ave

We use have with:

Food and drink: a meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, a cup of tea
Talking: a chat, a conversation, a discussion, a talk
Washing: a bath, a shower, a wash, a scrub
Resting: a break, a holiday, a rest
Disagreeing: an argument, a dispute, a fight, a quarrel
I had a good breakfast before I left home.
We had a long talk about the problem.
The kids should have a bath before they go to bed.
She generally had a short holiday in July or August.
They had a serious quarrel about their fathers will.
We also use have with nouns formed from verbs:
I think you should have a look at this.
She had a bite of the cake.
Im thirsty. Im going to have a drink of water.
I had a listen to that new CD in the car.
They are going to have a swim.

Grammar for British English

1. Have - have got
"Have" and "have got" are both used to show possession. For example: "I have a pen", and "I
have got a pen" have the same meaning. Here are the main points when choosing which one to
use.
Have
The Simple Present forms of have are as follows.
Singular

Plural

Affirmative

Affirmative

I have a pen
You have a pen
She has a pen
He has a pen
It has a pen

We have a pen
You have a pen
They have a pen
Negative

Negative
I do not have a pen = I don't have a pen
You do not have a pen = You don't have a pen
She does not have a pen = She doesn't have a
pen
He does not have a pen = He doesn't have a
pen
It does not have a pen = It doesn't have a pen
Questions

We do not have a pen = We don't have a pen

You do not have a pen = You don't have a pen
They do not have a pen = They don't have a
pen
Questions
Do we have a pen?
Do you have a pen?
Do they have a pen?

Do I have a pen?
Do you have a pen?
Does she has a pen?
Does he has a pen?
Does it have a pen?
You make questions with have as normal by using the auxiliary verb "to do". For example:
- Statement: You have a pen.
- Question: Do you have a pen?
- Have you a pen? This is generally incorrect, although occasionally found in British English.
The verb have is often contracted in English, but when have is used for possession you cannot
use a contraction, you should use have got instead (see below). For example:
- I've a pen, He's a pen. These are incorrect.
Do not and does not can of course still be contracted to don't and doesn't. For example:
- He doesn't have a pen = He does not have a pen.
The Simple Present forms of have got are as follows.
Have got
Singular

Plural

Affirmative
I have got a pen = I've got a pen
You have got a pen = You've got a pen
She has got a pen = She's got a pen
He has got a pen = He's got a pen
It has got a pen = It's got a pen

We have got a pen = We've got a pen

You have got a pen = You've got a pen
They have got a pen = They've got a pen

Negative
We have not got a pen = We haven't got a pen
I have not got a pen = I haven't got a pen
You have not got a pen = You haven't got a pen
You have not got a pen = You haven't got a pen They have not got a pen = They haven't got a
She has not got a pen = She hasn't got a pen
pen
He has not got a pen = He hasn't got a pen
It has not got a pen = It hasn't got a pen
Questions
Have I got a pen?
Have you got a pen?
Has he got a pen?
Has she got a pen?
Has it got a pen?

Have we got a pen?

Have you got a pen?
Have they got a pen?

Affirmative statements can contract have got, for example:

- I have got some food = I've got some food.
- He has got some food = He's got some food.
Negatives contract as follows:
- I haven't got any food = I have not got any food.
- She hasn't got any food = She has not got any food.
----Have got is a slightly unusual form because it is a perfect tense form, something which we
haven't learnt yet and which will be covered later. Also, remember that the verb have is used in
many ways, but the above is only for its use for possession. The lists above may seem rather
laborious, but you will quickly learn to use these verbs when you apply them to some real
English usage.
So, on to the exercises!

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English grammar: Have, have got, 's

Here are some ways to talk about possession in English.

Verb "to have"

"I have two children."
"He has a beautiful house in London."
Remember: "have" is a normal verb in English. Use the auxiliary "do" and "does" in the present
tense to make questions, and "don't" and "doesn't" to make negatives. Use "did" in the past tense
to make questions, and "didn't" to make negatives.
"Do you have any money?"
"Does he have any children?"
"We don't have much time."
"She doesn't have a big car."
"Did he have a good holiday?"
"We didn't have a holiday last year."

Verb "have got"

You can also use "have got" in the present tense to talk about possessions.
I have got a new car.
You have got a nice house.
He / she has got an important job.
We have got pizza for dinner.
They have got two beautiful children,
Abbreviated form

I've got a new car.

