By Nakul Grover, Founder at SpeakBridge Academy
Last Tuesday, one of my students walked into class and announced, “Sir, today is meeting in office, so I am coming late.”
Everyone nodded like it made perfect sense. But here’s the thing โ that sentence, while everyone understood what he meant, isn’t correct English. And this happens every single day in my classroom.
The problem? One tiny word that Indian students struggle with more than any other: HAVE.
I’ve been teaching spoken English for five years now, and if there’s one topic that makes students’ eyes glaze over, it’s HAVE.
Why? Because in Hindi, we don’t use one word for so many different meanings. We have different words for possession, obligation, and experiences. But English? It just throws HAVE at everything!
Mistake #1: “Today is Meeting” (The Most Common Error)
Let’s fix that sentence from my student first.
โ “Today is meeting in office”
โ
“I have a meeting in office today”
Here’s what I tell my students: “Today” is not a person or thing that can DO something. It’s just an adverb telling you WHEN.
Every sentence needs a proper subject โ a person or thing doing the action.
HAVE for Possession means you own something or something belongs to you.
Examples I use in class:
- “I have a headache” (not “My head is paining” โ)
- “The children have exams tomorrow” (not “Tomorrow is exams” โ)
- “We have a beautiful house”
- “You have a lovely smile” (I actually tell this to shy students!)
One quick tip: If it’s stomach ache, headache, or any INTERNAL pain, use “ache.”
For external pain like “my elbow is paining” โ that’s actually correct! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Mistake #2: Confusing “I Want To” with “I Have To”
Last week, a student told me, “Sir, I want to wake up at 5 AM for exam preparation.”
I asked, “Do you WANT to, or do you HAVE to?”
He laughed, “Have to, sir. Nobody wants to wake up at 5 AM!”
HAVE TO expresses obligation โ something you must do, not by choice, but by necessity.
My favorite examples:
- “I have to wake up early” (daily obligation)
- “You will have to quit smoking” (future advice โ I tell this to students all the time!)
- “I had to tell the truth” (past obligation)
Pro tip: When you’re giving advice to someone, “You will have to…” sounds much more serious than “You should…” Try it next time!
Mistake #3: Not Using “Having Said That” (And Sounding Less Fluent)
Here’s something I noticed: when students watch English interviews of cricketers or celebrities, they hear “having said that” all the time. But they never use it themselves!
This phrase is GOLD. It means “nevertheless” or “however” โ showing contrast between two statements.
Real examples from my life:
- “My students make mistakes every day. Having said that, they’re improving so fast that I’m proud of them.”
- “English grammar is difficult. Having said that, if you practice daily, it becomes natural.”
You can use it in job interviews. The interviewer asks about your weakness.
You can say, “I’m not very good at public speaking. Having said that, I’m taking a course and practicing every week.”
Mistake #4: “After Learning English, I Started Teaching”
This is correct, but there’s a more sophisticated way to say it:
HAVING + Past Participle (V3 form)
This shows that AFTER completing one action, you did another action.
- “Having learned English, I can claim that I can also teach it.”
- “Having completed his work, Ravi started playing.”
- “Having won the election, the candidate distributed sweets.”
I don’t expect beginners to use this immediately. But intermediate students? This makes you sound really fluent!
Mistake #5: “I am Doing Breakfast” โ
One of my favorite student errors ever: “Sir, I am doing breakfast.”
I laughed so hard! Then I corrected gently: “I am HAVING breakfast.”
HAVING for eating/drinking/enjoying:
- “I’m having breakfast” (say it like BREK-fast, not break-fast!)
- “Are you having a good time?” (enjoying)
- “We’re having fun at the party”
Here’s something interesting: You can say “I have breakfast every day” (routine) OR “I’m having breakfast right now” (currently eating). Both are correct!
Mistake #6: Present Perfect โ The Scary One
Students hate this tense. I get it. Even I struggled with it.
Simple formula: HAVE/HAS + Past Participle (V3)
Use this when:
- You completed something recently
- The action has present relevance
My classroom examples:
- “I have explained this topic three times” (that’s why I’m frustrated!)
- “The children have slept” (so we need to be quiet)
- “She has left home” (so she’s on her way)
Here’s a trick: If you can answer “When?” with a specific time, DON’T use Present Perfect. Use Simple Past instead.
- โ “I have eaten breakfast at 8 AM”
- โ “I ate breakfast at 8 AM”
- โ “I have already eaten breakfast” (no specific time mentioned)
Mistake #7: HAVE BEEN โ The Three Personalities
This one confuses EVERYONE. Even my advanced students mix these up.
Personality 1: Continuous Action
“I have been waiting for you for two hours!”
(I started waiting in the past, still waiting now, and I’m ANNOYED!)
Trick for FOR vs SINCE:
- FOR = duration (for 2 hours, for 3 days)
- SINCE = starting point (since Monday, since yesterday)
Remember: S เคธเฅ เคถเฅเคฐเฅเคเคค, S เคธเฅ SINCE!
Personality 2: Travel Experience
“Have you ever been to Nepal?”
(In your lifetime, did you visit Nepal?)
Use “EVER” in questions about lifetime experiences. It sounds much more natural.
Personality 3: Passive Voice
“Your bill has been submitted.”
(Someone submitted it, but we’re not saying who)
This is super useful in formal situations. Instead of “I submitted your bill,” you can say “Your bill has been submitted” โ sounds more professional!
The ONE Thing I Want You to Remember
Students who make mistakes learn FASTER than students who stay silent because they’re afraid of errors.
In my SpeakBridge Academy classes, I have a rule: “Make mistakes loudly!”
HAVE is not one grammar rule โ it’s eight different uses living in one word.
You won’t master all of them today. Or this week. Or even this month. But every time you practice, you get closer to speaking naturally.
So here’s your homework: Today, use at least THREE sentences with HAVE. Send a message to your friend. Talk to yourself in the mirror. Post on social media. I don’t care where โ just USE it.
Because that’s the secret to spoken English: Not learning it perfectly, but using it confidently.
Want to speak English confidently? Join SpeakBridge Academy’s live group sessions where we practice real conversations, not boring grammar. Because English isn’t about rules โ it’s about communication.