Have Someone Do vs. Have Someone To Do
When have means arrange for or cause a person to do something, Cambridge documents have + object + bare infinitive. A following to-infinitive can occur in other have constructions, but it is not the ordinary causative complement after the person object.
For the causative meaning, use “have someone do something,” not “have someone to do something.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| causative: arrange for or cause a person to act | have + person + bare infinitive | Use the bare infinitive after the person object. |
| another construction in which “have” is followed later by a to-infinitive | context-specific structure | Do not use that fact to recast the ordinary causative as “have someone to do.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you mean that one person arranges for or causes another person to perform the action?
If yes: Use “have someone do something.”
If no: If “have” has another meaning, analyze that construction separately instead of importing the causative rule.
Caveat: The rule is for the causative meaning; it does not prohibit every sequence in which “have” and a later to-infinitive occur in different structures.
Examples
We had the technician check the wiring.
The causative pattern uses the person object plus a bare infinitive.
She had her assistant send the revised file.
“Send” follows the person object without “to.”
They will have a contractor inspect the roof.
The same causative pattern works across tenses of “have.”
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not treat every surface sequence “have someone to …” as the same construction; for example, have visitors to stay has a different structure and meaning.
Construction
Cambridge lists have + object + infinitive without “to” for causing someone to act.
Decision
Use have + person + bare infinitive when you mean arrange for or cause that person to perform the action.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- have — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Have + object + bare infinitive and have + object + -ing patterns in causative/event meanings