You've got a nice house.
He's got / She's got an important job.
We've got pizza for dinner.
They've got two beautiful children.
Questions
"Have got" is a two-part verb, and "have" (or "has" for he / she / it) acts as the auxiliary. This
means you don't use "do" or "does" in questions. Like the verb "to be" and modal auxiliaries,
change the word order to make a question.
I have got = Have I got?
You have got = Have you got?
He / she has got = Has she / he got?
We have got = Have we got?
They have got = Have they got?
Have I got time to go shopping before the film starts?
Have you got room in your bag for my phone?
Has he got any children?
Have we got a bottle of water for the car journey?
Have they got a new car?
Short replies
Yes, I have / No, I haven't
Yes, you have / No, you haven't
Yes, he / she has / No, he / she hasn't
Yes, we have / No, we haven't
Yes, they have / No, they haven't
Negative form
Make "have got" negative with the negative form of "have:
I haven't got time.
You haven't got time.
He / she hasn't got time.
We haven't got time.
They haven't got time.
In the past
You can't use "haven't got" for past possession. Use the past form of the verb "have": "had".

Last year I had a lot more time.

(Not "Last year I had got a lot more time.")
Other uses of have / have got in English
-To talk about illnesses
She has the flu.
She has got the flu.
To talk about obligation
I have to study for the exam.
I've got to study for the exam.
In different situations
I have / have got
an idea
a suggestion / proposal
a feeling that
brown hair and blue eyes

Common errors
Avoid these common mistakes with have / have got
1. "I haven't any brothers or sisters."
Remember: the negative form is either "I haven't got" or "I don't have".
2. "Have you got a new coat?"
"Yes, I have got."
"Yes, I've."
Remember: the short form of "have got" is "have". You can't abbreviate it to "I've".
3. "Last week I had got a bad cold."
Remember: in the past tense, use "have" not "have got".

Apostrophe 's
We also use 's to talk about possession.
Sarah's eyes are blue.
John and Jane's children are very tall.
Remember:

1. We generally use 's for people, not things.

John's car is big.
But for things, use two nouns without 's, or "of":
"The car windows are dirty." Or "The windows of the car are dirty."
Not "The car's windows are dirty".
2. Put 's after a singular noun and after an irregular plural noun.
My son's bedroom. (One son, one bedroom.)
The women's football team. (More than one woman, one football team.)
Put ' (apostrophe only) after a regular, plural noun.
My sons' bedroom. (More than one son, one bedroom.)
The girls' school. (More than one girl, one school = a school for many girls)
3. When you refer to the possession of two people, put 's after the second person.
Susan and Tom's children.

Other ways to talk about your possessions

own
She owns a sports car.
I own a mountain bike.
The person who owns something is "the owner".
"Can the owner of the blue Smart please come to reception?"
belong to
Who does this scarf belong to?
The red car belongs to my husband.
Possessive pronouns
That book is mine.
Those keys are yours.

Which should we use: have or have

got?
Stuart Cook January 9, 2012 Grammar articles 19
Learners often want to know if have and have got are the same. They want to know which of the
two they should use and if they are interchangeable. Can we use either one of them whenever
we want? they ask.
The answer is that have and have got are the same in meaning when we want to express
possession of something. And, yes, they are very often interchangeable.
There are, however, some important differences in grammar and usage between have and have
got.
This is what you should remember if you decide to use have got:

1. Have got is for spoken English

Use have got in spoken English.

Use have in your formal written English (business correspondence, etc.).

If you are writing an informal message to your friendson Facebook, for examplehave got is
fine.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with using have instead of have got in spoken English.

2. Use contractions with have got

If you want to use have got when you speak, remember that you must use contractions (short
forms) where possible. Dont use the full forms. You should say:

Ive got
I havent got

hes got

he hasnt got, etc.

Some more examples of contractions with have got are:

weve got; we havent got; everyones got; its got; it hasnt got; theyve got, etc.

3. Different question and negative forms

With have got we dont use helping verbs such as do and dont to form questions and negatives.
For questions, we simply invert the subject and have or has, as follows:
positive: youve got
question: have you got?
positive: hes got
question: has he got?
For negatives, we put not (nt) after have or has, as follows:
positive: youve got
negative: you havent got
positive: shes got
negative: she hasnt got.

4. Have got only in the present

Have got only exists in the present simple tense. We dont use it in the continuous, past or future
tenses.
present simple tense: Hes got a problem.
past simple tense: He had a problem.
future simple: Hell have a problem.

5. When we cannot use have got

When have is a substitute word for another verb, we cannot interchange it with have got. For
example, instead of take a shower we sometimes say have a shower, or instead of eat lunch we
say have lunch. In these cases, we cannot use have got:

I have lunch at 12 oclock.

Ive got lunch

I have a shower every day.

Ive got a shower

If we say Ive got a shower, we are saying that we own a shower or that there is a shower in
the house.

Do you want to practise using 'have got' in English? Play our grammar games and have fun while
you learn.

Help

Grammar Rule
Examples
I have got a brother.
They have got a swimming pool.
He has got a cat.

Remember!
I have got a brother. = Ive got a brother.
You have got blue eyes! = You've got blue eyes!
He has got a sister. = He's got a sister.
We have got a cat. = We've got a cat.
They have got a swimming pool.= They've got a swimming pool.

