Causatives: Have/Get Something Done

Every day, you arrange for other people to do things for you — you have your hair cut, get your car serviced, or have a package delivered. In English, these situations use the causative (also called the causative form) — a structure that means "I arranged for someone else to do this." The causative is one of the most practical grammar structures you will learn, because it comes up every time you talk about services, experiences, or getting people to act.

This lesson covers 2 systems and 4 verbs — and the key to mastering them is 1 decision:

The 1 key decision: Is the word after the causative verb a thing (→ use past participle) or a person (→ use bare infinitive or to-infinitive)?

Note: The causative looks similar to the passive voice because both use the past participle, but they are different. Standard passive (My car was repaired) simply says what happened. The causative (I had my car repaired) adds a crucial meaning: I arranged it. If you are not yet comfortable with passive formation, start with Passive Voice Basics first.

The Causative: Have/Get Something Done

This is the most common causative structure — often called causative have and get. Use it when you arrange for someone else to do something for you — typically a professional service. This pattern is essential from A2 level upward and is tested extensively at B1 and B2.

Formation

The formula is simple:

Both have and get can be used in this structure with the same meaning. The difference is register: "get" is more informal and common in everyday spoken English, while "have" is slightly more formal.

Present Simple Causative

Use for regular arrangements and habitual services:

Past Simple Causative

Use for completed arrangements in the past:

Question and Negative Forms

Understanding the Meaning

The causative always means someone else does the action — not you. Compare:

👉 Practice Have Something Done / Get Something Done →

Causative Across All Tenses and Modals

The causative have/get something done works in every English tense. The causative verb (have or get) changes for tense, while the past participle stays the same.

Causative Tense Table

Causative with Modal Verbs

After modals (should, must, can, might, ought to), use the base form "have":

The "Double Had" — Don't Panic!

In present perfect and past perfect causative, the word "had" appears twice. This looks strange but is perfectly correct:

Tip: Read the first "had/has" as the tense marker and the second "had" as the causative verb. They are doing two different jobs.

The Negative Experience Meaning

The structure have something done has a second meaning that catches many learners by surprise. When the context describes something bad or unfortunate, it means the event happened to you — you did NOT arrange it:

How to tell the difference: Context! If the event is clearly negative (stolen, broken into, damaged), the causative describes an unfortunate experience, not an arranged service.

Don't confuse: "I had my bag stolen" (causative — negative experience) and "My bag was stolen" (standard passive). Both describe the same event, but the causative emphasizes that it happened to me personally.

👉 Practice Causative in All Tenses →

Causative Verbs: Make, Let, Have and Get

So far, you have learned the passive causative: have/get + thing + past participle. Now meet the active causative — the verbs make, let, have and get used with a person to express force, permission, instruction, or persuasion. Understanding how make and let differ from have and get is a key B1–B2 skill.

The Four Causative Verbs

The Critical Pattern Difference

Three verbs take the bare infinitive (no "to"), but get takes the to-infinitive:

⚠️ The "get" exception is the most tested point in causative grammar. Learners frequently forget the "to" after "get + person". Remember: get always needs to when followed by a person.

Meaning Comparison

The Passive of "Make" — A Special Rule

When "make" is used in the passive voice, the bare infinitive changes to a to-infinitive. This is the only causative verb where the verb form changes between active and passive:

More examples:

⚠️ This is one of the trickiest causative patterns in English. Remember: active make → bare infinitive; passive make → to-infinitive. No other causative verb changes like this.

Note: "Let" has no true passive form. Instead, we use "be allowed to": The employees were allowed to leave early. (NOT were let leave)

👉 Practice Causative Verbs →

The Verb Form Decision: Your Complete Reference

This is the section that ties everything together. The biggest challenge with causatives is choosing the correct verb form: bare infinitive, to-infinitive, or past participle. Use this master table as your reference:

Master Comparison Table

The Decision Rule

Ask yourself: What comes after the causative verb — a thing or a person?

Side-by-Side: "Have" with Thing vs Person

The verb "have" appears in both systems, which creates confusion. Compare carefully:

Same meaning (someone prints the report), different grammar because the word after "have" is different!

Side-by-Side: "Get" with Thing vs Person

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

Passive Causative (Services & Experiences)

Works in all tenses — change have/get for tense; past participle stays the same.

Active Causative (Causing People to Act)

Passive of "Make"

3-Step Decision Process

Practice Tips

1. Services diary: For one week, write down every service you use (haircut, car wash, phone repair, food delivery). Describe each one using "have/get something done": I had my car washed on Monday. I got a package delivered on Tuesday.
2. Spot the causative: While reading English news or watching TV, listen for "have something done" and "get something done". Notice whether the meaning is an arranged service or a negative experience.
3. Verb form drills: The #1 mistake is mixing up bare infinitive, to-infinitive, and past participle. Write five sentences with each of the four causative verbs (make, let, have, get) and check your verb forms against the master comparison table above.
4. Active ↔ Passive "make" practice: Convert five "make" sentences between active and passive. Remember: bare infinitive in active, to-infinitive in passive. The teacher made them study → They were made to study.
5. Compare the two systems: Write pairs of sentences that express the same idea using both systems: I had the report printed (passive causative) and I had my assistant print the report (active causative). Notice how the verb form changes based on thing vs person.

Practice All Exercises

Put everything together with the mixed causative exercises below, then review any areas you want to improve. All exercises are multiple choice with answers and explanations — practise online and get instant feedback:

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