(to have) in the present tense. The rule for their use is simple, however, beginners often have difficulties with these words.

Has or Have – a rule of three simple points

Rule of use has/have following:

• Has used with third person singular pronouns he, she, it, For example:

He has a bike. - He has a bike.

She has a sister. - She has a sister.

This is a tree. It has many branches. - This is a tree. It has many branches.

• Has also used with any, which can be replaced by the noun he, she, it. This can be almost any part of speech, but most often:

John has a kangaroo. – John has a kangaroo.

Swimming has become a popular sport. – Swimming has become a popular sport.

The noun “John” can be replaced with he, “swimming” with it.

• Have used with all other pronouns in the singular and plural: I, you, we, they.

I have a strange feeling. – I have a strange feeling.

You have no choice. – You have no choice.

We have two dollars. - We have two dollars.

They have reliable friends. – They have reliable friends

In other words, we see “He, She, It”, or a word that can be replaced with them, we put has, with other words – have.

Common mistakes in using Has and Have

1. Has in the past tense

Has and have These are forms of the verb in the present tense. In the past tense, the verb to have has only one form - had. In the past tense has is not used under any circumstances:

Right:

We had a lot of work. Helen had no work at all. – We had a lot of work. Helen had no work at all.

Wrong:

We had a lot of work. Helen has no work at all.

In the second, incorrect, option due to has the meaning changes: “Helen has no job at all (now).”

2. Has in the future tense

The same goes for the future tense: in the future tense, the verb to have has the form will have. In the future tense, has is not needed under any circumstances.

• Right:

He will have enough time for rest. - He will have enough time to rest.

• Wrong:

He will have will have enough time for rest.

3. Has and Have after names of people, names of cities, places

Beginners often get confused when these verb forms are used with proper nouns. The fact is that textbooks often give examples with people’s names, for example:

Maria has two sons. – Maria has two sons.

A habit may arise that after any proper name you need verb has, but this, of course, is not so. If the subject can be replaced with he, she, it, then we put has, in other cases (that is, if this word is plural) – have.

The Bahamas have changed a lot. – The Bahamas has changed a lot.

The Johnsons have two sons. – The Johnsons (the Johnson couple) have two sons.

Maria and John have two sons. – Mary and John have two sons

In the last example, the subject is expressed by the words “Maria and John”, that is, we are talking about the plural (two people).

4. Has after nouns like “people”: People have or People has?

Some nouns may look like a singular noun but have the meaning . In this case, when choosing between has / have, you need to be guided by the meaning of the word, not the form.

Let's compare two examples:

Some people have thirty three teeth – Some people have thirty-three teeth.

My people has more honor than yours. “My people have more honor than yours.”

In the first case, “people” means “people” and has a plural meaning, therefore “people have”. In the second case, “people” means “people”, has a singular meaning, therefore “has”.

5. Have and Has in negations: He doesn’t has or He doesn’t have?

Common mistake - use has in a negative sentence with the auxiliary verb to do, that is, in negatives where there is “do not / don’t”, “does not / doesn’t”.

The rule is simple: after the negation don’t or doesn’t we always use the form have, even if the subject is he, she or it. “Doesn’t has” is basically an impossible combination.

I don't have any small change. – I don’t have any change.

He doesn't have any place to live. - He has nowhere to live.

The point is that in such negative sentences in the presence of a subject expressed by the pronouns he, she, it or other words in the third person singular, the verb to do takes the corresponding form- it turns into does, so turning have into has is kind of redundant.

6. Have and Has in the questions: Does he has or Does he have?

The same rule applies to interrogative sentences constructed using to do, that is, questions like “Do you have?”, “Does he have?”

These questions use does if the subject is expressed by the pronouns he, she, it, or any other word that can be replaced by one of these pronouns. Moreover, if the verb to have is present in the question, it is used only in the form have.

Rule: in questions with “do” or “does” we always use the have form, even if the subject is he, she or it. “Does he has” is a basically impossible combination.

Do you have a minute? - Do you have a minute?

Does he have a minute? – Does he have a minute?

This article will focus on verbs have got and has got, have and has, as well as the difference between them.

How to translate have got and has got?

Have got / has got - these are forms of the same verb. They are translated into Russian in the same way - have. Moreover, have got and has got in English language are used much more often than the verb "to have" in Russian. The fact is that instead of saying “I have...” the English always say “I have.” For example, if you decide to brag that you have a car, then you would say:

I have got a car.
Literally this will be translated as “I have a car.”

You have good idea? Use have got and say:

I have got a good idea!

When is have got used and when has got?

