How to use "HAD HAD" and "HAVE HAD" in English (easy to understand)

Teacher Mike English

8 Aug 202307:12

Summary

TLDRThis video explains the differences between 'I have had' and 'I had had' by exploring the present perfect and past perfect tenses. It highlights how 'I have had' is used to discuss experiences or actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past and continue to affect the present. In contrast, 'I had had' refers to actions completed by a specific time in the past. Examples include talking about owning dogs and eating lunch. The video also emphasizes common mistakes with time references when using present perfect tense and offers recommendations for further learning.

Takeaways

😀 Present perfect tense uses 'have' or 'has' and the third form of the verb (e.g., 'I have eaten').
😄 Present perfect is used to talk about things that happened in the past without specifying when.
😊 Do not use specific past time expressions like 'yesterday' or 'last week' with present perfect tense.
😎 You can use present perfect with time periods still continuing, like 'this week' or 'today'.
🤔 To talk about possession in present perfect tense, use 'have had' (e.g., 'I have had four dogs').
😃 'I had had' is past perfect tense, used to describe something before a specific point in the past.
🐶 Example: 'When I was 9, I had never had a dog.' Later, 'When I was 16, I had had two dogs.'
🥗 Example of past perfect: 'Yesterday at 1 PM, I had already had lunch,' showing an action completed before a specific point in the past.
🍽 You can use another past tense action to indicate the time for past perfect (e.g., 'When Megan invited me to lunch, I had already eaten').
🎓 It's normal to find past perfect tense confusing, especially if you're learning it for the first time. Further learning is recommended.

Q & A

What is the present perfect tense and how is it formed?
-The present perfect tense is used to talk about actions that happened at some point in the past without specifying exactly when. It is formed using the subject, 'have' or 'has,' and the third form of the verb (past participle). For example, 'I have eaten breakfast.'
Why don't we mention specific times in the past when using the present perfect tense?
-In present perfect tense, we don't mention specific times in the past (e.g., yesterday, last week) because this tense focuses on actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past. Instead, we can refer to ongoing time periods like 'today,' 'this week,' or 'this year.'
Can you give an example of when to use 'I have had'?
-An example of 'I have had' in the present perfect tense is: 'I have had breakfast.' This implies that at some point before now, the person has eaten breakfast.
What is the difference between 'I have had' and 'I had had'?
-'I have had' is in the present perfect tense and refers to something that happened before now but at an unspecified time. 'I had had' is in the past perfect tense, which focuses on something that happened before a specific point in the past.
How is the third form of 'have' used in both 'I have had' and 'I had had'?
-The third form of 'have' is 'had.' In 'I have had,' it is used to talk about an action that happened before now in an unspecified time. In 'I had had,' it refers to something that happened before a specific past event.
Why is 'I have studied English yesterday' incorrect?
-'I have studied English yesterday' is incorrect because 'yesterday' is a finished time period, which should not be used with present perfect tense. Instead, we should use past simple, such as 'I studied English yesterday.'
What is an example of using past perfect tense?
-An example of past perfect tense is: 'Yesterday at 1pm, I had already had lunch.' This sentence refers to a completed action that occurred before a specific time in the past.
When would you use 'I had never had a dog'?
-You would use 'I had never had a dog' when referring to a specific past moment before which you had not owned a dog. For example, 'When I was nine, I had never had a dog.'
What does 'I had already eaten' imply when used in a sentence?
-'I had already eaten' implies that the speaker finished eating before a specific past moment or event. For example, 'When Megan invited me to lunch, I had already eaten.'
Why is the past perfect tense considered more complex than present perfect?
-The past perfect tense is considered more complex because it deals with two points in the past, indicating that one action happened before another. It requires understanding of both past events and how they are sequenced.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding the Present Perfect Tense

This paragraph explains the use of the present perfect tense, which is formed with 'have' or 'has' followed by the third form of the verb. It's used to describe actions that occurred in the past without specifying when exactly they happened. The paragraph clarifies that while specific past times like 'yesterday' or 'last week' are not used with the present perfect, time periods that continue to the present, such as 'today', 'this week', 'this month', or 'this year', are appropriate. It also distinguishes between 'I have had', which focuses on the present, and 'I had had', which focuses on a specific point in the past. The paragraph uses the example of having dogs at different times in the speaker's life to illustrate these concepts.

