Use of did/ have/ had in a phrase

Question

I'd like to know when I use did or have in a phrase. For example:

If he didn't have such a nice voice, he wouldn't have bacame a radio announcer.
My question is why I used ''didn't have'', and not hadn't..
Why in some phrases I use ''didn't'' and others, ''hadn't'' or 'haven't ''
I would be greatful if someone answer me quickly,
Serena

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Hello serenalucy, and welcome to English Forums.

Let's go through the tenses in the positive and the negative.

Present: He likes to sing. He does not like to sing. We use the verb "to do" + not to form the negative.

Past: I swam 2 miles. I didn't (did not) swim 2 miles. We use the past form of the verb "to do" + not to form the negative.

Present perfect: I have seen that movie. I haven't seen that movie. In the present perfect, we keep the aux. verb "to have" and simply make it negative.

Past perfect: When he saw her at the party, he realied he had met her before he was 3 years old. When he was introduced to her at the party, he knew he hadn't met her before. As with the present perfect, simply add "not" to the form of "to have."

An exception to this rule is when the main verb is a form of the verb "to be." In that case, simply add "not" - often in the cotnracted from.

He is happy, he isn't happy. I was there, I wasn't there.

Does that answer your question?

Serenalucy · Answer

I understood what you wrote, but didn't answered my doubt..
I don't know how do explain..I know all of this, but I can't see the difference between write 'If he hadn't such a nice voice' and 'If he didn't have such a nice voice'
I thought if I use 'did' when is sth about a state, about a quality of someone, and I use ' have/had' when it's something that happened randomly..But that's non sense,isn't?

CalifJim · Answer

serenalucyIf he didn't have such a nice voice, he wouldn't have bacame a radio announcer.

Not quite correct.
You need one of these patterns:
IF past, ... WOULD ...
IF ... HAD past-participle, ... WOULD HAVE past-participle ...
_________

Like this:
If he had (such) a nice voice, he would become a radio announcer. [now]
If he didn't have (such) a nice voice, he wouldn't become a radio announcer. [now]
If he had had (such) a nice voice, he would have become a radio announcer. [in the past]
If he hadn't had (such) a nice voice, he wouldn't have become a radio announcer. [in the past]
CJ

Serenalucy · Answer

Thank you all of you,
I understood now.

Serena

Anonymous · Answer

I have a question and need an answer for it because I'll be tested in it the question is:

choose :

They......time for lunch.

1.hadn't

2.didn't have

3.didn't have got

4.had not

please answer me with a justification an I will be grateful for this.

Anonymous · Answer

i think 2nd is correct

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousThey..time for lunch.
1.hadn't
2.didn't have
3.didn't have got
4.had not

The best answer is 2.

CJ

Mohammad SHakoori · Answer

When we use did not that action was finished
But when we use had not , it's explain about action that happened before past .

Ex : I didn't do ... = it's about action that finished
I hadn't done .. = it's about action that happened before Past

Anonymous · Answer

2

Fivejedjon · Answer

When HAVE is used as an auxiliary verb in perfect constructions, we never use DO in the negative and interrogative forms:

I hadn't been there before....... Have you seen my handbag?

When HAVE is used as a lexical (/full) verb with a meaning similar to take/experience/partake of, we always use DO in the negative and interrogative forms:

She didn't have a shower this morning....... Do you ever have breakfast in bed?

When HAVE is used as a lexical (/full) verb with a meaning similar to possess/own/ be related to (in which sense many people use HAVE GOT, especially informally), DO is normally used in the negative and interrogative forms. However, some speakers of British English do not use DO:

I don't have any children. ...... I haven't got any children....... ( I haven't any children.) ...... I have no children.
Do you have a moment? ..... . Have you got a moment? ..... (Have you a moment?)

The forms I have enclosed in brackets are correct in BrE, and I use them myself; however, I think the forms with DO are more natural to most speakers these days, and I recommend that my learners use these. I don't use HAVE GOT in my writng, but I am rather oldfashioned. It seems to be acceptable these days.

Use of did/ have/ had in a phrase

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