Present simple: 'have got'

Do you know how to use have and have got? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we use have/has got.

I've got a big family.
We haven't got a garden.
Have you got any pets?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1: Grammar A1-A2: 'have got': 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

We use I/you/we/they + have got or he/she/it + has got to talk about things that we have.

In many situations, have and have got mean the same thing. Have got is a little less formal than have. We often use have got more in speaking and have more in writing.

They have got a big garden. = They have a big garden.
She has got a good job. = She has a good job.

We can use have/has got to talk about appearance, family and friends or possessions. We often contract the verb, especially when we're speaking.

I have got brown hair. = I've got brown hair.
My sister has got long hair. = My sister's got long hair.
He has not got many friends. = He hasn't got many friends.
They have got a new car. = They've got a new car.

We can also use have/has got for timetabled events, illnesses or abstract things.

They've got basketball practice this evening.
He's got a terrible cold.
I've got a good idea!

Affirmative

I you we they	have got	've got
he she it	has got	's got

Negative

For negatives, use not after have/has. We can contract negatives.

We have not got any pets. = We haven't got any pets.
She has not got a brother. = She hasn't got a brother.

I you we they	have not got	haven't got
he she it	has not got	hasn't got

Questions

To make questions, use have/has + subject + got.

Have you got a big house?
How many rooms has it got?

Subject pronoun	yes/no question	Question with question word, e.g. what, who, how many, etc.
I you we they	Have (we) got (time)?	What have (you) got?
he she it	Has (she) got (a car)?	What has (he) got?

Short answers

For yes/no questions, we can use short answers.

Have you got a new job? No, I haven't.
Has she got a meeting this morning? Yes, she has.

Yes, I/you/we/they have.	No, I/you/we/they haven't.
Yes, he/she/it has.	No, he/she/it hasn't.

Have/has got is only used in the present tense. For the past, use had without got.

~~I had got a red bike when I was young.~~
I had a red bike when I was young.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2: Grammar A1-A2: 'have got': 2

Language level

A2 Pre-intermediate

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Hello thank you for this helpful lesson

I want to ask if it’s correct to say :

-I used to have a lot of pets however, i have not got any pets since i moved to Saudi Arabia.

-I have got an evening shift today

Hello MalakEssa,

Yes, those are both correct -- well done!

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Regarding question 8, ---- he got a new phone?

I thought does is the correct answer, cause has is the main verb in the sentence, but I surprised that they used has to ask ? so where is the main verb? and how can we ask using the main verb in the sentence.

and regarding question 7, what's the difference between the I've and I have ?

Hi iman1,

In question 8, actually "got" is the main verb in the sentence, not "has". "Has" is the auxiliary verb. "Got" is the past participle of "get".

"Does" is used with verbs in the base form, e.g. "get" in this example: Does he get a taxi every day? But, this is not the same meaning as "have got", which shows possession.

In question 7, I've and I have mean the same thing, but to respond to a question, only the long form is used. (This is also true with other verbs, e.g. We can say Yes, I am or Yes, she is but not Yes, I'm or Yes, she's.)

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Hello, guys I've got any issue with the test of this web because I don't understand what is it the point of that exercise due to they don't tell me which lesson I'll need to focus on all my attention.

Hello moiss02,

The test on the site is provided purely for indicative purposes, as the descriptions says:

This online level test will give you an approximate indication of the English level you are working towards or completing. You can use the result to help you find learning materials on our website that is appropriate for your English language ability.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/online-english-level-test

The goal is to give you some guidance as to which materials might be most useful to you, not to analyse your specific strengths and weaknesses as a learner. This would require a much more in-depth assessment than we can provide in a free online quiz.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi,
I see two sentences in two dictionaries ''Have you any suggestions ?'' in Longman dictionary and ''Do you have any suggestions ?'' in Oxford dictionary. What is the difference between them ?

Hello Susan.,

There is no difference in meaning. Normally we use the auxiliary 'do' to make questions with 'have' and use inversion when 'have' is part of a verb phrase with more than one part, such as 'have got', for example. Inversion with 'have' as the main/only verb is unusual and sounds quite formal and even old-fashioned.