What does ‘Have Got’ mean?

Have got is a common way to express possession in English. It means to own something, to have a relationship, or to have a particular characteristic.

It is very popular in everyday conversations. You will hear it often when native speakers talk about things they own or people in their family.

How do we form positive sentences with 'Have Got'?

To make a positive sentence with have got, we use the subject, then have o has, and then got.

• Para I, You, We, They, we use have got.
• Para He, She, It, we use has got.

We often use short forms in speaking and informal writing:

• I have got se convierte en I've got.
• He has got se convierte en He's got.

How do we form negative sentences with 'Have Got'?

To make a negative sentence, we add not entre have/has y got.

• Para I, You, We, They, we use have not got.
• Para He, She, It, we use has not got.

The short forms are very common:

• I have not got se convierte en I haven't got.
• He has not got se convierte en He hasn't got.

How do we ask questions with 'Have Got'?

Para hacer una pregunta, escribimos Have o Has before the subject.

• Have I got...?
• Has he got...?

For short answers, we use Yes, I have. o No, I haven't. (sin got).

When do we use 'Have Got'?

Utilizamos have got for several situations:

• Posesión: To say what you own.
• Relaciones: Hablar de la familia o de los amigos.
• Características: To describe what someone or something looks like.
• Enfermedades: To talk about health problems.

Recuerda que, have got is very similar to just have for these meanings. Both are correct, but have got is often preferred in informal English.

Ejemplos

• I've got a new phone.
• She has got two brothers.
• They haven't got much time.
• Have you got a pen?
• He's got blue eyes.
• We've got a big house.
• Has it got a long tail?
• I haven't got any money.

Práctica

Errores habituales de los hispanohablantes

Errores habituales de los hispanohablantes

Spanish speakers sometimes make specific mistakes when using have got because of differences with 'tener'.

• Uso de do/does con have got: In Spanish, you don't use an auxiliary verb like 'do' with 'tener'. However, with have got, have is already the auxiliary verb. So, do not use do o does for questions or negatives with have got.
• Incorrecto: Do you have got a car?
• Correcto: Have you got a car?
• Forgetting got: Aunque I have a car is correct, if you want to use the have got structure, remember to include got.
• Incorrecto: She has a new job? (if you mean has got)
• Correcto: Has she got a new job?

Preguntas más frecuentes

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre 'have' y 'have got' cuando se trata de la posesión?

For possession, have y have got mean the same thing. Have got is more common in informal, spoken British English. Have is more common in American English and formal contexts. Both are correct: I have a car. y I have got a car.

Can I use 'have got' for actions?

No, you cannot use have got for actions. For actions, you only use have. For example, you say I have breakfast every day. (action), not I have got breakfast every day.

¿'Have got' es una expresión formal o informal?

Have got is generally informal. It is very common in everyday conversation. For more formal writing or speaking, it is often better to use just have.

How do I make a short answer with 'have got'?

For short answers, you use Yes, I have. o No, I haven't. You do not include got in the short answer. For example: Have you got a pet? Yes, I have.

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