EnglishGrade 3ages 8–9
🎒 I have / she has
Two separate mix-ups can show up together at this age: forgetting that "she" and "he" need "has" instead of "have," and reaching for "have" in a sentence that's really about being, not owning.
Try this lesson freeNo card needed. The first lesson is free.
Download on the App StoreWhat your child learns
- I have a book. You have a book. No extra s.
- She has a book. He has a book. With has.
- She have is a slip.
- have is possession, not I am. I am tired is a state, not a thing.
The mistake most kids make here
She have, or using have instead of am.
Try one question
About her and a book. Which is right?
About her
- She have a book
- She has a book
- She am a book
Answer
She has a book — Yes. She has — possession with the s.
How Maya teaches it
Your child tells Maya what they did in class. She teaches this topic at her desk, asks questions with tappable answers, and when the answer is wrong she explains why that answer was tempting instead of saying “try again”. She remembers what did not land and comes back to it.
Your child has it when they can: Say I have a book and She has a book.
How to help at home
"I have" and "you have" take no extra ending. "She has" and "he has" add the "s" — "she have" is the one slip to watch for.
"Have" is about possession — owning a thing, like a book. "Am" is about a state, like being tired. "I am tired" is not the same kind of sentence as "I have a book," even though both start with "I."
Practice with two rounds: first, go around naming who "has" what (she has a book, he has a pen), then practice a few "I am" sentences separately, so the two don't blur together.
A good sign of mastery: they say "she has" and "he has" with the s, and they don't substitute "have" for "am" when describing a state like being tired or hungry.
Questions parents ask
- Why does my child say 'she have' instead of 'she has'?
- "Have" is the form used with I, you, we, and they — no extra ending. "She," "he," and "it" are the exception that takes "has," and that exception is the part most often forgotten.
- Why does my child use 'have' instead of 'am'?
- Both sentences can start with "I," but "have" is about owning a thing while "am" describes a state, like being tired. Mixing the two usually means the underlying idea — possession versus being — hasn't fully separated yet.
- What's a good way to practice has versus have?
- Go around naming what different people have — she has a book, they have a ball — and listen specifically for whether "has" shows up for she, he, and it.
- How does Maya teach this differently from a worksheet?
- Maya has the child produce full sentences about real possessions and real states, so the has/have split and the have/am split are each practiced separately, in context.
No card needed. The first lesson is free.
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Sources: English Curriculum 2020 for elementary school – Israeli Ministry of Education