het ... gehad (Had Done)
Had Done: Het ... Gehad
Hy het al vertrek gehad toe ek daar aankom. (He had already left when I arrived.) Gehad after the ge- form says the action was already done.
How It Works
1. One past form. Het + ge- form covers did, have done and had done. Words like al (already) usually make the order clear: Toe hy bel, het ek al geëet. (When he phoned, I had already eaten.)
2. Adding gehad. To stress that one action was finished before another, put gehad after the ge- form:
- Hy het al vertrek gehad toe ek daar aankom. (He had already left when I arrived.)
- Ek het die boek al gelees gehad toe die fliek uitkom. (I had already read the book when the film came out.)
3. It is optional. This form is heard in speech and also found in writing, but you never need it. Hy het dit toe al gedoen gehad says the same as Hy het dit toe al klaar gedoen. (He had already done it by then.)
4. Word order. Gehad comes straight after the ge- form, at the end of the clause. In a subordinate clause, het moves after gehad: Ek weet dat hy dit toe al gedoen gehad het. (I know that he had already done it by then.)
5. Not the same as het gehad. In Ek het 'n hond gehad (I had a dog), gehad is the only main verb and means had (see het gehad). In this pattern, gehad follows another ge- form.
6. Not had or was. The old one-word past had survives only in literary writing (see rare past forms), so everyday Afrikaans uses het + ge- form. Was + ge- form is the passive, not the active had done.
Tip: For the passive, the same idea uses was + ge- form: Die huis was al verkoop.
Examples (6)
- Hy het al vertrek gehad toe ek daar aankom.
He had already left when I arrived there.
Word by Word: He has already left had when I there arrive.
- Ek het die boek al gelees gehad toe die fliek uitkom.
I had already read the book when the film came out.
Word by Word: I have the book already read had when the film out-comes.
- Toe hy bel, het ek al geëet.
When he phoned, I had already eaten.
Word by Word: When he phones, have I already eaten.
No gehad here: al alone shows that eating came first.
- Sy het die kaartjies al gekoop gehad voordat ons gevra het.
She had already bought the tickets before we asked.
Word by Word: She has the tickets already bought had before we asked have.
- Hulle het die huis al verkoop gehad toe die pryse styg.
They had already sold the house when prices went up.
Word by Word: They have the house already sold had when the prices rise.
- Ek weet dat hy dit toe al gedoen gehad het.
I know that he had already done it by then.
Word by Word: I know that he it then already done had has.
In a subordinate clause het moves to the very end.
Common Mistakes
Putting gehad before the main ge- form, as in English had left.
Hy het al gehad vertrek toe ek aankom.Hy het al vertrek gehad toe ek aankom.Gehad follows the main ge- form at the end of the clause.
Using was for had with an active verb.
Ek was die boek al gelees toe die fliek uitkom.Ek het die boek al gelees gehad toe die fliek uitkom.When the subject does the action, the helper is het, not was. Was + ge- form is the passive: Die boek was al gelees.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Het ... gehad marks an action that had already happened.
Related Patterns
- het + ge-The Past Tense: Het + Ge-
The ordinary past tense, which usually covers had done too.
Level 2 - Passive: was + ge-Had Been Done: Was + Ge-
The passive way to say had been done.
Level 4 - toe (When)When in the Past: Toe
Toe clauses often mark the later past moment.
Level 2 - nadatAfter (Nadat)
Nadat also shows that one event came first.
Level 2 - al/nog/eersAl, Nog and Eers
Al (already) is the usual way to show that something was already done.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice het ... gehad (Had Done) in Bubblegum
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