eng5-2.2· Unit 2: My World· ~13 min

have got

have got / has got for possession.

We use 'have got' to talk about possession — things we own or things that belong to us. Use 'have got' with I, you, we, and they: 'I have got a red bag.' 'They have got a dog.' Use 'has got' with he, she, and it: 'She has got blue eyes.' 'It has got a long tail.' In speaking and informal writing we almost always contract: 'I've got', 'you've got', 'he's got', 'she's got', 'we've got', 'they've got'. To make the negative, add 'not' after 'have' or 'has': 'I haven't got a bike.' 'He hasn't got a pen.' For yes/no questions, move 'have' or 'has' before the subject: 'Have you got a pencil?' — 'Yes, I have.' / 'No, I haven't.' 'Has she got a sister?' — 'Yes, she has.' / 'No, she hasn't.' Short answers always use 'have' or 'has' alone — never use 'got' in the short answer. For example: 'Has your cat got a collar?' — 'Yes, it has.'

Key terms

have got — The form used with I, you, we, and they to show possession: 'I have got a bag.'
has got — The form used with he, she, and it to show possession: 'She has got a dog.'
contraction — A short form of two words joined with an apostrophe: 'I have got' → 'I've got'.
negative — A sentence that says something does NOT exist or belong: 'He hasn't got a pen.'
short answer — A brief yes/no reply that uses only have/has or haven't/hasn't — never 'got': 'Yes, I have.'
possession — When something belongs to you or is part of you: 'She has got blue eyes.'
have got — Affirmative (positive) forms
SubjectFull formContractionExample
II have gotI've gotI've got a red bag.
youyou have gotyou've gotYou've got a pencil.
hehe has gothe's gotHe's got a new bike.
sheshe has gotshe's gotShe's got blue eyes.
itit has gotit's gotIt's got a long tail.
wewe have gotwe've gotWe've got a big house.
theythey have gotthey've gotThey've got two cats.

Use 'have got' with I/you/we/they. Use 'has got' with he/she/it.

have got — Negative and Question forms
Subject groupNegativeQuestionShort answer (Yes)Short answer (No)
I / you / we / theyhaven't gotHave … got …?Yes, I/you/we/they have.No, I/you/we/they haven't.
he / she / ithasn't gotHas … got …?Yes, he/she/it has.No, he/she/it hasn't.

Short answers NEVER include 'got'. Just say 'Yes, I have.' or 'No, she hasn't.'

Contractions quick reference
Full formContractionExample sentence
I have gotI've gotI've got a ruler.
you have gotyou've gotYou've got a nice bag.
he has gothe's gotHe's got a green pen.
she has gotshe's gotShe's got a yellow hat.
we have gotwe've gotWe've got a garden.
they have gotthey've gotThey've got a dog.
I have not gotI haven't gotI haven't got a bike.
she has not gotshe hasn't gotShe hasn't got a ruler.

Note: 'she've got' is NOT correct. 'She' always contracts with 'has' → she's got.

✎Building a question with 'have got' (step by step)
  1. 1Step 1: identify the subject: Ali → he (third-person singular)
  2. 2Step 2: choose Have or Has: He → use 'Has'
  3. 3Step 3: move Has to the front: 'Has Ali got a pet?' (Has + subject + got + object + ?)
  4. 4Step 4: give a short answer: Yes → 'Yes, he has.' No → 'No, he hasn't.' Never say 'Yes, he has got.'
✎Changing a positive sentence to a negative
  1. 1Step 1: start with the positive: 'My parents have got a big house.'
  2. 2Step 2: check the subject: 'My parents' = they → use 'haven't' (NOT 'hasn't')
  3. 3Step 3: write the negative: 'My parents haven't got a big house.'
  4. 4Step 4: check — do NOT use 'don't' or 'doesn't': 'My parents don't got …' is WRONG. Only 'haven't got' is correct here.
🚫Common mistake

Do NOT use 'has got' with I, you, we, or they. A very common mistake: 'I has got a bag.' The correct form is 'I have got a bag.' Only he, she, and it take 'has got'.

🚫Common mistake

Short answers NEVER include 'got'. Do NOT say 'Yes, I have got.' The correct short answer is simply 'Yes, I have.' (or 'No, I haven't.')

🚫Common mistake

Do NOT use 'don't' or 'doesn't' with 'have got'. 'I don't got a bike' and 'She doesn't got a ruler' are both wrong. Use 'haven't got' and 'hasn't got' instead.

💡Note

The contraction 'she's got' can look like 'she is'. Context tells you which one it is: 'She's got a bag.' = She HAS got a bag (possession). Always check whether it means 'is' or 'has'.

⚠️Caution

'Got' alone cannot show possession in this structure. Saying 'They got two cats.' (without 'have') is incorrect in this 'have got' pattern. You always need 'have' or 'has' before 'got'.

Rules

  1. 1Use 'have got' with I / you / we / they: 'We have got a big house.'
  2. 2Use 'has got' with he / she / it: 'He has got a new bag.'
  3. 3Negative: haven't got (I/you/we/they) or hasn't got (he/she/it): 'She hasn't got a ruler.'
  4. 4Questions: put Have/Has before the subject: 'Have you got a pet?' / 'Has he got a phone?'
  5. 5Short answers use only have/has or haven't/hasn't — never add 'got': 'Yes, I have.' / 'No, she hasn't.'

Practice

10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard

10 random questions per test

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