Have / have got

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Have / have got
Message from littletree posted on 09-06-2013 at 11:52:17 (D | E | F)
Hello,

Can you tell me what the difference between "have" and "have got" is?
For example, which is the correct form "I have got two brothers" or "I have two brothers" ?
Thanks a lot.

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Edited by lucile83 on 09-06-2013 12:30

Re: Have / have got from komiks, posted on 09-06-2013 at 12:21:42 (D | E)
Hello,
The 2 sentences are correct.
Here is a link about HAVE (GOT) : Link
Have a nice day

Re: Have / have got from violet91, posted on 09-06-2013 at 13:59:38 (D | E)
Hello and have a nice Sunday !

Il est vrai que dans la vie courante , on emploie en GB plus souvent ' have got ' que ' have ' qui , lui, a un sens quasi définitif de possession( = to own, to possess ) ou 'd'absorption' en soi ( = to drink, eat,wash ...; have a drink, a meal, a lesson ... ) en généralité . Le nombre évoqué ou non , la situation sont a priori figés.
Ces gens (d'âge mûr) ont deux enfants et des conditions de vie fort agréables : these people I know (and they are middle-aged) have two children , a big house with a garden in a nice suburb of London and quite a pleasant life .
She has big blue eyes. This bathroom has a jaccuzzi .
Do you have long weekends now and then ?

'To have got ' recouvre mieux le temporaire : les nombres et situations peuvent changer .
You are at school and having a talk with schoolfellows : - Have you got any brothers or sisters ? Have you got a pet ?
- or you are describing yourself to a penfriend :
- I have got long hair but soon I'll have it cut .
Il est vrai aussi que dans la langue parlée , vous entendrez plus facilement ' have got' ; pourtant , lexicalement , ils ne sont pas interchangeables .
M'avez vous comprise ? Have you got me ? ( vous avez saisi?)

Re: Have / have got from jxbrown, posted on 14-06-2013 at 14:53:35 (D | E)
Hello,

"Have" and "have got" plus an infinitive can be used to imply necessity (devoir):
I have to go (je dois partir)
I have got to go (plus emphatique)
Je suis américaine et d'habitude je dis "I've got a car" ou "I have a car" et jamais "I have got a car" ou "I've a car", mais les dernières phrases sont correctes.

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Edited by lucile83 on 14-06-2013 21:49

Re: Have / have got from traviskidd, posted on 14-06-2013 at 17:22:36 (D | E)
Hello.

"Have got" is a special structure (like "used to"), whose construction is similar to that of a present perfect. "Have got" means the same thing as "(do) have", but it can only be used in the present tense, and only to express possession or obligation/necessity. While there is no strict rule for when to use "have got" instead of "(do) have", the tendency is to use "have got" when, like with the present perfect, a reaction to the fact seems to be in order.

- I have a car. (A general fact: I own a car.)
- Now that I've got a car, I don't need to take taxis anymore! (The reaction to the new fact of having a car is the decision to no longer take taxis.)

- You've got ketchup on your face; here's a napkin
- Have you got a pencil I can use? Mine ran out of lead.
When used to express obligation or necessity, "have got" usually connotes a sense of urgency.
- To open the door, you have to turn the knob. (A general fact.)
- Please! You've got to help me! I need an ambulance! (An urgent plea.)
However, notwithstanding the tendency explained above, "have got" can always be replaced by "(do) have" (and vice versa, provided "have got" is valid in the first place).

See you.

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Edited by lucile83 on 14-06-2013 21:51

Re: Have / have got from gerondif, posted on 15-06-2013 at 10:45:54 (D | E)
Hello,
I hope littletree will come back and read all we have to say about have and have got!!

There are three verbs in fact:

1) to have, lexical verb, means to own, to possess.It expresses a state, not an action.
I have a car, I have a watch.
It works with the auxiliary do, does, did.
Do you have a car ? Yes, I do.
Did you have the time to help him ? No, I didn't.
It doesn't exist in the ing form: "I am having a watch " doesn't mean you possess one, it could mean that you are buying one, or eating one (action verbs)

2) to have, action verb, means to consume, to eat, to use, take part in....
It can then be used in the ing form:
I am having breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, supper, a sandwich, a beer, a shower, a bath, a good time, a bad time, a birthday party, a test,

I always have coffee for breakfast.
What do you have for breakfast ?
It is my round ! What are you having ? What will you have ?
I had a good time last night.