There is a very simple rule about this. Have got, has got - these are two forms of one verb. Have got is replaced by has got in one of the following cases:

1) In the third person singular. Third person is when the subject is one of the following pronouns: he (in English - he), she (she), it (it).

2) When any singular noun is used as the subject.

He has got a good job.
He has a job. (3rd person singular - use has got)

This car has 6 wheels.
This car has 6 wheels. (Singular noun - has got)

I have got many friends.
I have a lot of friends. (1st person singular - have got)

They have got a lot of money.
They have a lot of money. (3rd person, but plural - have got)

Are have and have got the same thing?

Have and have got are translated the same way. Have got is used mainly by the British, and only in colloquial speech. We can say that we have got it colloquial form verb have. However, there are some situations in which have cannot be replaced by have got.

If you don’t want to remember these exceptions, then you can simply forget about have got, and in all suitable situations make do with the verb have. This way you will never make a mistake.

It is worth mentioning that the verb have can play English sentence different roles. It can be an auxiliary verb or a modal verb. You can read about all the meanings of the verb to have in the article “The verb to have in English”.

When should you not use have got instead of have?

This cannot be done in one of the following cases:

• In past and future tense. Have got you must use only in the present tense.
• In letters and official documents. Have got is intended for colloquial use only.
• In some set expressions that are formed only with the help of the verb have:

Interrogative and negative sentences with have got.

Please note that have got and have are put differently in the interrogative and negative form. For example, I say that I have no problems:

I haven't got any problems.
I don't have any problems.

The example shows that have requires auxiliary verb do, but have got - does not require. Questions follow a similar rule:

Do you have problems?
Have you got problems?

Design have got very popular in English. However, this expression is exclusively colloquial, so its shortened form is mostly found:

• have got → 've got;
• has got → 's got.

In formal written and spoken language have got not used.

This expression has three tasks in English, and each of them has its own characteristics. In this article we invite you to familiarize yourself with three meanings have got and learn some interesting set expressions in which this construction is used.

3 functions have got

1. Have got = to have

Design have got used to show that a person or thing has something or possesses something. This is the basic meaning of this expression.

We use have got:

• When we describe people, animals or objects.
  

  She 's got a soft voice. – She has a soft voice.

  Lion 's got a thick mane. – Lions have thick manes.

  Flamingo has got a long beak. - Flamingos have a long beak.

  This table has got only three legs. This table has only three legs.

• When we show that a person has something or belongs to him.
  

  He 's got a country house. - He has a country house.

  She 's got a new edition of this dictionary. – She has a new edition of this dictionary.

  He 's got a problem. - He has a problem.

  I 've got a brilliant idea. – I have a brilliant idea.

• When we talk about relationships with people and relatives.
  

  She 's got many friends. - She has a lot of friends.

  He 's got a girlfriend. - He has a girlfriend.

  I 've got three brothers. - I have three brothers.

  He 's got strained relations with his father. – He has a strained relationship with his father.

• When we tell what a person is sick with or what hurts them.
  

  I 've got a headache. - I have a headache.

  Melanie 's got a temperature. – Melanie has a fever.

  She 's got a cold - She has a cold.

  They 've got chickenpox. - They have chickenpox.

In this meaning have got is a synonym for the verb to have(have). But it has some limitations. For example, in interrogative and negative sentences with have got you don't need to use an auxiliary verb:

Have	Have got	Translation
I have a raccoon and a fox.	I have got a raccoon and a fox.	I have a raccoon and a fox.
I don't have a raccoon and a fox.	I have not got a raccoon and a fox.	I don't have a raccoon or a fox.
Do you have a raccoon and a fox?	Have you got a raccoon and a fox?	Do you have a raccoon and a fox?

Design have got shows status so it is not used in group times Continuous instead of to have. Also, this function does not involve the use have got in the past or future tense.

note that have got cannot be used in set expressions that use a verb have (have breakfast/lunch/dinner, to have a shower/bath, to have a good time), otherwise these expressions will radically change their meaning. Native speakers don't usually say that.

2. Have got = to get, to receive

Design have got used when we say that we will receive something. In this case it is a synonym for verbs to get, to receive(get). Here have got can be used in all tenses: present, past and future.

She 's got her new sunglasses by mail. She received her new glasses by mail.

A child had got a bump when he fell of the tree. – The child got a bump when he fell from a tree.

Andy had got good news. Andy got good news.

I will have got an answer in a week. – I will receive an answer in a week.

3. Have got to = have to

In the third meaning have got is a synonym. Like have to, have got shows an obligation to do something. There is no difference between them, but have got more emotionally charged than have to, therefore expresses obligation more strongly. Usually we highlight have got in speech by voice.

