15 EXPRESSIONS WITH “HAVE”

So here are 15 English expressions with the word “have,” and whether or not you can use “having” or
“have got.”

1. HAVE A LOOK AT SOMETHING

Having – YES
Have got – NO

 Let’s have a look at the facts in this case.

 We’re having a look at your proposal as we speak.
You could also say “taking a look at”
2. HAVE A TALK/CHAT WITH SOMEONE
Having – YES
Have got – NO

 She interrupted me while I was having a talk with my boss.

 Bob is over there, having a chat with Laura.
3. HAVE A MEETING
Having = YES
Have got = YES

 The marketing department is having a meeting right now.

 I’m really busy today – I’ve got three meetings this afternoon.
4. HAVE AN APPOINTMENT
Having = NO
Have got = YES

 Do you have an appointment?

 We‘ve got an appointment to see the dentist at 10:30.
5. HAVE FUN / HAVE A GOOD TIME / HAVE A BLAST
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 Have a good time at the park!

 The kids are having fun with their new toys.
 We’re at the circus right now. We’re having a blast.
6. HAVE A PARTY
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 Let’s have a party to celebrate the end of the school year.

 We’re having a party at our house on Friday night.
You can also say throwing a party. Both having and throwing a party mean that you are the one
organizing the party.
7. HAVE A BABY
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 I’d like to have the baby at home.

 Call a doctor, quick! My wife’s having the baby!
(this means she is in the process of giving birth right now)
 Here’s some big news – I’m having twins!
(this means the twin babies will be born in the future)
8. HAVE CHILDREN/BROTHERS/SISTERS
Having = NO
Have got = YES

 Do you have any brothers or sisters?

 I’ve got two older brothers and one younger sister.
 We’ve got four children.
= We have four children.
9. HAVE A PROBLEM
Having = YES
Have got = YES

 I’m having problems connecting my printer to my computer.

 We made a mistake in the article, and now we’ve got a big problem.
10. HAVE DIFFICULTY/TROUBLE
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 I’m having difficulty understanding this English lesson.

 Are you having trouble breathing?
11. HAVE A GOOD/BAD DAY
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 I hope you’re having a good day!

 Ugh, I’m having the worst day of my life.
12. HAVE BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER/COFFEE/A DRINK/A
SANDWICH
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 I’m having lunch with my coworkers.

 Everyone’s in the cafeteria; they’re all having coffee.
13. HAVE SURGERY / AN OPERATION
Having = YES
Have got = NO
  Danny is having heart surgery right now. We’re waiting for news from the doctors.
 I’ll be having knee surgery on the 27th.
14. HAVE A HEADACHE / SORE THROAT / COLD / THE FLU
Having = NO
Have got = YES

 I need to lie down, I’ve got a headache.

 My husband‘s got a bad cold.
15. HAVE AN EFFECT/INFLUENCE/IMPACT
Having = YES
Have got = NO

 The medication is definitely having an effect on the disease.

 These new laws are having a major impact on the crime rate.
NOTE:
The list above refers to having in the present continuous: subject + (to be) + -ING form
With ALL the expressions above, is possible to use having in other sentence structures, such as
when the verb is the subject of the sentence, or occurs after a preposition:
 I’m having two children.
(present continuous)
 Having children changed my life.
(gerund as the subject of the sentence)
 I’m undecided about having children.
(verb after a preposition is always -ING)
Here’s another example:

 She’s having a car.

(present continuous)
 Having a car is a big responsibility.
(gerund as the subject of the sentence)
 It’s hard to get around town without having a car.
(verb after a preposition is always -ING)

50 Useful Expressions and

Idioms with HAVE  July 3, 2021
 , Vocabulary
In this article you can learn 50 expressions and idioms with ‘HAVE‘ that will build
your vocabulary and improve your overall level of English.
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In this article you can learn 50 expressions and idioms with ‘HAVE‘ that will build

your vocabulary and improve your overall level of English.

Learning new words in English, is a bit like unwrapping an onion. As you open it and look deeper, you

find lots of new layers, or new meanings.

The most commonly used words in English often have much deeper meanings. As your English

level gets higher, it’s important that you start to discover the deeper meanings of these ‘simple’

words.

Take for example, the verb ‘to have‘, do you really know the difference meanings of this word, and

how to use it?

Let’s find out.

Discover lots of Band 9 phrases using ‘GET‘

Table of Contents
1. Expressions with 'HAVE' meaning POSSESSION

2. Expressions with 'HAVE' describing ACTIVITIES

3. Idiomatic Expressions with 'HAVE'

Expressions with 'HAVE' meaning POSSESSION
We can use ‘have’ to show possession of something or to identify things that are ours.

 I have a pen

 I have an iPhone

 I have a sister

 I have a dog

Notice that in American English, they tend to just say ‘have‘

I have a blue car

I don’t have a black car

However, in British English we often say ‘have got’

I’ve got a red pen

I haven’t got a blue pen

We can describe people’s characteristics or appearance using ‘have’

 I have a big nose

 I have blue eyes

 I’ve got ginger hair

 I haven’t got a beard

We can also use ‘have’ when describing people’s personality

To have a bad/nasty temper = To often get angry easily

She has such a nasty temper

To have a lovely manner = To speak calmly and politely

She has such a calm and lovely manner

We can also use ‘have’ to describe people’s behaviour

To have good manners = to be well-behaved

To have bad manners = To be rude and impolite

She has very good manners but her brother has really bad manners

Finally we use ‘have’ to identify sicknesses.

 I have a cold

 He has a cough

 She has a fever

  I have a stomachache

 He has a headache

Expressions with 'HAVE' describing ACTIVITIES

We can use ‘to have’ to describe an activity. For example,

 Have a shower

 Have a wash

All of the following mean to rest or sleep for a short period of time.

 Have a rest

 Have a lie down

 Have a nap

 Have a siesta

 Have a rest

 Have a snooze

 Have a power nap

 Have 40 winks
Instead of using a verb, we can use ‘have + a + noun’ and this makes the expression softer or more

inviting.

For example,

Have a look!

This sounds softer and more inviting than directly say ‘look!’

More examples include,

 Have a listen

 Have a look

 Have a smell

 Have a taste

 Have a bite

 Have a think

 Have a ponder

 Have a try

 Have a go
Idiomatic Expressions with 'HAVE'
To have time to kill = to have spare time

The other day I had time to kill so I got in touch with my mate Tim

To have time on your hands = to have free time

Tim has lots of time on his hands as he is on holiday now.

To have a bone to pick with someone = have a reason to disagree with, or be angry with, someone

I have a bone to pick with Tim because he chose the last film we went to see and it was utter
rubbish
He doesn’t have a clue = He doesn’t know

Tim doesn’t have a clue when it comes to choosing a good film

To have a one track mind = to think about only one thing

All Tim thinks about is fast action and special effects – he’s got a one track mind.

To have the upper hand = to have an advantage over someone

Last time Tim chose the film we went to watch and it was rubbish, so this time I had the upper
hand and I was going to choose.

To have money to burn = to have plenty of money to spend

Fortunately, Tim said he was going to pay, you know he has money to burn

To have a whale of a time = to enjoy oneself a lot

We had a whale of a time at the cinema, it was a great film

To have a blast = to enjoy oneself a lot

Tim had a blast and said he hadn’t laughed so much in ages