3) to get means originally to receive, to obtain, to find, to take, ....
I have got a cold = I have caught a cold
I have got a watch for my birthday = I have received a watch, I have been given a watch.

So, "I have got" being a present perfect implies as a present result that you "have" you "possess" the object that they "have given you" , the object that "you have got"

It is considered more colloquial and more British........

How many brothers and sisters have you got ?

so I would say "I've got two sisters" but "I have two sisters" is also correct.

4) Normally, "have you?" is impossible for a lexical verb, it must be "do you have" but I was surprised in Scotland to be asked "Have you the time?" which I find grammatically wrong.
"Have you got a pen ?" is of course correct as have is here the auxiliary verb for a present perfect tense.

5) As regards the notion of obligation we used to be taught that:

a) "I must watch this good film!" : personal obligation, I decide to do it myself.
"You must watch this good film!!" I give the order, I order that myself!

b) I have to revise for that test: Somebody else forces me to do it.
All men have to die! Not my choice, exterior obligation.

c) Oh no, I've got to go to this surprise meeting !
exterior obligation which moreover comes as a surprise !
Oh no! I've just broken my watch! I've got to go and buy a new one !

cf Gene Kelly, "singing in the rain" "Gotta dance!! " I have got to dance!"

b) and c) are often used with the same meaning.

Re: Have / have got from littletree, posted on 15-06-2013 at 13:43:46 (D | E)

Your explanations are very clear. Thank you very much.

Re: Have / have got from traviskidd, posted on 15-06-2013 at 16:01:17 (D | E)
Littletree: You're welcome.

Gerondif: A few things:

a) I've never heard "having" used to mean "buying". "Getting" perhaps, but not "having".
b) As I'm sure you know, "have got" is incorrect (although not unheard of) in American English as the present perfect of "get", whose correct form is "have gotten". "Have got" has no more to do with getting, than "used to" has to do with using.
c) Nowadays "must" is not commonly used to express obligation; it more often expresses the idea that something is forced; that there is no alternative. For example:
All persons entering the stadium must have a ticket. (There is no other choice; you cannot enter the stadium without a ticket.)
All good things must come to an end. (Sadly, it is a universal truth that cannot be prevented.)
If x is in A or B, and x is not in B, then x must be in A. (Given the conditions, it is impossible for x not to be in A.)

(Of course sometimes "must" is used somewhat figuratively, as in "Who opened the door? The dog must have (done it)." (I'm not completely sure, but I don't know anyone else who would have opened the door, so it was very likely the dog.))
Usually, obligation is expressed by "have (got) to" (or "need to"), regardless of who is imposing it.
I'm getting too fat; I have to stop eating so much!
Mind you, this is from an American point of view. Perhaps in Britain "must" is more common. (I can certainly imagine a genteel Brit saying "Oh, you absolutely must come over to my place for a spot of tea!" )
See you.

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Edited by lucile83 on 15-06-2013 17:51
We don't use pink on the forum any longer. You can highlight in blue instead.Thank you.

Re: Have / have got from gerondif, posted on 15-06-2013 at 17:33:08 (D | E)
Hello, Traviskidd
I agree with your a) buying was stretching it a bit from "what are you having , What are you ordering?
b) The point was not "have got" versus "I've gotten". I don't agree with your second part:I have got can be understood as a present perfect.

I don't agree with your c: "must" is not commonly used to express obligation" It depends on what you mean and what part of the world you live in. But mind you, your genteel Brit example sounds perfectly normal to me, maybe that's why !

What is funny is that I used to think that "I have a car" was British and "I've got a car" American, and our textbooks tell us that "I have" is American and "I've got" British !!

Re: Have / have got from catfisher92, posted on 18-06-2013 at 12:15:48 (D | E)
Hello,

When you mean possession you can use HAVE and HAVE GOT, interchangeably. But as far as I know HAVE GOT is used mostly in England.
But when we are talking about possession, we are not allowed to use HAVE GOT instead of HAVE.
For example To have a shower means TO take a shower but Have got a shower means that you have A SHOWER (the device) in your bathroom.

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Edited by lucile83 on 18-06-2013 15:44

Re: Have / have got from littletree, posted on 20-06-2013 at 20:29:09 (D | E)
Thank you so much for all the explanations.

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