Be careful!
For negatives add n't or 'not'.
I havent got a brother.
I have not got a brother.
They havent got a swimming pool.
They have not got a swimming pool.
He hasnt got a cat.
He has not got a cat.

We say... We dont say...

Have you got a brother? Yes, I have. (NOT You have got a brother? Yes, I have got.)
Have they got a swimming pool? No, they havent. (NOT They have got a swimming pool? No,
they haven't got.)
Has he got a cat? Yes, he has. (NOT He has got a cat? Yes, he has got.)

Have and have got: differences

September 7, 2013 Have and have got are usually possible with little or no difference of meaning. Both forms can
be used to express ideas such as possession and relationships. For example, the two sentences
given below express the same idea.
I have a sister. = I have got a sister.
Got forms of have are informal, and are most common in the present. Do is not used in
questions and negatives with got.
I have got a car. (Informal)
I have a car. (More formal)
Have you got a car? / Do you have a car? (NOT Do you have got a car?)
Have got cannot be used to talk about actions. Only have is possible in this case.
I usually have dinner at 8 oclock. (NOT I usually have got dinner at 8 oclock.)
Note that have and have not are only used in the present simple. In the past tense, only had is
used. Had not is not possible.
I had a strange experience yesterday. (NOT I had got a strange experience yesterday.)
Got forms of have are not normally used to indicate repetition and habit.
I have a meeting on Monday. OR I have got a meeting on Monday.
I often have meetings on Mondays. (BUT NOT I often have got meetings on Mondays.)
Note that have is a state verb. It is not normally used in the continuous form.
She has a sister. (NOT She is having a sister.)
However, having is used in a few fixed expressions. Examples are: having dinner, having a bath
etc.

Have got and have

from English Grammar Today
Have got and have mean the same. Have got is more informal. We use have (got) here to refer to
both verbs:
Ive got a terrible pain in my back.
I have a terrible pain in my back. (more formal)
They havent got a car.
They dont have a car. (more formal)
We use have (got) to talk about possession, relationships, characteristics and illnesses. In these
contexts, it is not used in the continuous form:
Shes got two cats and a dog.
She has two cats and a dog.
Not: She is having got two cats and a dog.
Have you got a drill?
Do you have a drill? (more formal)
How many brothers have you got?
How many brothers do you have? (more formal)
Shes got a new boyfriend.
She has a new boyfriend. (more formal)
Shes got a delightful voice.
She has a delightful voice. (more formal)
Its got 153 calories and 45g of carbohydrates.
It has 153 calories and 45g of carbohydrates. (more formal)
I have never had the measles.

Shes got a headache.

Not: She is having a headache.

have or have got

When do we use have got and when have
In British English have got is used quite often, in other areas it is common to use the main verb
have.

1. Affirmative sentences
have

have got
I have got a brother.
I have a brother.
I've got a brother.
You have got a sister.
You have a sister.
You've got a sister.
He has got a cat.
He has a cat.
He's got a cat.
She has got a dog.
She has a dog.
She's got a dog.
It has got Bluetooth.
It has Bluetooth.
It's got Bluetooth.
We have got books.
We have books.
We've got books.
You have got a nice room.
You have a nice room.
You've got a nice room.
They have got pets.
They have pets.
They've got pets.
have got be is often used in its contracted form even in written language.

2. Negations
have
I do not have a brother.

have got
I have not got a brother.

have

have got
I haven't got a brother.
I don't have a brother.
I've not got a brother.
You have not got a sister.
You do not have a sister.
You haven't got a sister.
You don't have a sister.
You've not got a sister.
He has not got a cat.
He does not have a cat.
He hasn't got a cat.
He doesn't have a cat.
He's not got a cat.
She has not got a dog.
She does not have a dog.
She hasn't got a dog.
She doesn't have a dog.
She's not got a dog.
It has not got Bluetooth.
It does not have Bluetooth.
It hasn't got Bluetooth.
It doesn't have Bluetooth.
It's not got Bluetooth.
We have not got books.
We do not have books.
We haven't got books.
We don't have books.
We've not got books.
You have not got a nice room.
You do not have a nice room.
You haven't got a nice room.
You don't have a nice room. You've not got a nice room.
They have not got pets.
They do not have pets.
They haven't got pets.
They don't have pets.
They've not got pets.

3. Questions
have
Do I have time?
Do you have pets?
Does he have a computer?
Does she have a mobile phone?
Does it have mudguards?
Do we have ketchup?
Do you have a yellow car?
Do they have nice teachers?

have got
Have I got time?
Have you got pets?
Has he got a computer?
Has she got a mobile phone?
Has it got mudguards?
Have we got ketchup?
Have you got a yellow car?
Have they got nice teachers?

