Answers

1. I had my car repaired yesterday.

2. We had our wedding photos taken by a professional.

3. He had his bike stolen last week.

4. She will have her teeth whitened tomorrow.

5. They are having their flat decorated by a designer.

💡 Notice: The action verb always takes the past participle form (repaired, taken, stolen, whitened, decorated).

5. Engaging Discussion (5 min)

🗣️ Answer these questions in full sentences using have something done.

1. What was the last thing you had done for you?

2. Is there something you’d like to have done soon (e.g. house, clothes, technology)?

3. Have you ever had something stolen or broken? What happened?

4. Do you prefer doing things yourself or having them done by professionals? Why?

💬 Example answers:

I had my laptop repaired because it stopped working.
I’d like to have my room painted next month.

6. Extra Discussion (4–5 min)

💬 Deeper questions:

1. Why do people often choose to have things done instead of doing them themselves?

2. In your country, what kinds of services do people commonly have done?

3. How would life be different if you had to do everything yourself?

4. What’s something you wish you could afford to have done regularly?

🎯 Goal: Practise fluency and natural use of the grammar in real-life context.

7. Wrap-Up & Review (2 min)

🧾 Quick Recap

• Form: have + object + past participle

  I had my car repaired.

• Meaning: Someone else does the action for you.

• Used for:

  1. Services → I had my hair cut.

  2. Unpleasant events → He had his phone stolen.

  3. Any tense → have / had / will have / am having.

• Optional alternative: get something done (informal).

🎯 Mini Challenge:
Say three sentences about your life using have something done.

I have my hair cut every two months.
I had my car repaired last week.
I’ll have my kitchen redecorated next year.