Hast and hath are older present-tense forms of have. Both can express possession, experience, or a completed action, but they agree with different grammatical persons. Choose by the subject, not by how formal or dramatic the sentence sounds.
Hast and hath at a glance
| Form | Subject | Modern equivalent | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hast | Thou | Have | Thou hast my word. |
| Hath | He, she, it, a name, or singular noun | Has | The queen hath spoken. |
| Have | I, you, we, or they | Have | They have spoken. |
Use the modern sentence as a test. If you are changing singular you have to the older thou form, choose hast. If the modern sentence says he has, she has, or it has, choose hath.
Use hast with thou
Hast is the second-person singular present form of have. It belongs with thou, the older subject pronoun for one person.
Possession: Thou hast the key.
Experience: Thou hast little cause to fear.
Completed action: Thou hast kept thy promise.
Question: Hast thou heard the news?
Negative: Thou hast not failed us.
Thee is an object form and cannot be the subject of hast. Write Hast thou seen the messenger?, not Hast thee seen the messenger? The guide to Thou vs. Thee explains the complete pronoun set.
Use hath with he, she, it, or a singular noun
Hath is the third-person singular present form of have. It agrees with the same subjects that take modern has.
He: He hath a keen eye.
She: She hath answered wisely.
It: The hour is late, yet it hath not ended.
Name or noun: Lord Rowan hath returned. The storm hath passed.
A plural subject still takes have: the knight hath arrived, but the knights have arrived. Do not add hath merely to make an otherwise modern sentence sound old.
Use a past participle after auxiliary hast or hath
When hast or hath forms the present perfect, the next verb must be a past participle. This matches modern have seen and has gone. It does not use the simple past forms saw or went.
| Incorrect | Correct | Modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Hast thou saw it? | Hast thou seen it? | Have you seen it? |
| Thou hast went too far. | Thou hast gone too far. | You have gone too far. |
| She hath spoke. | She hath spoken. | She has spoken. |
| The scribe hath wrote it. | The scribe hath written it. | The scribe has written it. |
| He hath did his duty. | He hath done his duty. | He has done his duty. |
Possession and completed actions
Sometimes hast or hath is the main verb and means that someone possesses or experiences something. At other times it is an auxiliary that joins a past participle to describe an action connected with the present.
| Use | With thou | With a third-person subject |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | Thou hast a sword. | She hath a sword. |
| Condition | Thou hast no need to worry. | He hath no need to worry. |
| Completed action | Thou hast found the path. | The scout hath found the path. |
| Past experience | Thou hast seen many winters. | She hath seen many winters. |
Questions and negatives
| Purpose | With thou | With a third-person subject |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | Thou hast returned. | She hath returned. |
| Question | Hast thou returned? | Hath she returned? |
| Negative | Thou hast not returned. | She hath not returned. |
| Negative question | Hast thou not returned? | Hath she not returned? |
For readable creative dialogue, full negatives such as hast not and hath not are clearer than invented-looking contractions. Keep the old form consistent, but do not make every surrounding word archaic.
How Shakespeare uses both forms
In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, “Thou hast heard me speak tonight.” A few lines later, she refers to “that which the dark night hath so discoverèd.” The first subject is thou, so Shakespeare uses hast; the second subject is the singular noun phrase the dark night, so he uses hath.
The example also shows the auxiliary pattern: hast heard and hath discoverèd pair the older form of have with a past participle.
Six common mistakes
- Thou hath: write thou hast.
- He hast: write he hath.
- Hast thee: write hast thou, because the pronoun is the subject.
- Hast thou saw: write hast thou seen.
- They hath: write they have; hath is singular.
- Confusing hast with haste: hast means have; haste means speed or urgency.
A five-line practice check
Have you heard the news? → Hast thou heard the news?
Has the queen arrived? → Hath the queen arrived?
You have my thanks. → Thou hast my thanks.
Has it stopped raining? → Hath it stopped raining?
They have kept their oath. → They have kept their oath.
For the parallel forms of do, read Dost vs. Doth. For more pronoun agreement and scene-ready examples, browse Thou vs. Thee and Medieval English Phrases.
Try a Shakespeare-inspired translation
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hast and hath?
Hast is the archaic second-person singular form of have and goes with thou. Hath is the archaic third-person singular form and goes with he, she, it, a name, or another singular noun.
Is it thou hast or thou hath?
Write thou hast. The pronoun thou takes the second-person singular form hast, as in thou hast courage or thou hast seen the truth.
Is it he hast or he hath?
Write he hath. He is a third-person singular subject, so it takes hath, as in he hath courage or he hath seen the truth.
Do you write hast thou seen or hast thou saw?
Write hast thou seen. When hast or hath forms the present perfect, the following verb must be a past participle: seen, gone, spoken, written, or done.