Q. Why do some people say ‘I painted my flat’, but other people say ‘I had my flat painted?’ What’s the difference in meaning?(Alex, Colombia)

That’s quite a nice question Alex because although both sentences are correct they mean very different things.  In the first sentence, ‘I painted my flat,’ the person speaking painted the flat him/herself.

In the second sentence, ‘I had my flat painted,’ the person speaking did not paint the flat.  Instead, he or she organised for somebody else (probably a professional decorator!) to paint the flat.  

The second sentence is an example of the ‘causative construction’ and is similar to a passive sentence as the action is done by somebody else (often for payment of money).  In some coursebooks it may be called ‘have something done.’   

The construction can be a bit difficult for some students:

Subject (usually the person who organises the action) + have + object + past participle

The ‘have’ part of the sentence changes depending on the tense.  Look at these examples:

Present Continuous: Sally is having her roof repaired. (by a builder)

Present Perfect Simple: Sally has just had her car serviced. (by a mechanic)

Future: Sally is going to have her hair cut. (by a hairdresser)


You can also use the verb ‘get’ instead of ‘have.’  The meaning is the same but it’s more informal in style.  

Now try to write these sentences using the causative construction!

(1)    Garry paid somebody to repair his garden fence.

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(2)    Pauline is going to pay somebody to make a dress for her.

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