"To Have Something Done" and "To Have Somebody Do Something"

Imagine that you have a car that needs to be repaired. Imagine that you want someone (most likely, a mechanic) to repair it for you. How do we express that? Read on to learn!

Generally, we use "to have something done" to express the fact that an activity (for example, repairing a car) will be performed by an unknown subject.

• I must have my eyes tested.
• I had a picture of myself painted.
• I had my wallet stolen yesterday.

The subject can become a little "less unknown" if we add "by + noun" after the expression.

• I must have my eyes tested by a specialist.
• I had a picture of myself painted by an artist.
• I had my wallet stolen yesterday by a thief.

Note the past participle form of the verb.

The expression "to have somebody do something" is used to talk about activities performed by a known subject.

• I will have Mike repair my car.
• My father had Mr. Johnson paint a picture of himself.

Note the bare infinitive form of the verb.

"to get somebody to do something" is very similar to "to have somebody do something ". However, its meaning is closer to "persuade".

• I must get my dad to buy me a new computer.