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Have/Get something done

Elsa decorated the room. Elsa had the room decorated.

What's the difference?

Elsa had the room decorated means that she arranged for a decorator to do it or that she hired somebody.

Examples
You should have your car repaired regularly. I repaired my car last Monday. We had our DVD player repaired last week. She's had her hair cut. I cut my hair yesterday. My friend is having a new room built. I'll build a new room.

In negatives and questions in simple tenses, we use a form of do. When did you have your hair cut? Do you have your car serviced every year? I don't have my house painted really often.

Get something done

We can also use get something done. We should have our house repainted. We should get our house repainted. The sentences have the same meaning, but get is more informal.

Have meaning experience


Have is used in this structure with the meaning experience something, often something unpleasant.

My sister had her laptop stolen. I had a wisdom tooth pulled last night.

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