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
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
Is it possible to say "They haven't got good coffee here" without "any"?
or similiar sentences like "They' haven't got good food" instead of "They haven't got any good food"?
Hello Ismaelito,
Yes, those sentences are correct. We most often use negative sentences without quantifiers (such as 'any') when we want to be as general as possible. For example:
They haven't got any good coffee here - this may mean that they never have good coffee or that they just don't have any at the moment, such as when a shop has sold out of it.
They haven't got good coffee here - this means that they never have good coffee. It's just a bad cafe!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
thanks
Hi,
I want to ask about grammar test 2 no.1
My grandfather…got a white beard. The answer is a, which is ‘s. I think the answer is My grandfather has got a white beard. There’s no choice. Please explain the reason.
Thank you
Hello sephannielorent,
When 'has' or 'have' are used as auxiliary verbs they can be contracted:
He has got a beard > He's got a beard.
They have got the flu > They've got the flu.
Thus 's here means 'has'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear, sephannielorent
Actually you are rigth, even if the answer of the questionnaire is also correct.
as " 's got " is the contraction of " has got ".
then , " My grandfather's got a white beard " has the same meaning of " my grandfather has got a white beard.
best regards
I have a lot of free time because I don't have anything will do it so usually i waste my time in social media or games in addition I trying to better.
I hope i have free time like you to learn English..... i work in evening and back to my home for sleep until next day
Hi.
Can you explain about tag questions with have got?
you’ve got a brother, haven’t you?
Or don’t you? Which one’s correct?
Hello Lialia,
In British English we use haven't you to form this tag question. I think don't you can be used in certain dialects of US English, but I'm not sure, not being from the States myself.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team