Proper Pronunciation Guide

have

[həv]

[hæv]

When the word “have” is used as an auxiliary verb, pronounce it with the weak schwa vowel
/ə/, placing the emphasis on the principal verb, as shown in the first two practice sentences below.
Pronounce the vowel in “have” as a full
/æ/ when it is used as a principal verb, meaning to possess, as it is used in the third practice sentence below; or when it takes the place of the principal verb (which may have already been mentioned and is not repeated), as in the fourth practice sentence below.

	We have attended many events here.
	Have you signed the petition yet?
	They have a grand piano in their living room.
	(Have they eaten yet?) Yes, they have.

When the word “have” is used as an auxilary verb, it is often reduced even further through contractions: I’ve, we’ve, you’ve, they’ve.
Be careful of pronouncing the contraction “should’ve” (should have) as [ʃʊ də]. Retain the final /v/: [ʃʊ dəv] as in “I should’ve done this before now.”
When “have” is followed by the word “to,” the two words are pronounced [hæf tə] as in “I have to go.”