past tense of have

[silviasabater_2000]

Hi there,

I would like to know if the sentences above are correct:
had you got a dog?
you hadn't got a dog
you had got a dog

I was in Germany all July or I was in Germany the hole July or I was in Germany the hole month of July. Which one is right?

Thanks

[curmudgeon]

Did you have a dog?

You haven't had a dog

You have had a dog

I was in Germany throughout (the whole of) July.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by silviasabater_2000

Hi there,

I would like to know if the sentences above are correct:
had you got a dog?
you hadn't got a dog
you had got a dog

I was in Germany all July or I was in Germany the hole July or I was in Germany the hole month of July. Which one is right?

Thanks

All of your phrases are correct if the past perfect is indicated. One can't tell without more context.

1. all of July
2. the whole month of July

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by curmudgeon

Did you have a dog?

You haven't had a dog

You have had a dog

I was in Germany throughout (the whole of) July.

Do you dislike the past perfect?

[curmudgeon]

Yes

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by curmudgeon

Yes

May the rest of us use it?

[curmudgeon]

If you must

[silviasabater_2000]

Hi there,

I did not pretend to express sth in the past perfect tense. I just wanted to do it in past simple. It's just that the verb to have doesn't need the auxiliary do for the negative and interrogative forms in the present simple.
Someone told me that in British English the verb to have doesn't need the auxiliary did for the negative and interrogative forms in the past tense either, so that you could say "Had you a dog?" instead of "Did you have a dog?"

Sílvia

[BobK]

Originally Posted by silviasabater_2000

...
Someone told me that in British English the verb to have doesn't need the auxiliary did for the negative and interrogative forms in the past tense either, so that you could say "Had you a dog?" instead of "Did you have a dog?"

Sílvia

Well yes, but Did you have a dog? is much the more common form.

Another, even less common use of had is in place of if:

If I had a dog I'd feel safer = Had I a dog I'd feel safer

This usage is not very common at all in most contexts, but is still often used by public speakers:

Had we known then what we know now we wouldn't have invaded Iraq.

b

[silviasabater_2000]

Hi there,

Thank you for your reply. So, according to what you said, if I say "Had you a dog? No, I hadn't" is correct but not very common. Is that right?

Thanks