There can be negations in questions too.

have
have got
Don't you have a brother? Haven't you got a brother?

4. Be careful
4.1. The contracted forms 've or 's are only used with have got not with have.
right
wrong
I've got a new mobile phone. I've a new mobile phone.
He's got a new car.
He's a new car.
4.2. Do not use an auxiliary with have got only with have. Be careful when using negations.
right
wrong
Have you got a garden?
Do you have got a garden?
Do you have a pet?
Have you a pet?
They haven't got a brother. They haven't a house.
4.3. have cannot always be substituted with have got. You can only substitute have with have got
when you talk about possession and relationships.
have got
have
I've got a brother.
I have a brother.
wrong: I had got an accident. I had an accident.
wrong: We had got lunch.
We had lunch.
In American English have is dropped in informal speech like in the following example.
We've got a problem. We got a problem.

Is have got acceptable English grammar? When can you use have or have got in English?
In this post, I answer these questions and more! I explain when you can use have or have got,
the correct form of have got (hint: Does she have got? is NOT the correct question form!), and
also when you cant use have got!

In spoken and informal written English, have got can be used instead of have in four situations.
You can use have got to talk about

1. Things we own or possess

We have a house in Vancouver.
Weve got a house in Vancouver.

She doesnt have any money.

She hasnt got any money.
He has a new car!
Hes got a new car!
Do you have a minute?
Have you got a minute?
I dont have time right now.
I havent got time right now.
I have an idea!
Ive got an idea!

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2. Family and relationships

I have a new boyfriend.
Ive got a new boyfriend.
Mike doesnt have any brothers.
Mike hasnt got any brothers.
Do you have any children?
Have you got any children?

3. People and physical characteristics

Carol has brown eyes.
Carols got brown eyes.
He doesnt have blond hair.
He hasnt got blond hair.
Does your sister have long hair?
Has your sister got long hair?

4. Illness or saying that you dont feel well

I have a bad cold.
Ive got a bad cold.
She doesnt have a headache anymore.
She hasnt got a headache anymore.
Do you have the flu?
Have you got the flu?

NOTES:

a. Have got CANNOT be used for any other use of have (for example, talking about actions and
experiences):
I usually have dinner at 18:00.
NOT: I usually have got dinner at 18:00
b. Have got is ONLY used in the present simple tense. It CANNOT be used in any other tense:
I had a bad cold last week.
NOT: I had got a bad cold last week.
c.Continuous / progressive forms are NOT possible with these meanings of have and have got.
d.Have got has NOTHING to do with get. It is NOT the present perfect form of get. [In North
American English, have gotten is the present perfect of get.]
e.Sometimes the have is left out of have got in SPOKEN English (it is not acceptable to leave
out have in written English).
Here are some examples:
Got Milk?
This is a popular advertising campaign for milk in North America. It should be Have you got
milk?
Got a minute?
In English a minute is often used to mean a short amount of time. People often say: Got a
minute? which is short for Do you have a minute? or Have you got a minute?
I Gotta Feeling
This is the title of a song by the Black Eyed Peas. It should actually be I have got a feeling.
Gotta is not a proper English word. It is what native speakers sometimes SAY instead of got a
or got to.

Now that you understand when to use have or have got, lets look at when you can use have to
and have got to!

Students of English will eventually both 'have' and 'have got' to express possession. Both forms
can express what we own, but also the relationships we have. For example, I have / have got a
car and a father. Beginning level students should also know that 'have' is preferred in US English,
and 'have got' is much more common in British English. Finally, the fact that US English often
uses 'gotten' as the participle for various verbs including phrasal verbs with get, but will also use
'have got' when expressing possession can further confuse students. This guide provides
examples of the various uses of both forms.
The differences between 'have' and 'have got' can be confusing for beginners. Here is a guide the
two forms. When you finish reviewing try the 'Have / Have got' Quiz to check your
understanding.
Remember these important points:

'Have' and 'Have got' are used for possession.

Example: Jack has got a beautiful house. OR Jack has a beautiful house.

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Only 'have' is used when talking about actions.
Example: I usually have breakfast at 8 o'clock. NOT I usually have got breakfast at 8
o'clock.

The question form for 'have' follows regular present simple:

Example: Do you have a fast car? NOT Have you a fast car?

'Have' and 'Have got' are only used in the present simple. Use 'have' for the past simple or
future forms.
Example: She had a copy of that book.

There is no contracted form for 'Have' in the positive form. The contracted form is used
for 'have got'
Example: I have a red bicycle. OR I've got a red bicycle. NOT I've a red bicycle.

