Have you ever found yourself tangled in the web of “I have had” and “I had had”? These phrases might look almost identical, but they carry distinct meanings that can completely change the context of your sentence. Whether you’re learning English or just brushing up on your grammar skills, understanding the difference between present perfect and past perfect tenses is crucial.
English learners often struggle with the difference between “I have had” and “I had had.” At first glance, both phrases might seem confusing, but once you understand their functions, they become much easier to use correctly.
Let’s break down their meanings and how to use them in different contexts.
What is ‘I Have Had’ ?
“I have had” is in the present perfect tense. This tense is formed using subject + have/has + the third form (past participle) of the verb. Some common examples include:
- I have eaten breakfast.
- I have taken a shower.
We use the present perfect tense to describe past actions without mentioning a specific time. This means we do not use time expressions like “yesterday,” “last week,” or “two days ago” with it.
However, we can use time expressions that are still ongoing, such as “today,” “this week,” or “this year.”
For example:
✅ I have studied this week. (This week is still ongoing.)
❌ I have studied yesterday. (Yesterday is finished, so we cannot use the present perfect.)
How “I Have Had” Works
To talk about having something, we need the past participle of “have,” which is “had.” This is how we get “I have had.”
For instance, when talking about breakfast, we can say:
- I have eaten breakfast.
- I have had breakfast.
Both sentences mean the same thing.
Similarly, “I have had” can also be used for possession. For example:
- I have two dogs. (Present simple – right now.)
- I have had two dogs. (Present perfect – in my life up until now.)
However, if we want to express a longer period of ownership, we might say: “In my life, I have had four dogs.” (This means that throughout my life, up until now, I have owned four dogs in total.)
What is ‘I Had Had’ ?
Now, let’s move on to “I had had,” which is in the past perfect tense. This tense is formed using subject + had + the third form of the verb.
While “I have had” focuses on the present and past leading up to the present, “I had had” focuses on a specific point in the past.
Understanding “I Had Had” with a Story
Let’s say I got my first dog when I was 10 years old. Before that, I had never had a dog.
- At age 9: I have never had a dog. (If speaking at that moment.)
- Looking back now: When I was nine, I had never had a dog.
When I turned 10, I got my first dog. If someone had asked me back then, I would have said:
- At age 10: This is the only dog that I have ever had.
- Looking back now: When I was 10, I had only ever had one dog.
Then, at 16, I got another dog.
- At age 16: In my life, I have had two dogs.
- Looking back now: When I was 16, I had had two dogs.
By age 21, I got another dog, and just one year ago, I got one more. Now, I have two dogs, but in total, throughout my life, I have had four dogs.
A Simple Example of “I Had Had”
Imagine today is Tuesday at 1 PM, and I have already eaten lunch.
- I have had lunch. (I ate it sometime before now.)
Now, let’s say someone invites me for lunch, but I decline because I have already eaten.
Tomorrow, on Wednesday, if I want to talk about this, I will say:
- Yesterday at 1 PM, I had already had lunch, so I didn’t go to lunch with Megan.
The phrase “I had already had lunch” means I finished lunch before a specific time in the past.
We can also express this idea using another past event instead of a specific time:
- When Megan invited me to lunch, I had already had lunch, so I declined her invitation.
In this case, “Megan invited me to lunch” is the past event, and “I had already had lunch” happened before that.
Explore More:
Difference Between I have had and I had had
Understanding and Fixing Sentence Fragments