Express possession using the verbs have and has

Using Have and Has to Show Possession

Possession means having something that belongs to you. In English, we use have and has to show that something belongs to a person or an animal.

When to Use Have

We use have with these pronouns: I, You, We, They

• I have a ruler.
• You have a pen.
• We have sweets.
• They have a watch.

When to Use Has

We use has with these pronouns: He, She, It (singular nouns)

• He has a hat.
• She has a bicycle.
• It has a long tail.

Quick Rule

• One person or animal → use has
• More than one person → use have

Worked Examples from the Textbook

Look at these sentences about the giraffe:

• The giraffe has a long neck.
• The giraffe has two short ears.
• The calf has a very short tail.
• The giraffe has a calf.

Now look at these sentences from the poultry farm story:

• Bora's parents have many hens.
• Bora has four hens.
• Her white hen has ten chicks.
• She will have fourteen hens.

How to Answer Yes/No Questions

When we answer questions about possession, we follow this pattern:

Question	Answer
Does the giraffe have a long neck?	Yes, the giraffe has a long neck.
Does the giraffe have short legs?	No, the giraffe doesn't have short legs.
Does Juma have fresh mangoes?	Yes, Juma has fresh mangoes.

Notice: In questions, we use does + have. The answer uses has or have without -s.

Practice with Pictures

Use the rule to fill in the blanks:

1. This is a monkey. It has a long tail.
2. This is Salum. He has a bicycle.
3. I have many books.
4. These animals have long tails.
5. The giraffe has a long neck.
6. She has four baskets in her hands.
7. My grandmother has a walking stick.

Key Points to Remember

• I, you, we, they → use have
• He, she, it → use has
• For plural nouns (more than one) → use have
• For singular nouns → use has

Real-life application

In everyday life in Tanzania, you use have and has when you go to the market. For example, at the fruit market, you might ask: "Do you have fresh mangoes?" and the seller answers: "Yes, I have very good mangoes from Tanga." You also use these words when talking about your belongings at home, like "I have a school bag" or "My mother has a garden." This helps you describe what you own and what others own clearly.