Distinguishing Between Had & Had Had

Had vs Had Had

Often, the distinction between had and had had is unclear, leading to confusion in their usage and application. Primarily, had is the past tense of the verb ‘to have,’ while had is used as an auxiliary verb in the past perfect tense. Conversely, had had is rarely used, generally for emphasis, and is also the past perfect tense of the verb ‘to have.’

Key Takeaways

• Had is the past tense of the verb ‘to have’ and is used as an auxiliary verb in the past perfect tense.
• Had had is the past perfect form of the verb ‘to have’ and is occasionally used for emphasis.
• Had had can sometimes convey the meaning ‘certainly,’ while had with the auxiliary verb ‘been’ can mean ‘visited.’

What does Had Had mean?

Had had is the past perfect form of the verb ‘to have.’ Consider the following examples:
– She had had her breakfast when he came.
– They had had a fight three years ago.

In both sentences, the speakers reference the past. Past perfect is used to describe actions that occurred in the past, and by the time we refer to these actions, they have already taken place. In both examples, had had is used without using the past perfect tenses of the verbs eat and fight, respectively.

Consider these additional examples:
– I had had enough of that.
– She had had a great help from his brother.

In both sentences, had had is used in a special and figurative sense, meaning ‘certainly.’ The first sentence means ‘I certainly had enough of that,’ while the second means ‘she certainly had a great help from his brother.’

What does Had mean?

Had is the past tense of the verb ‘to have.’ Consider the following examples:
– I had a car.
– They had a bike.
– She had a kite.

Had is also used as an auxiliary verb in the past perfect tense. Consider these examples:
– I had received the letter last month.
– You had listened to him previously.

In both sentences, the verb had is used in the past perfect tense as an auxiliary verb, along with the past participle form of the corresponding verb. It is important to note that the verb had does not stand on its own; it must be formed with the help of a past participle form.

When used with the auxiliary verb ‘been,’ the verb had means ‘visited,’ as in the sentence ‘she had been to Australia twice,’ which means ‘she visited Australia twice.’

What is the difference between Had and Had Had?

• Had is the past tense of the verb ‘to have’ and is used as an auxiliary verb in the past perfect tense.
• Had had is the past perfect form of the verb ‘to have.’
• When used with the auxiliary verb ‘been,’ the verb had means ‘visited.’
• Had had sometimes means ‘certainly.’
• Had had is rare in usage and is generally used for emphasis.