She Has or She Have: She has a plan vs. She have a plan. The first sentence is correct; the second is wrong. Pick has because she is singular and third person, so verb agreement requires has for present possession and present perfect constructions. To check, substitute he or remove other nouns: if he has or she has fits, keep has. Mark pronoun, auxiliary, and object in your sentence to confirm agreement and tense. In casual speech you may hear she have, but use she has in formal writing and standard editing.
Contextual Examples
Basic Rule and Parts of Speech
Rule: Use has with the third-person singular subject (he, she, it). Use have with plural subjects (we, you, they) and with first- and second-person singular (I have, you have).
Parts of speech: she = pronoun (subject); has/have = verb (present tense); objects and modifiers follow as needed.
Example 1 — Simple Present (Affirmative)
Sentence: She has a red umbrella.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun, subject) has (verb, present singular) a (article) red (adjective) umbrella (noun, object).
Check: Third-person singular subject → has. Remove subject test not needed here.
Example 2 — Simple Present (Negative)
Sentence: She does not have any free time today.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun, subject) does (auxiliary verb) not (adverb) have (base verb) any (determiner) free (adjective) time (noun) today (adverb).
Check: In negatives for present simple with third-person singular, use does not + base verb, not does not has.
Example 3 — Question Form
Sentence: Does she have a key?
Parts of speech: Does (auxiliary verb) she (pronoun, subject) have (base verb) a (article) key (noun) ?
Check: In questions use the auxiliary does; the main verb is the base form have.
Example 4 — Present Perfect Tense
Sentence: She has finished her homework.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (auxiliary, present singular) finished (past participle) her (possessive pronoun) homework (noun).
Check: Present perfect uses has + past participle for third-person singular.
Example 5 — Use With Modal Verbs
Sentence: She might have left early.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) might (modal verb) have (base verb) left (past participle) early (adverb).
Check: After a modal, use base verb have (not has).
Example 6 — Plural Subject Contrast
Sentence: They have the tickets.
Parts of speech: They (pronoun, plural subject) have (verb, present plural) the (article) tickets (noun).
Check: Plural subject → have. Compare with singular: She has the ticket.
Example 7 — Compound Subject
Sentence: My sister and she have the same teacher.
Parts of speech: My (possessive adjective) sister (noun) and (conjunction) she (pronoun) have (verb, present plural) the (article) same (adjective) teacher (noun).
Check: Compound subject is plural → have.
Example 8 — Contracted Forms
Sentence: She’s (she has) gone to the store.
Parts of speech: She’s (contraction of she + has) gone (past participle) to (preposition) the (article) store (noun).
Check: Contractions: she’s can mean she has or she is — context shows that gone (past participle) requires has.
Common Mistakes
See common mistakes people make when choosing she has or she have.
Mistake 1 — Using “She Have” in Present Simple
Error: She have a brother.
Why wrong: Third-person singular requires has.
Fix: She has a brother.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (verb) a (article) brother (noun).
Mistake 2 — Using “Has” After Auxiliary Does
Error: Does she hasa car?
Why wrong: Auxiliary does requires base form of the main verb.
Fix: Does she have a car?
Parts of speech: Does (auxiliary) she (pronoun) have (base verb) a (article) car (noun).
Mistake 3 — Confusion With Plural or Compound Subjects
Error: Tom and she has arrived.
Why wrong: Compound subject is plural, so verb must be plural.
Fix: Tom and she have arrived. or better Tom and she have arrived.
Parts of speech: Tom (noun) and (conjunction) she (pronoun) have (verb).
Mistake 4 — Mixing Tenses in Reporting
Error: She has went to the store.
Why wrong: Present perfect needs past participle gone, not simple past went.
Fix: She has gone to the store. or She went to the store. depending on intended meaning.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (auxiliary) gone (past participle).
Mistake 5 — Misreading Contractions
Problem: Misinterpreting she’s as always she is and then forming wrong constructions.
Fix: Check context: She’s gone = She has gone; She’s happy = She is happy.
Mistake 6 — Using “Have” After “She” in Perfect Tenses Incorrectly
Error: She have finished the work.
Why wrong: Present perfect uses has + past participle for third-person singular.
Fix: She has finished the work.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (auxiliary) finished (past participle) the (article) work (noun).
American vs British English Differences
Core Rule: Same in Both Varieties
Subject–verb agreement for third-person singular is the same in American and British English: use has with she. No dialect allows she have in standard present simple.
Contraction Usage
- She’s as contraction of she has is common in both. Context decides whether it means she has (auxiliary) or she is (copula). Example: She’s left = She has left (present perfect).
- In conversation, both varieties shorten speech; grammar rules for auxiliaries remain the same.
Tag Questions and Informal Variants
Tag question example: She has a cat, doesn’t she?
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (verb) a (article) cat (noun) , doesn’t (auxiliary negative) she (pronoun)?
Note: Use doesn’t for tags with third-person singular present simple verbs.
Past Forms and Perfect Tenses
Both varieties use has with present perfect for third-person singular. Differences between American and British variation center on other verbs (e.g., have got frequency), not on the has/have agreement rule.
Regional Colloquialisms
Some dialects or nonstandard varieties might use forms like she have for emphasis or in colloquial speech, but these are nonstandard and should be avoided in formal writing.