05:02

🐾 The Nuance of 'I Have Had' and 'I Had Had'

The second paragraph delves into the subtle difference between 'I have had' and 'I had had'. 'I have had' is used to describe an action completed at an unspecified time before now, while 'I had had' is used to refer to an action completed before a specific point in the past. The speaker uses the example of having lunch at 1 pm on Tuesday to explain how 'I have had' is used to decline an invitation to lunch because the action of eating lunch was completed before the current time. The paragraph also suggests that if viewers are confused, they should watch more videos on the present and past perfect tenses for clarification. It concludes by thanking viewers for their attention.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. It is formed by using 'have' or 'has' with the third form of the verb (past participle). In the video, the speaker explains that it is often used to talk about things that happened in the past without saying exactly when. An example from the script is 'I have eaten breakfast.'

💡Past Perfect Tense

Past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before a certain point in the past. It is formed by using 'had' with the past participle of the verb. The video explains how this tense is used to highlight an earlier action relative to a later past action, such as 'I had already had lunch when Megan invited me.'

💡Third Form of the Verb

The third form of the verb refers to the past participle, which is required to form perfect tenses. Examples in the video include 'eaten,' 'taken,' and 'had.' It is used after 'have,' 'has,' or 'had' to form sentences in the present or past perfect tense, such as 'I have eaten breakfast' or 'I had had two dogs.'

💡Unspecified Time in the Past

This concept refers to actions described in the present perfect tense, where the exact time is not mentioned. The video emphasizes that we use the present perfect tense without specific time references like 'yesterday' or 'last week.' For instance, 'I have studied English' indicates an action that happened at some point before now without specifying when.

💡Ongoing Time Period

In present perfect tense, the time period during which the action took place can still be ongoing. The video provides examples of ongoing time periods like 'today,' 'this week,' or 'this year.' For example, 'I have studied this week' indicates that the week is not over yet.

💡Possession in Present Perfect

The video uses possession as an example of the present perfect tense. For example, 'I have had two dogs' suggests that at some point before now, the speaker had two dogs. The use of 'had' as the third form of 'have' is essential to form the perfect tense, even when discussing ownership or possession.

💡Specific Point in the Past

In the past perfect tense, a specific point in the past is crucial for establishing when the earlier action happened. The video provides examples like 'Yesterday at 1 pm, I had already had lunch.' This indicates a past event that occurred before a particular moment in time.

💡Action before Another Action

The past perfect tense often compares one action that occurred before another. The video illustrates this with the sentence 'When Megan invited me to lunch, I had already eaten.' In this case, eating happened before the invitation, and the past perfect tense highlights this sequence.

💡Examples of Perfect Tense Usage

Throughout the video, numerous examples are provided to demonstrate the use of the present and past perfect tenses. Examples like 'I have eaten breakfast' (present perfect) and 'I had had two dogs' (past perfect) help clarify when to use each tense in conversation.

💡Time References and Perfect Tense

The video emphasizes the relationship between time references and the correct use of perfect tenses. In present perfect, you can mention ongoing time periods, but not past times like 'yesterday.' In past perfect, specific time references or other past actions are essential to set the context.

Highlights

Present perfect tense is used to talk about things that happened in the past without specifying when they happened.

We don't use time indicators like 'yesterday', 'last week', or 'two days ago' with present perfect tense.

Present perfect tense can be used with time periods that are still ongoing, like 'today', 'this week', or 'this month'.

The structure for present perfect is 'subject + have/has + third form of the verb'.

To talk about having something in the present perfect, the third form of 'have' is 'had', forming 'I have had'.

'I have had' can mean possession or experience over a period of time, like 'I have had four dogs in my life'.

Past perfect tense ('I had had') focuses on a specific point in the past, unlike present perfect which includes the present.

'I had had' is used when talking about a past experience before another past event, like 'I had already had lunch'.

Example of using past perfect: 'Yesterday at 1pm, I had already had lunch'.

Past perfect is often used with another past tense action, like 'When Megan invited me to lunch, I had already eaten'.

The difference between 'I have had' and 'I had had' depends on the timeline—present and ongoing vs. past and completed.

'I had had' can describe experiences that happened before a specific past point, like having two dogs before getting a third.

In past perfect, the action being described happens before another past event, providing context for the sequence of events.

Present perfect is used for events that are connected to the present, while past perfect is for past events leading to other past events.

Understanding 'I have had' and 'I had had' requires grasping the differences between present perfect and past perfect tenses.