Here is a grammar chart showing the construction of the two forms:

Positive I, You, We, They HAVE GOT
Subject + have + got + objects
They have got a new car. Contracted: They've got a new car.
Positive He, She, It HAVE GOT
Subject + has + got + objects
He has got a new car. Contracted: He's got a new car.
Positive I, You, We, They HAVE
Subject + have + objects
They have a new car. There is no contracted form
Positive He, She, It HAVE
Subject + have + objects
She has a new car. There is no contracted form
Question I, You, We, They HAVE GOT
(?) + have + subject + got?
How many children have you got? There is no contracted form
Question He, She, It HAVE GOT
(?) + has + subject + got?
How many children has he got? There is no contracted form
Question I, You, We, They HAVE
(?) + do + subject + have?
How many children do you have? There is no contracted form
Question He, She, It HAVE
(?) + does + subject + have?
How many children does he have? There is no contracted form
Negative I, You, We, They HAVE GOT
Subject + have + not + got + objects
We have not got a dog. Contraction: We haven't got a dog.
Negative He, She, It HAVE GOT
Subject + has + not + got + objects
She has not got a dog. Contraction: She hasn't got a dog.

Negative I, You, We, They HAVE

Subject + do + not + have + objects
They do not have a dog. Contraction: They don't have a dog.
Negative He, She, It HAVE GOT
Subject + does + not + have + objects
She does not have a dog. Contraction: She doesn't have a dog.
Check your understanding with this Have / Have Got Quiz

Can you use have in the present continuous?

When have is used as a verb for possession, it CANT be used in the present continuous:
Im having a lot of work to
I have a lot of work to do.
Theyre
They

do.

having a new car.

have a new car.

However, in certain expressions, have can be used in the present continuous form:

Im having a good time.

Were having a meeting at 4 PM.

Have vs. have got

Have and have got are the same when talking about possessions, illnesses, relationships, and
characteristics of people. Have got is just a more informal way to say it:

I have a lot of work to do.

= Ive got a lot of work to do. (have got)
She has two sisters.
= Shes got two sisters. (has got)

He has a sore throat.

= Hes got a sore throat. (has got)

They both have black hair.

= Theyve both got black hair. (have got)

However, you cant use have got in other situations:

Youll

have fun at the party.

Youll have got fun at the party.
I always have breakfast at 8.
Ive always got breakfast at 8.

15 Expressions with Have

So here are 15 English expressions with the word have, and whether or not you can use
having or have got.
1. have a look at something
Having YES
Have got NO

Lets have a look at the facts in this case.

Were having a look at your proposal as we speak.

You could also say taking a look at

2. have a talk/chat with someone
Having YES
Have got NO

She interrupted me while I was having a talk with my boss.

Bob is over there, having a chat with Laura.

3. have a meeting
Having = YES
Have got = YES

The marketing department is having a meeting right now.

Im really busy today Ive got three meetings this afternoon.

4. have an appointment
Having = NO
Have got = YES

Do you have an appointment?

Weve got an appointment to see the dentist at 10:30.

5. have fun / have a good time / have a blast

Having = YES
Have got = NO

Have a good time at the park!

The kids are having fun with their new toys.

Were at the circus right now. Were having a blast.

6. have a party
Having = YES
Have got = NO

Lets have a party to celebrate the end of the school year.

Were having a party at our house on Friday night.

You can also say throwing a party. Both having and throwing a party mean that you are the one
organizing the party.
7. have a baby
Having = YES
Have got = NO

Id like to have the baby at home.

Call a doctor, quick! My wifes having the baby!
(this means she is in the process of giving birth right now)

Heres some big news Im having twins!

(this means the twin babies will be born in the future)

8. have children/brothers/sisters
Having = NO
Have got = YES

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Ive got two older brothers and one younger sister.

Weve got four children.

= We have four children.

9. have a problem

Having = YES
Have got = YES

Im having problems connecting my printer to my computer.

We made a mistake in the article, and now weve got a big problem.

10. have difficulty/trouble

Having = YES
Have got = NO

Im having difficulty understanding this English lesson.

Are you having trouble breathing?

11. have a good/bad day

Having = YES
Have got = NO

I hope youre having a good day!

Ugh, Im having the worst day of my life.

12. have breakfast/lunch/dinner/coffee/a drink/a sandwich

Having = YES
Have got = NO

Im having lunch with my coworkers.

Everyones in the cafeteria; theyre all having coffee.

13. have surgery / an operation

Having = YES
Have got = NO

Danny is having heart surgery right now. Were waiting for news from the doctors.
Ill be having knee surgery on the 27th.

14. have a headache / sore throat / cold / the flu

Having = NO
Have got = YES

I need to lie down, Ive got a headache.

My husbands got a bad cold.

15. have an effect/influence/impact

Having = YES
Have got = NO

The medication is definitely having an effect on the disease.

These new laws are having a major impact on the crime rate.

Note:
The list above refers to having in the present continuous: subject + (to be) + -ING form
With ALL the expressions above, is possible to use having in other sentence structures, such as
when the verb is the subject of the sentence, or occurs after a preposition:

Im having two children.