Idiomatic Expressions
“Has Got” and Possession
Phrase: She has got a point.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (auxiliary) got (past participle) a (article) point (noun).
Check: In many dialects has got emphasizes possession or realization. In American informal speech, she’s got is common: She’s got a point.
“Has To” for Obligation
Sentence: She has to finish the report by noon.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (verb) to (infinitive marker) finish (verb) the (article) report (noun) by (preposition) noon (noun).
Check: Has to expresses obligation; in negative: She doesn’t have to (note auxiliary change).
Present Perfect Idioms
- She has seen better days. — idiomatic for decline.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (auxiliary) seen (past participle) better (adjective) days (noun).
Avoiding Confusion With “Have Got”
- She has got = possession (informal) → She has got a dog.
- She has + past participle → perfect tense → She has completed the test.
Label carefully to avoid mixing forms.
Practical Tips
Check tips for using She has or she have.
Tip 1 — Use the Omission and Replacement Check
If unsure whether to use has or have, identify the subject. Replace subject with a pronoun if needed. For third-person singular (she), use has. Example: Maria has a bike. Replace Maria with she → She has a bike.
Tip 2 — For Negatives and Questions, Use Do/Does
Negatives and questions with present simple third-person singular use does + base verb.
- Negative: She does not (doesn’t) like spinach.
- Question: Does she like spinach?
Remember: main verb returns to base form after does.
Tip 3 — Watch Auxiliary Combinations
- Present perfect: has + past participle (She has arrived.)
- Modal: modal + have + past participle (She should have left earlier.)
- Continuous: is/was + present participle (She is running.)
Tip 4 — Teach Contractions Carefully
Explain that she’s can mean she is or she has. Use context: She’s been = She has been; She’s happy = She is happy.
Tip 5 — Use Short Sentences for Clarity
She has three pencils. She has finished. Avoid embedding many clauses when teaching the rule.
Tip 6 — Check Verb Agreement in Compound Subjects
If the subject includes other nouns or pronouns, determine whether the subject is singular or plural.
- She and her friend have the same teacher. (plural → have)
- Her friend and she have the same teacher. (plural → have)
Tip 7 — Use Visual Timelines for Tenses
Show present, past, and perfect on a simple timeline and place forms: She has (present), She had (past), She has had (present perfect). Visuals help learners see how auxiliaries change.
Tip 8 — Avoid Nonstandard Speech in Formal Writing
Colloquial forms like she have sometimes appear in dialectal speech or lyrics for rhythm; they remain nonstandard for essays, reports, and exams.
Tip 9 — Use Proofreading Quick-Fixes
Search the text for instances of she have and test each: replace with has if subject is third-person singular and sentence is declarative. If the sentence has an auxiliary (does, has, modal), check whether the main verb should be base or past participle.
Tip 10 — Teach With Minimal Pairs
Practice pairs: She has a cat. vs They have cats. Label pronouns and verbs to show agreement visually.
Revision Examples
Below are some revision examples for using “she has” or “she have.”
Revision 1 — Fixing Subject–Verb Disagreement
Original: She have two children.
Problems: Subject–verb disagreement.
Corrected: She has two children.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) has (verb) two (determiner) children (noun).
Revision 2 — Correcting Auxiliary Use in Questions
Original: Has she went yet?
Problems: Wrong past participle after has.
Corrected: Has she gone yet?
Parts of speech: Has (auxiliary) she (pronoun) gone (past participle) yet (adverb)?
Revision 3 — Fixing Modal and Perfect Mix
Original: She should has told him.
Problems: Modal + wrong verb form.
Corrected: She should have told him.
Parts of speech: She (pronoun) should (modal) have (base verb) told (past participle) him (pronoun).
Revision 4 — Clarifying Contraction Meaning
Original: She’s happy she finished. (ambiguous)
Problems: She’s could be she is or she has.
Corrected: She is happy that she finished. or She is happy she has finished. Choose clarity.
Conclusion
She has or she have? The correct present-tense form with the singular pronoun she is she has. Use she have only in nonstandard dialects or creative contexts; avoid it in formal writing. For negatives and questions, use does not / does + base verb. For perfect tenses use has + past participle.
Keep sentences short when teaching, check auxiliaries and contractions carefully, and test subject–verb agreement when in doubt. A quick checklist: identify the subject, choose correct auxiliary or main verb, use base verb after does, use past participle after has, and rewrite if the sentence sounds awkward.
FAQs
No in standard English. Use she has for third-person singular in the present simple. She have appears only in some dialects and informal speech.
Use she has for statements and does she have? for questions. Use have after modal verbs (e.g., should have).
Some dialects and casual speech use nonstandard forms for rhythm or tradition. For formal writing, avoid this.
Use does not / does + base verb. Example: She does not like it. Does she like it? Do not use does not has.
Yes. She’s can contract she has (auxiliary) or she is (copula). Context shows which: She’s gone = She has gone; She’s tall = She is tall.
Use has + past participle: She has finished. For plural subjects use have.
For third-person singular use has to: She has to arrive early. In negative: She doesn’t have to (note the change to have after doesn’t).
Use short sentences, minimal pairs, and replacement checks: replace subject with she and ensure verb is has for statements.
Reported speech follows the same rules, but tense may shift: She says she has a dog. becomes She said she had a dog. Check sequence of tenses.
