Friday 27 April 2007

AAE Q49: 'have' or 'have got'

Hi,

'I have' or 'I have got'?
are they both grammatically correct?

Is the use of 'got' British English rather than American?

Thanks


Hi,

Have or have got are both correct when expressing possession in English:

Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn't got any friends.
He doesn't have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She's got a beautiful new home.

While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English (especially in spoken English) while most speakers of American English use have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.)

Note that we normally use the have got form only in the present tense.

Hope this answers your question

Matt

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