(present continuous)
Having children changed my life.
(gerund as the subject of the sentence)
Im undecided about having children.
(verb after a preposition is always -ING)

Heres another example:

Shes having a car.

(present continuous)
Having a car is a big responsibility.
(gerund as the subject of the sentence)
Its hard to get around town without having a car.
(verb after a preposition is always -ING)

I have looked through several questions and answers on EL&U, and often there is an
indication that American English prefers "have" while British English prefers "have got". In
addition, there are several references to "have got" being more informal than "have" (e.g.: When

to use "have" and "have got", Do you have vs Have you got). But where is it considered
more informal? In American English alone or both American and British English?
This point may seem obvious to those who made the above mentioned references, but the fact is
that even the most fluent users of English in my country will say without a doubt that 'have got'
is the preferred usage in the UK and, therefore, it must also be more formal. Why? Because in an
academic environment, the more informal structures are generally frowned upon, outside some
specific spoken exercises. And if the teachers insist on using "have got", it follows it isn't
informal.
So, is the teaching of (British) English in our schools transmitting the wrong idea?
EDIT: I'm adding some information in answer to the comments.
I'm mainly concerned with the idea of possession:
I have got a cat vs. I have a cat and She has got a dog vs. She has a dog
As mentioned in the comments, every (Portuguese) student will be told that "have" and "have
got", when it comes to the idea of possession, are absolute synonyms, the only two differences
being:

1. "have got" is preferred by British English, "have" is preferred by American

English

1. the negative and interrogative structures differ

I have never heard of any distinction in formality. In fact, I was rather surprised when I went
through the EL&U archives and read about it.
So, would "I have got a cat" be as formal/informal as "I have a cat"?
And how do British and American English look at its formality/informality? Is it the same?

Need a grammar refresher? Get the Online Grammar Course for TEFL Teachers.

Form & meaning

1. Have got and have are used to talk about possession.
o Ive got a new house / I have a new house.

Has she got a car? / Does she have a car?

2. Have got and have are used to talk about relationships.

o

Have you got a girlfriend? / Do you have a girlfriend?

Hes got three brothers / He has three brothers.

3. Have got and have are used to talk about illnesses.

o

Ive got a bad cold / I have a bad cold.

Ive got a headache / I have a headache.

4. Have got and have are used to talk about characteristics.

o

Her office has got a nice view / Her office has a nice view.

Why has he got a tattoo? / Why does he have a tattoo?

Additional points
1. Have got and have cannot be used in the progressive form to express the meanings
above.
o I ve got / have a headache correct
o

Im having a headache Incorrect

2. have is more common than have got when talking in the past.
o

She had a pink guitar when she was 13. more common

She had got a pink guitar when she was 13. less common

Did you have a headache yesterday? more common

Had you got a headache yesterday? less common

Pronunciation
See the phonemic chart for IPA symbols used below.
1. In fast connected speech, assimilation occurs with got in have got when the following
word begins with a vowel sound.
o Ive got a cat: /gd/

Have
from English Grammar Today

Have: forms
Have is an irregular verb. Its three forms are have, had, had. The present simple third person
singular is has:
We usually have breakfast at about eight.
I had a strange dream last night.
She has quite dark hair.

Have: uses
We use have as a main verb and an auxiliary verb.
See also:

Have as a main verb

Have as an auxiliary verb

Have: typical error

We dont use have in the third person singular of the present simple:

A meeting has been set up for Monday, 4pm.

Not: A meeting have been

Have as a main verb

The main verb have has lots of uses.

Possession
We use have to talk about things that we own or possess:
Do you have a car?
They have two dogs, Scruffy and Milly.

See also:

Have got and have

Events, actions, experiences and activities

Im going to have a bath.
Lets have a party to celebrate your birthday!
We have a break at 10 am.
Did you have a nice time in London?

Eating food and meals

We had a wonderful meal in the new restaurant on Elm Street.
A:
Two coffees, please.
B:
Large or small?
A:
Er large. You want a large one, do you?
C:
Mhm. Can I have a cake as well?
Shall we have lunch together sometime?

Days or parts of days

Have a nice day!
I had such a tough day.
Did you have a nice morning (or afternoon, evening, birthday, holiday)?

Hygiene routines and therapies

I had a shower and got ready to go out.

He needs to have a shave both in the morning and in the evening.
The doctor recommended that I should have massages every week on my back.

Conversations and interactions

I need to have a chat with Joan about your hours.
They had a big argument about money.
The chef and the manager had a row in the kitchen and everyone in the restaurant could hear
them shouting.

Sleeping
She had a rest in the afternoon.
Did you have a good nights sleep?
I used to have terrible dreams when I was young.

Accidents and problems with cars

She had an accident when she was young. She fell off a horse.
They had a crash but luckily no one was injured.
We had a breakdown on the motorway once.
Thankfully, I have never had a puncture.

