Verb patterns · CEFR B2 · Confident

Causatives (have it done) — English verb patterns

Somebody else does it for you.

The shape

have / get + thing + third form

Say you had something done for you.

In Hindi

काम कोई और आपके लिए करता है।

CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.

The mistake to fix first

The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.

Commonly said	Correct English
I cut my hair yesterday.	I had my hair cut yesterday. Unless you cut it yourself, use "had it cut".

Commonly said

Correct English

I cut my hair yesterday.

I had my hair cut yesterday.

Unless you cut it yourself, use "had it cut".

Easy to confuse with

Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.

Questions people ask

What is the causatives (have it done) used for?: Somebody else does it for you. In practice: say you had something done for you.
How do you form the causatives (have it done)?: have / get + thing + third form.
What is the most common mistake with the causatives (have it done)?: Saying “I cut my hair yesterday.” instead of “I had my hair cut yesterday.”. Unless you cut it yourself, use "had it cut".

Where causatives (have it done) fits

Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.

Causatives (have it done) is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to verb patterns. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

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