het ... gehad
Had: Het ... Gehad
To say had, keep het in second place and put gehad at the end: Ek het 'n hond gehad.
How It Works
In the present, het means have. For the past, Afrikaans uses the same pattern as other verbs (het + ge-): the helper het stays in second place and the participle gehad goes to the end of the clause.
1. Present to past:
- Ek het 'n hond. → Ek het 'n hond gehad. (I had a dog.)
- Ons het 'n lekker dag. → Ons het 'n lekker dag gehad. (We had a nice day.)
2. Het appears only once. The het you already had becomes the helper, so you do not add a second one: Sy het koors gehad. (She had a fever.)
3. Negation. The first nie comes after het, and the closing nie comes after gehad: Ons het nie tyd gehad nie. (We didn't have time.) See double negation.
4. Questions. Het moves to the front and gehad stays at the end: Het jy 'n goeie naweek gehad? (Did you have a good weekend?)
5. Phrases built on het follow the same pattern: Ek het jou hulp nodig gehad. (I needed your help.) See het ... nodig.
6. In a subordinate clause het also moves to the end, after gehad: omdat ons nie tyd gehad het nie (because we didn't have time).
The old one-word past had survives only in literary writing (see rare past forms). Later you will also meet gehad added after another participle to mean had done, as in Hy het al geëet gehad; that is a separate pattern (see the pluperfect).
Examples (6)
- Ek het vroeër 'n hond gehad.
I used to have a dog.
Word by Word: I have earlier a dog had.
Het stays second and gehad goes to the end.
- Ons het gister 'n lekker dag gehad.
We had a nice day yesterday.
Word by Word: We have yesterday a nice day had.
- Sy het die hele week koors gehad.
She had a fever the whole week.
Word by Word: She has the whole week fever had.
- Hulle het nie genoeg geld gehad nie.
They didn't have enough money.
Word by Word: They have not enough money had not.
The closing nie follows gehad.
- Het jy 'n goeie naweek gehad?
Did you have a good weekend?
Word by Word: Have you a good weekend had?
In a yes/no question het comes first, and gehad still ends the clause.
- Ek het jou hulp nodig gehad.
I needed your help.
Word by Word: I have your help needed had.
Common Mistakes
Putting gehad straight after het, as in English.
Ek het gehad 'n hond.Ek het 'n hond gehad.The participle goes to the end of the clause. Everything else sits between het and gehad.
Making up a participle from hê or het.
Ons het 'n lekker dag gehê.Ons het 'n lekker dag gehad.The participle of hê is irregular: gehad. Forms such as gehê and gehet do not exist.
Leaving out the closing nie.
Ons het nie tyd gehad.Ons het nie tyd gehad nie.A negative sentence needs a second nie at the end, after gehad.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Had is the past tense of het, made with het + gehad.
Related Patterns
- het/hêTo Have: Het and Hê
Het ... gehad is the past of the present-tense het.
Level 1 - wasWas: The Past of Is
Was is the other everyday past form of a basic verb: the past of is.
Level 2 - het ... nodigNeeding: Het ... Nodig
Het ... nodig becomes het ... nodig gehad in the past.
Level 1 - het ... gehad (Had Done)Had Done: Het ... Gehad
Adding gehad after another participle gives the had done pattern.
Level 4 - had/dag/wis/werd/mogRare Past Forms
The one-word past had survives only in literary writing.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice het ... gehad in Bubblegum
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