subject + have/has + got + nounUse have with I/you/we/they and has with he/she/it. Keep got before the noun.
Have Got
A1Use have got / has got to talk about possession and relationships. Build negatives with haven't/hasn't got and questions with Have/Has + subject + got.
What you'll learn
- Use have got with I, you, we, and they.
- Use has got with he, she, and it.
- Build negatives with haven't got and hasn't got.
- Ask yes/no questions with Have/Has + subject + got.
- Give short answers with have, has, haven't, and hasn't.
- Recognize common nouns that go with have got.
Structure
subject + have/has + not + got + nounNegative have got keeps got in the sentence: haven't got / hasn't got.
Have/Has + subject + got + noun + ?Start with Have or Has, then the subject, then got.
Yes, subject + have/has. / No, subject + haven't/hasn't.Short answers use only the auxiliary. Do not add got.
Build a sentence
Subject
Noun phrase
Shehasgota car
She has got a car.
Use has got with he, she, it.
When to use
Possession
Talk about things people own or carry: Anna has got a laptop. We have got tickets for tonight.
Family and friends
Talk about relatives and social connections: Tom has got two sisters. Maria has got a lot of friends.
Body and health
Talk about body parts and common health problems: Lisa has got blue eyes. I have got a headache.
Markers
a cara phonea brotherchildrenblue eyesa headache
In contrast
vs have-main-verb
Have got talks about possession and relationships. Main verb have is broader and also appears in actions like have breakfast or have a shower.
vs semi-modal-have-got-to
Have got can mean possession. Have got to is different: it talks about necessity, not what someone owns or has in life.
Common mistakes
Wrong
They has got a new apartment.
Correct
They have got a new apartment.
With they, use have got, not has got.
Wrong
She have got two brothers.
Correct
She has got two brothers.
With he, she, and it, use has got.
Wrong
I haven't any cash.
Correct
I haven't got any cash.
In this pattern, keep got after haven't / hasn't.
Wrong
Have they any children?
Correct
Have they got any children?
In have got questions, keep got after the subject.
Wrong
Yes, she has got.
Correct
Yes, she has.
Short answers use only have / has, not got.
Common misconceptions
❝ If I use have got, I can drop got whenever I want. ❞
In this pattern, got stays in affirmatives, negatives, and questions: has got, hasn't got, Has she got...?
❝ Because got is in the question, it must be in the short answer too. ❞
Short answers keep only the auxiliary: Yes, I have. No, he hasn't.
Skills in this rule (8)
USE_HAVE_GOT_FOR_POSSESSIONw5Use have got to talk about possession
Use have got / has got when you say that someone owns, carries, or has something as part of their life. It is common with things, body parts, and personal items.
HAVE_FOR_I_YOU_WE_THEYw5Use have got with I, you, we, and they
With I, you, we, and they, use have got in affirmative sentences. Keep got after have.
HAS_FOR_HE_SHE_ITw5Use has got with he, she, and it
With he, she, and it, use has got in affirmative sentences. This pattern is used for people, animals, and singular things.
NEGATIVE_HAVE_NOT_GOTw5Build negatives with have not got and has not got
Use have not got with I, you, we, they and has not got with he, she, it. Keep got in the sentence.
QUESTION_HAVE_HAS_SUBJECT_GOTw5Ask questions with Have/Has + subject + got
Start the question with Have or Has, then put the subject, then got. Use Have with I, you, we, they and Has with he, she, it.
SHORT_ANSWERS_WITH_HAVE_HASw3Give short answers with have, has, haven't, and hasn't
Answer with the matching auxiliary from the question: Yes, I have. No, she hasn't. Do not repeat got in the short answer.
USE_HAVE_GOT_FOR_RELATIONSHIPSw4Use have got to talk about family and relationships
Use have got / has got for relatives and social connections: sisters, friends, children, a partner. It answers the question of who is in someone's life.
PICK_COMMON_NOUNS_WITH_HAVE_GOTw3Recognize common nouns used with have got
Words like car, phone, brother, blue eyes, and headache often appear with have got. These nouns point to possession, family, body, or personal situations.