Travel
They have a 15-hour flight from Rome.
Have a safe trip.
Did you have a pleasant journey?

Other common expressions with have

have a baby
have a try

have a think
have a problem

have a go
have an operation
have a long wait
have a shock

have a feeling/sense
have a clue/idea
have a laugh (informal, a good time)
have a surprise

See also:

Have got and have

Have: using the continuous form

We can use the continuous form to talk about an activity that is happening:
Shes having a bath right now. Shell call you back.
We use the continuous form to talk about an activity that is planned for a future time:
Im having lunch with Miriam on Wednesday.
Theyre having a surprise party for Mike on Saturday night.
Shes having a baby in June.
We use the continuous form of have when the event or action is ongoing or repeated:
She was having nightmares for a year after the accident. (A nightmare is a bad dream.)
Ive been having discussions with my boss about a transfer to Edinburgh. I think hes going to
agree.
Hes having trouble with his car.
See also:

Present continuous (I am working)

Present perfect continuous (I have been working)

Past continuous (I was working)

Past perfect continuous (I had been working)

Have as an auxiliary verb

Have is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do and have. We use have before -ed forms to
make the present perfect and past perfect.

Present perfect
have + -ed form
They have moved house.
Hes studied a lot. (full form: has)

Past perfect
had + -ed form
We had paid in advance.
Id known her for years. (full form: had)

We use have, not do, to make questions and negatives of perfect verb forms.
Present perfect
Have you seen Maria?
Not: Do you have
I havent eaten yet.
Not: I dont have

Past perfect
Had they been waiting for long?
Not: Did they had
We hadnt brought a map.
Not: We didnt had

See also:

The Verb To Have

Forms of To Have
Present

Past

Continuous

I / you / we / they

have

had

having

he / she / it

has

had

having

Have is one of the most common verbs in the English language. It functions in various ways.
To have as a main verb

As a main verb to have implies the meaning of possession.

For example: I have a job. I have a car. "I don't have any time."
When it is used to indicate possession you can say "I have..." or you might see/ hear "I have
got...".
When you are talking about actions, you only use "have".
For example:
Possession:I have a shower in my bathroom, I don't have a bath. = I have got a shower in my bathroom. I
haven't got a bath.

The action:I have a shower every day. - I'm having a shower now.
!Note - it does not take the continuous form "I having" - for that you have to use the auxiliary
verb be.
For example: I am having a shower. Are you having a good time?"
The forms of the verb to have are have and has for the present and had for the past.
Question

Positive Statement (spoken)

Negative Statement (spoken)

Singular
Do I have ...?
Have I got ...?

I have
(I've)

I have not
(I haven't/I've not)

Does he / she / it
He/she/it has
have...?
(He/she/it 's)
Has he/she/it got ...?

He/she/it has not

(He/she/it hasn't)

Do you have ...?

Have you got ...?

You have
(You've)

You have not

(You haven't/You've not)

Did I / he / she / it
have ...?
Had I / he / she / it /
you got...?

I / He / She / It / You had

(I'd / He'd / She'd / You'd)

I / He / She / It / You had not

(I / He / She / It / You hadn't)

Plural
Do we / you / they
have ...?
We / You / They have
Have we / you / they (We've / You've / They've)
got ...?

We / You / They have not

(We / You / They haven't // We've nof /
You've not They've not)

Do you have ...?

Have you got ...?

You have
(You've)

You have not

(You haven't/You've not)

Do they have ...?

Have they got ...?

They have
(They've)

They have not

(They haven't/They've not)

Did we / you / they

have ...?
Had we / you / they
got ... ?

We / You / They had

(We'd / You'd / They'd)

I / He / She / It / You had not

(I / He / She / It / You hadn't)

Examples

Have
"Do you have a car?"
"Yes, I have a car."
"No, I don't have a car."

Question - ?
Positive Answer - Yes
Negative Answer - No

Have got
"Have you got a car?"
"Yes I've got a car."
"No I haven't got a car."

To have as an auxiliary verb

The verb to have is used as an auxiliary verb to help other verbs create the perfect tense auxiliary verb have [+ past participle].
For example, I have read a lot of books, or I have never been to America, or "I have
already eaten."
Present Perfect

I have been a
He / She has
You have been
It has been
teacher for
been a student
a student for ...
nice today.
over 11 years.
for ...

We have been
students for ....

They have
been students
for ...

We had been
students for
several years.

They had
been students
for several
years.

Past Perfect

He / She had
I had been a You had been
been a student
teacher for
a student for
for several
several years. several years.
years.

It had been
nice for
several
hours.

Future Perfect

I will have
You will have
been a teacher been a student
for several
for several
years.
years.