I 've got to get up early tomorrow. I have a lot of things to do. - I must get up early tomorrow. I have a lot to do.

Pam 's got to get to the bank before 9 or she’ll be late for work. – Pam must get to the bank before 9 or she'll be late for work.

You 've got to take this road or you'll be stuck in a traffic jam. - You must take this road or you'll get stuck in traffic.

We can't wait any longer. You 've got to be there in 5 minutes. - We can't wait any longer. You must be here in five minutes.

In the meaning of a modal verb have got to cannot be used in the past or future tense. In this case should only be used have to (had to, will have to).

We can't wait any longer. You had to be here 5 minutes ago. - We can't wait any longer. You must was here 5 minutes ago.

Watch the video with the teacher Alex. It will tell you about the functions have got in English and will tell a few more interesting features this design.

English idioms with have got construction

1. I've got it! - I understand!
   

   First you must stop the car and then switch off the engine. Have you got it? – First you must stop the car, and then turn off the engine. Do you understand?

2. Have got it made- life is good.
   

   He is only 25, but he has his own business. He's got it made. – He’s only 25, but he already has own business. Life is good.

3. Have got it bad- fall head over heels in love.
   

   He saw her just once but he 's got it bad. “He only saw her once, but fell head over heels in love.

4. Have got only yourself to blame- blame only yourself for something.
   

   You overslept and missed the train. You 've got only yourself to blame. - You overslept and missed the train. You you only have yourself to blame for this.

5. Have got eyes like a hawk- have a diamond eye, a keen eye.
   

   He managed to find a needle in a haystack. He 's got eyes like a hawk! – He managed to find a needle in a haystack. Very sharp eye!

6. Have got a hand in something- to have a hand in something, to participate in something.
   

   It looks like she 's got a hand in planning the party. - It looks like she put her hand to planning a party.

7. Have got something on somebody- to have something on someone, to have dirt on someone.
   

   She promised to ruin my life but she 's got nothing on me. “She promised to ruin my life, but she there's nothing on me.

Have got is a very useful construction in the English language, as it is often used in live oral speech. With its help, you can build simple and understandable sentences, and interesting idioms will help you diversify your speech even more. Take the test to learn how to use the expression have got in English.

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Test

3 meanings of have got in English

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Verb have/has and verb have got/has got translated into Russian as having or possessing. Often these verbs are used interchangeably. But there are cases in which replacing the “shade” and grammatical aspect is simply not possible. It is these cases that we will consider in this article and fully understand the issue of using the verb have got and has got.

In what cases do have/has and have got/has got replace each other?

1. When we're talking about about something belonging to someone.

I have (have got) an interesting book.I have an interesting book.

He has (has got) a work. He has a job.

She has (has got) a lot of money.She has a lot of money.

2. When we describe appearance.

She has (has got) blue eyes. She has blue eyes.

I have (have got) slim body. I have a slim body.

3. When the conversation is about relationships and family.

We have (have got) a friendly family.We have a friendly family.

I have (have got) a sister. I have a sister.

4. When the topic of diseases came up.

He has (has got) a back pain. His back hurts.

I have (have got) a toothache.I have a toothache.

In what cases can you use only have/has?

When the action takes place in the Present Continuous. The verb have got/has got cannot be used in this tense.

I am having a swim now. I'm swimming now.

They are having watch TV at the moment.They are watching TV at the moment.

Using a verb in the past tense

In the past tense, the verbs have/has, have got/has got are replaced by the verb had.

He has (has got) an apple. He has an apple. In present time.

He had an apple. He had an apple. In the past time.

How are verb abbreviations written in affirmation and negation?

The verbs have/has have no contractions. Have got/Has got, on the contrary, they are very often used in abbreviated form. In the table below you can see their abbreviations in detail.

Statement			Negative Sentence
I we you they	have	have got 've got	I we you they	don't have don't have	have not got haven't got
he she it	has	has got 's got	he she it	does not have doesn't have	has not got hasn't got

Questions and answers with verbs have/has, have got/has got

Remember the golden rule: if the question begins with have/has, then got is needed, if got is not used, then the question begins with the auxiliary verb do, does.

Have you a book? Do you have a book? It's wrong to say that.

Have you got a book? Do you have a book? Right!

Do you have a book? Do you have a book? Right!

have				have got
Do	I we you they	have?	Yes, I do No, I don't	Have	I we you they	got?	Yes, I have No, I haven't
Does	he she it		Yes, she does No, she doesn't	Has	he she it		Yes, she has No, she has not