I fixed my laptop yesterday.
I got/ had my laptop fixed by a technician.
¿sabes qué es y cómo se forma?
La causativa se usa en las situaciones en que tú no eres quien realiza la acción, pero sí quieres que se haga o mandas que así sea. Veamos este ejemplo:
- I got my hair cut
Se traduce por “Me corté el pelo”,
pudiendo significar que te lo cortaste tú mismo/a, aunque normalmente se
sobreentiende que acudiste a una peluquería
En cambio si usamos esta construcción causativa en inglés, lo que estamos haciendo es dejar claro que fue otra persona quien nos cortó el pelo porque nosotros lo pedimos expresamente.
No es lo mismo I get my hair cut que I cut my hair. En este segundo caso sí interpretamos que es uno mismo el que ha cogido unas tijeras y ha procedido.
Get y have
Para construir una frase causativa podemos usar indistintamente tanto el verbo get como el verbo have.
- I got my hair cut
- I had my hair cut
La base de la construcción de esta causativa en inglés es por tanto:
- GET something DONE
- HAVE something DONE
Es decir, usamos el verbo GET/HAVE seguido de ese algo que mandamos hacer SOMETHING, y a continuación la acción en forma de verbo en PARTICIPIO (como en el caso de done):
GET/HAVE + SOMETHING + PARTICIPLE
A pesar de que te pueda parecer raro o difícil al principio, it is a piece of cake!🥮
Ejemplos de la causativa
Realmente la causativa puede entenderse como un tipo de estructura en voz pasiva.
Con la práctica y leyendo e interiorizando algunos ejemplos que los utilizarás alguna vez:
- I want to have the walls of my house painted.
- They got their new car repaired yesterday.
- She has her room cleaned every week by a housekeeper.
- Did your get hair cut at the hairdresser’s?
- You need to get this computer fixed soon. Bring it to the technician tomorrow.
Y tú, ¿qué necesitas que alguien haga para ti?
OK, now we're going to practice!
liveworksheets.com
liveworksheets.com
EXERCISE
Match a word from 1-5 with something that is done by that person or in that place. Then make sentences using all the information and the verb in brackets.You may have to change the words or add new ones. (An example is given).
1. hairdresser ́s
2. dentist ́s
3. doctor ́s
4. vet ́s
5. architect
vaccinate dogs (have)
design new houses (have)
cut hair (get)
take out teeth (have)
take blood pressure
Example:
1. Tomorrow I ́m going to the hairdresser ́s to get my hair cut.
2. Yesterday...
3. This afternoon...
4. Last week...
5. Next Saturday...
6. The day before yesterday...
7. Last year...
8. Next week..
KEY
EXERCISE 1
2. Yesterday, I went to the dentist to have a tooth taken out.
3. This afternoon, I ́m going to doctor ́s to have my blood pressure taken.
4. Last week, I went to the vet ́s to have my dog vaccinated.
5. Next Saturday, I ́m going to see the architect to have my new house designed
EXERCISE 2 Filling the gaps.
1. She needs to have/get her car repaired.
2. I'm going to have/ get my hair cut at the new hairdresser's.
3. I really must have/get the/our/ my central heating fixed.
4. They ought to have/get their broken windows replaced
5. I would have/get my house redecorated if I could afford it.
EXERCISE 2 Rewrite these sentences using have or get.
1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.
2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.
3. A decorator has repainted our house.
4. A friend of mine, who ́s an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.
5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner ́s.
Keys:
1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.
I had the oil in my car changed.
2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.
I had my hair cut in a completely different style.
3. A decorator has repainted our house.
We have had our house repainted.
4. A friend of mine, who ́s an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.
I ́m going to have my DVD player repaired next week by a friend of mine, who ́s an electrician.
5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner ́s.
I ́m having my jacket cleaned at a specialist cleaner ́s.
EXERCISE 3 Rewrite these sentences using have or get.
1. The technician repaired my TV yesterday.
2. She washes her car every week.
3. The dentist will remove my wisdom tooth next month.
4. The decorator can't decorate my house this year.
5. The architet is designing our house.
6. The editor will publish their new books this term.
7. Cleaners are ironing my new suit at the moment.
8. A plumber replaced the old pipes in my bathroom.
9. A technician has installed a new app on my laptop.
10. Doctors have tested my blood this afternoon