Question

He / She will
They will
It will have We will have
have been a
have been
been nice for been students for
student for
students for
several years. several years.
several years.
several years.

Positive Statement

Negative Statement (possible short forms)

Singular
Have you
been ...?

You have been ...

(You've been ...)

You have not been ... (You haven't been ... //

You've not been ...)

We / You / They have

been ...
(We've / You've They've
been ...)

We / You / They have not been ...

(We / You / They haven't been ... // We've /
You've They've not been ...)

Plural
Have we / you /
they been ...?

For example:

Question - ?
Positive Answer - Yes
Negative Answer - No
Question - ?
Positive Answer - Yes
Negative Answer - No

"Have you washed your face today?"

" Yes, I have."
" No, I haven't."
"Have you ever had a heart attack?"
" Yes, I'm afraid I have."
" No, thank goodness, I haven't."

The use of have to

In addition to the two forms, there is another use for have as a modal verb; have to or have got
to. This, of course, must be followed by another verb "We have to do something".
Have to
Question - ?
"Do you have to leave early?"
Positive Answer - Yes "Yes I have to." or "Yes I do"
Negative Answer - No "No I don't have to."

Have got to
"Have you got to leave early?"
"Yes I've got to."
"No I haven't got to."

To have something done

If something is done for you, in other words you haven't actually done it yourself, we use the
structure "to have something done".
For example:"He had a tooth out." (Only a masochist would go pull their own teeth out. We go to the dentist
and he or she pulls our teeth out for us.)
"I have my hair cut once every six weeks." (I don't cut my own hair, my hairdresser cuts it for
me.)
"My husband has the car serviced once a year." (He wouldn't have a clue how to service a
modern car so, he takes it to the garage and they service it for us.)
Verbs

ave and have got

Magrit from Germany from Subrata from Brazil writes:

'Is this correct: How many

subsidiaries does your company
have got?' (Magrit)
'I cannot understand the use of have
had and had had.' (Subrata)
Roger Woodham replies:

'have' / 'have got'

When we are talking about possession, relationships, illnesses
and characteristics of people or things we can use either have
or have got. The have got forms are more common in an
informal style.
Have got has the same meaning as have and both are used as
present tenses. Note that have got is NOT the present perfect of
get.
To make questions and negative sentences with have we
normally use the auxiliary verb do. To make questions and
negative sentences with have got we use the auxiliary verb
have. So your question, Magrit, with have got must be formed
as follows:
How many subsidiaries has your company got?
Study these further examples and note that in informal speech
we often switch from one form to the other:
- How many subsidiaries does your company have?
- It has two.
- How many sisters do you have?
- Ive got three (sisters).
- Do you all have your own bedrooms?
- Sues got her own bedroom, but neither Debbie nor I have. We
have to share.
(Note in this last example that have to is used as an alternative to
must because the need to share is imposed on the sisters.)
- Have you got a new car, Paul?

- Yes I have. I bought it last week.

- Has it got air conditioning?
- No it hasnt. But its got a CD player.
- Do you have very many CDs?
- Ive got hundreds.
Note the way in which we form short answers and question tags
with have got and have:
- Have you got a sore throat as well as a runny nose?
- No, I havent.
- But youve got a high temperature, havent you?
- Yes, I have.
- Does this music school have enough pianos?
- No, it doesnt.
- But you have enough opportunities to practise, dont you?
- No, we dont.
future forms of 'have'
Note that we normally use the have got form of have only in the
present tense. For future reference different forms of have used.
Compare the following:
- Have you got tickets for the match on Saturday?
- No, I havent. Not yet.
- Will you have them by tomorrow?
- I hope so.
- Have you got any time to help me with my maths homework?
- Not now I havent. Sorry.
- Are you going to have any time at the weekend, do you think?
- Yes, Ill probably have some time then.
past tenses with 'have'
Similarly, for past tenses we use different forms of have, not
have got. Compare the following:
- Have you still got a bad headache?
- Yes, I have.
- How long have you had it?
- Ive had it on and off since yesterday.
- Did you have it at the concert last night?
- Yes, I did. I couldnt concentrate on the music properly.

'have had' / 'had had'

Have had is the present perfect form of have, Subrata,
describing actions or states which started in the past and
continue up to the present. Had had is the past perfect form
of have, which we use to talk about longer actions or situations
which continued up to a past moment that we are describing.
Compare the following:
- Ive had stomach ache ever since I ate those spam sandwiches.
- Ive got some pills which are good for digestion. Why dont
you take those?
I started out on the five-mile swim after Id had a good rest. If I
hadnt had a good rest, I would never have completed it. But
because I had had a good rest before I started, I completed it in
less than two hours.
Note from the above examples that Ive is the contracted form
of I have and Id is the contracted form of I had. It is also the
contracted form of I would:
If I hadnt had a good rest beforehand, Id never have completed
the five-mile swim.