Have got— A1 Grammar Exercises

"Have you got a pen?" "Yes, I've got two." This is how British English asks about possession. Have got means the same as have, but it's used in slightly different situations and follows a different pattern for negatives and questions.

Use have got to talk about possession, family, physical features, and illnesses. The form is have / has + got + noun, and it's much more common in British English than in American English.

Form: how to make sentences with have got

The structure has three parts: a form of have (or has), the word got, and the thing you possess.

Use have with I, you, we, they and has with he, she, it, exactly like in have vs has. If you need to review which pronoun goes with which form, check the subject pronouns page first.

Positive, negative, and question

Short forms (contractions)

In speaking and informal writing, we almost always use short forms. 've got and 's got are the most natural-sounding versions.

When to use have got

Have got is used for things that belong to you or describe you in some way. The most common situations are below.

Possession (things you own)

• I've got a new phone.
• They've got a big house in the country.
• Sara hasn't got a bike.

Family and relationships

• I've got two sisters and one brother.
• She's got three children.
• Have you got any cousins in London?

Physical features and appearance

• Tom's got brown eyes.
• My grandmother has got long grey hair.
• The cat's got white paws.

Illnesses and minor problems

• I've got a headache.
• She's got a cold.
• He's got a problem with his car.

Quantities and time

• We've got ten minutes before the train leaves.
• I've got a lot of work today.
• Have you got any milk?

For some and any in possession sentences, see countable and uncountable nouns (A2).

Have got vs have: the key comparison

This is the most important point on the page. Have got and have mean exactly the same thing for possession, but they form negatives and questions differently.

British English vs American English

Have got is much more common in British English. American English usually uses have by itself.

Cases where plain have is preferred

Have got works for possession, family, features, illness, and similar "static" situations. For actions and activities, you need plain have.

Tense note: have got is present only

This is one of the most useful things to know about have got: it only works in the present. For the past or the future, you switch to plain have.

Common mistakes

Quick checklist

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between have and have got?

Have and have got mean the same thing for possession (I have a car = I've got a car), but they form negatives and questions differently. Have got uses have/has as the auxiliary (Have you got a car? / I haven't got a car), while plain have uses do/does (Do you have a car? / I don't have a car). Have got is more common in British English; have by itself is more common in American English.

Is have got British or American English?

Have got is much more common in British English, while American English usually prefers plain have. A British speaker is likely to say I've got two brothers; an American speaker is more likely to say I have two brothers. Both versions are grammatically correct everywhere; Americans understand have got, and Brits understand plain have. The difference is about which sounds more natural in each region.

Can you use have got in the past tense?

No. Have got is only used in the present tense. For the past, use had by itself: I had a bike when I was ten, not I had got a bike when I was ten. For the future, use will have: I'll have a new laptop next month. The form had got does exist in English, but it's the past perfect of get (= had received), not the past of possession.

What is the short form of have got?

The short forms are 've got (for I, you, we, they) and 's got (for he, she, it). So I've got a sister, You've got mail, She's got blue eyes, It's got four wheels. The negative short forms are haven't got and hasn't got. In speaking, the short forms are much more common than the full forms.

How do you make a question with have got?

Put have or has before the subject, then add got and the noun:

• Have you got a pen?
• Has she got any sisters?
• Have they got a car?

Don't use do or does; that's only for plain have. The correct short answers are Yes, I have / No, I haven't, not Yes, I do / No, I don't.

Can you say I've got to or I have got to?

Yes, but it means something different. Have got to (often shortened to 've got to or gotta in speech) means must or need to: I've got to leave now = I must leave now. This is a separate use you'll meet at A2/B1 with modal verbs of obligation. The have got on this page is just for possession; there's no to after it.

Related topics

• Have vs has: when to use have and when to use has.
• The verb to be: for descriptions with adjectives (he is tall, not he's got tall).
• There is / there are: another way to talk about what exists or what people have.