Causative with Get and Have

 

Causative with Get and Have

The causative form with get and have is used when someone arranges for another person to do something. Both verbs express the same idea but have slight differences in meaning and usage.

1. Causative with "Have"

We use have + object + past participle to indicate that someone arranges for someone else to do something. The focus is on the action being completed.

Formula:

Subject + have + object + past participle

Examples:

• I had my hair cut yesterday.
  (Me cortaron el cabello ayer.)
• She had her car repaired last week.
  (Le arreglaron su coche la semana pasada.)
• We had the house painted last month.
  (Nos pintaron la casa el mes pasado.)

2. Causative with "Get"

We use get + object + past participle to express a similar idea but in a more informal way. It often implies that effort was made to ensure the action happened.

Formula:

Subject + get + object + past participle

Examples:

• I got my phone fixed.
  (Me arreglaron el teléfono.)
• She got her house cleaned before the party.
  (Le limpiaron la casa antes de la fiesta.)
• They got their car washed this morning.
  (Les lavaron el coche esta mañana.)

3. Differences Between "Get" and "Have"

Have	Get
More formal	More informal
Often used for professional services	Often used for personal tasks
Focuses on the action being completed	Emphasizes effort in making it happen

4. Causative in Different Tenses

Tense	Example with Have	Example with Get
Present	I have my car cleaned every week.	I get my car cleaned every week.
Past	She had her nails done yesterday.	She got her nails done yesterday.
Future	They will have their house painted next year.	They will get their house painted next year.
Present Perfect	He has had his laptop repaired.	He has gotten his laptop repaired.

5. Common Expressions with "Get"

Expression (English)	Meaning (Spanish)
Get ready	Prepararse
Get dressed	Vestirse
Get lost	Perderse
Get better	Mejorar
Get worse	Empeorar
Get married	Casarse
Get divorced	Divorciarse
Get tired	Cansarse
Get hungry	Tener hambre
Get cold	Tener frío
Get hot	Tener calor
Get in trouble	Meterse en problemas
Get along with	Llevarse bien con
Get rid of	Deshacerse de
Get used to	Acostumbrarse a
Get a job	Conseguir un trabajo
Get home	Llegar a casa
Get up	Levantarse
Get down	Agacharse / Deprimirse
Get over	Superar

Causative "Have" Expressions

1. I had my hair cut yesterday.
   (Me cortaron el cabello ayer.)

2. She will have her house cleaned tomorrow.
   (Le limpiarán la casa mañana.)

3. He is having his car repaired.
   (Le están reparando el coche.)

4. We had our photos taken at the studio.
   (Nos tomaron las fotos en el estudio.)

5. They will have their garden redesigned.
   (Les rediseñarán el jardín.)

6. She had her nails done for the party.
   (Le hicieron las uñas para la fiesta.)

7. I'm going to have my suit dry-cleaned.
   (Voy a mandar limpiar mi traje en seco.)

8. Did you have your laptop fixed?
   (¿Te arreglaron la laptop?)

9. We had our wedding organized by professionals.
   (Nuestra boda fue organizada por profesionales.)

10. He had his bike stolen last week.
    (Le robaron la bicicleta la semana pasada.)

6. Practice Exercises

Complete the sentences using "have" or "get" in the correct form:

She _______ her makeup done for the wedding.

I _______ my bike repaired last week.

They _______ their house cleaned every Saturday.

He _______ his phone fixed after it broke.

We _______ our documents translated before traveling.

Conclusion

Using have and get in the causative form helps us express when we arrange for something to be done.

 "Have" is more formal, while "Get" is more conversational.

 Practicing with real-life situations will help you master this structure!

Do you have any questions?

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