Have and Have Got
They both
mean the same, but have got is more informal. They are used interchangeably to
talk about possession, relationships, illnesses, and characteristics of people
or things.
I have a
dog. More formal
I’ve got a
dog.
❗Note that have got is NOT the present perfect of get.
Have is more common for American English, whereas have got is more used in British English.
In informal speech we often switch from one form to the other:
— How many sisters do you have?
— How many sisters do you have?
— I’ve got three (sisters).
👆One more
usage of have got: it sometimes refers to responsibility (“I’ve got to”).
It means
exactly the same as “I have to” – obligation, but “I’ve got to” has a little
bit more emphasis, it’s more emphatic.
I’ve got to
go to work.
She’s got
to leave soon.
Have and have got have different auxiliary verbs. 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.
Do you have
a dog? More formal
Have you
got a dog?
How many
dogs do you have? More formal
How many
dogs have you got?
Note the
way in which we form short answers and question tags with have
got and have:
— Have you
got a sore throat?
— No, I haven’t.
— But you’ve got a high temperature, haven’t you?
— Yes, I have.
— No, I haven’t.
— But you’ve got a high temperature, haven’t you?
— Yes, I have.
— Does this
music school have enough pianos?
— No, it doesn’t.
— But you have enough opportunities to practise, don’t you?
— No, we don’t.
— No, it doesn’t.
— But you have enough opportunities to practise, don’t you?
— No, we don’t.
We use have
got only in the present tense. For future and past tenses we use different
forms of have, not have got. Compare the following:
— Have you
got tickets for the match on Saturday?
— No, I haven’t. Not yet.
— Will you have them by tomorrow?
— I hope so.
— No, I haven’t. Not yet.
— Will you have them by tomorrow?
— I hope so.
— Have you
still got a bad headache?
— Yes, I have.
— How long have you had it?
— I’ve had it on and off since yesterday.
— Did you have it at the concert last night?
— Yes, I did. I couldn’t concentrate on the music properly.
— Yes, I have.
— How long have you had it?
— I’ve had it on and off since yesterday.
— Did you have it at the concert last night?
— Yes, I did. I couldn’t concentrate on the music properly.
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