eng5-2.5· UNIT 4. Family Matters· ~14 min

Verb to have: negatives & questions (do / does)

Saying what someone does not have, and asking whether they do.

'Have' and 'has' say what someone has. To say what someone does NOT have, and to ask whether they have it, English does not change 'have' — it adds a helper in front. The helper is 'do' for I, you, we and they, and 'does' for he, she and it. Negatives: 'I don't have a sister.' 'You don't have the photo.' 'He doesn't have blue eyes.' 'We don't have long hair.' 'They don't have green eyes.' Questions: 'Do I have a sister?' 'Do you have the photo?' 'Does he have blue eyes?' 'Do we have long hair?' 'Do they have green eyes?' Now the important part. Once 'do' or 'does' is there, the main verb goes back to 'have' for everybody — including he, she and it. 'She has blue eyes' but 'Does she have blue eyes?' and 'She doesn't have blue eyes.' Writing 'Does she has …' is the single most common mistake with this structure: the helper is already carrying the -s, so the main verb must not carry it too. The short answers use the helper alone, never 'have': 'Yes, I do.' 'No, I don't.' 'Yes, she does.' 'No, he doesn't.' In questions and negatives, 'any' comes before a plural noun: 'Does Michael have any cousins?' 'My dad doesn't have any brothers or sisters.'

Key terms

do / does — The helper that makes questions and negatives. 'Does' goes with he, she and it; 'do' with everyone else.
don't / doesn't — The short negative forms of 'do not' and 'does not'.
helper verb — A verb that helps another verb make a question or a negative. Here it carries the -s, so 'have' does not.
main verb — The verb that carries the meaning. After do or does it is always the plain form: 'have'.
short answer — The reply that repeats only the helper: 'Yes, she does.' / 'No, they don't.'
any — Used before a plural noun in questions and negatives: 'Does he have any cousins?'
Negative, question and short answer
SubjectNegative (-)Yes/No questionShort answers
II don't have a sister.Do I have a sister?Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
youYou don't have the photo.Do you have the photo?Yes, you do. / No, you don't.
he / sheHe doesn't have blue eyes.Does he have blue eyes?Yes, he does. / No, he doesn't.
itIt doesn't have a yard.Does it have a yard?Yes, it does. / No, it doesn't.
weWe don't have long hair.Do we have long hair?Yes, we do. / No, we don't.
theyThey don't have green eyes.Do they have green eyes?Yes, they do. / No, they don't.

The main verb stays 'have' in every single row.

Where the -s goes
Sentence typehe / she / itWhy
positiveShe has blue eyes.no helper, so 'have' itself takes the -s
negativeShe doesn't have blue eyes.'does' carries the -s, so the main verb is plain
questionDoes she have blue eyes?'Does' carries the -s, so the main verb is plain
wrongDoes she has blue eyes?the -s appears twice — this is the classic error
wrongShe doesn't has blue eyes.the same error in the negative

One -s per sentence, and the helper always wins it.

Answering in two words
QuestionYesNo
Do you have brown eyes?Yes, I do.No, I don't.
Does Isabella have dark hair?Yes, she does.No, she doesn't.
Does Michael have any cousins?Yes, he does.No, he doesn't.
Do Alicia and Florence have long hair?Yes, they do.No, they don't.

Never answer with 'have': 'Yes, I have' belongs to a different structure.

✎Making a question from a statement
  1. 1The statement: 'Isabella has dark hair.'
  2. 2Step 1: choose the helper: Isabella is she → 'Does'.
  3. 3Step 2: put 'have' back to its plain form: 'has' → 'have'
  4. 4Step 3: build it: 'Does Isabella have dark hair?' — and answer 'No, she doesn't.'
✎Making a negative
  1. 1The statement: 'My dad has brothers and sisters.'
  2. 2Step 1: choose the helper: My dad is he → 'doesn't'.
  3. 3Step 2: plain 'have', and 'any' before the plural noun: 'doesn't have any brothers or sisters'
  4. 4Step 3: the finished sentence: 'My dad doesn't have any brothers or sisters.'
🚫Common mistake

'Does she has blue eyes?' is the classic error. Once 'does' is in the sentence, the main verb is plain: 'Does she have blue eyes?'

🚫Common mistake

The same applies to negatives: 'He doesn't has a sister' is wrong. It is 'He doesn't have a sister.'

🚫Common mistake

Do not answer with the main verb. 'Do you have brown eyes?' — 'Yes, I do.' Not 'Yes, I have.'

⚠️Caution

Match the helper to the subject, not to the noun after 'have'. 'Does Michael have any cousins?' — 'Michael' is he, so 'Does', even though 'cousins' is plural.

💡Note

Before a plural noun in a question or negative, English uses 'any': 'Do you have any brothers?' 'I don't have any cousins.'

Rules

  1. 1Negative: subject + don't / doesn't + have. 'I don't have a sister.' 'He doesn't have blue eyes.'
  2. 2Question: Do / Does + subject + have …? 'Do you have the photo?' 'Does she have blue eyes?'
  3. 3Use does / doesn't with he, she, it; use do / don't with I, you, we, they.
  4. 4After do or does the main verb is always 'have' — never 'has'.
  5. 5Short answers use only the helper: 'Yes, I do.' / 'No, he doesn't.' — never 'Yes, I have.'
  6. 6Before a plural noun in a question or negative, use 'any': 'Does Michael have any cousins?'

Practice

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