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I asked a quetion here Subject+got+object+past participle and according to Jeff Morrow "I got the house cleaned" may mean that I myself cleaned the house (can you hear my wife laughing hysterically) or that I arranged for someone else to do that cleaning and that cleaning was done.

But "I had the house cleaned" only means I arranged someone else to clean the house and not I myself cleaned it.

I know, usually subject+got/had+object+past participle means "I got someone else to do the job" but if occasionally sentences like "I got the task completed" "I got the house cleaned" could also mean "I myself did the action"

My question is can I also say "I had the task completed" "I had the house painted" occasionally refering to "I did the task myself? I think we could say either way just like "I am having my car washed" primarily means I got someone else to repair my car but occosionally it could also mean "I myself is washing it"

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    Do you mean the historical reason? The structure [ "have" + object + past participle ] simply means to cause someone else to do something. That's the meaning of that structure. It's like asking why "-ed" on the end of a verb means past tense. That's just what it means.
    – gotube ♦
    Jul 21, 2022 at 1:35
  • @gotube I am afraid i could not make you understand my query. I know, usually subject+got/had+object+past participle means "I got someone else to do the job" but if occosionly sentences like "I got the task completed" "I got the house cleaned" could also mean "I myself did the action" then why cannot "I had the task completed" "I had the house painted" occoasionly mean I did the task myself? I think we could say either way just like " I am having my car washed" primarily means I got someone else to repaire my car but occosionally it could meanI mself is washing it
    – Bilal Zafar
    Jul 21, 2022 at 1:48
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    @BilalZafar it seems you misunderstand: "got" could have either meaning (either you or someone else did it), "had" only means that someone else did it. They are not fully interchangeable. And as gotube says, that's just how it is.
    – Esther
    Jul 21, 2022 at 1:58
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    @BilalZafar it would only mean that someone else is washing it.
    – Esther
    Jul 21, 2022 at 2:07
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    @BilalZafar yes, "getting" would usually mean someone else is doing it, but it could also mean that you are washing.
    – Esther
    Jul 21, 2022 at 2:44

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My question is can I also say "I had the task completed" "I had the house painted" occasionally referring to "I did the task myself"?

No. "I had the task completed" is a causative and indicates that you arranged for someone (or otherwise caused someone) to do the task. This "arranging" or "causing" is quite literal.

As a matter of common sense, you cannot come to an agreement with yourself or cause yourself to do something.

The causative is also passive "I had the task completed" = "I arranged for the task to be completed by me", which is nonsense.

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When you say I got the house cleaned and you mean that you did it yourself, get acquires a slightly different meaning. We do not mean simply that the event took place. We also mean that some kind of challenge or difficulty had to be overcome. Perhaps the house was unusually dirty. Perhaps the I is especially prone to procrastination. Perhaps the I was overwhelmed by tasks at their employment and has only now found the time to get the job done. And so on. It is not a coincidence that we often enhance such sentences with the word "finally": I finally got the house cleaned.

This is a special meaning of get that does not attach to have. For this reason, I had the house cleaned will never mean that the I did the job themselves.

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