The rule is to write has got and have got. Has or Have? Rule and six common mistakes

English tenses can scare anyone. Therefore, we will study them in portions, so as not to bring chaos into our heads. Many, for example, are frightened by the “piles” of forms of the verbs “have”. What does this mean and why are there so many of them in sentences?

First of all, you need to understand that these are two different forms of the verb:

PRESENT PERFECT = HAVE / HAS + main verb (in past participle form)
PAST PERFECT = HAD + main verb (in past participle form)

In the first and second cases the main verb is have(as part of phrasal verbs or in its original meaning - “to have”). As we remember, the past participle formed from it is - had. Therefore, the designs have in both cases had. The past tense form of this verb is also had, and the Past Perfect with the verb have has this interesting form - had had .

Use have had

Used when an action began in the past and continues to the present:

She has had three children in the past five years. — She gave birth to three children in the last five years. (The first child appeared in the past, and at the moment there are already three.)

I'm not feeling well. I have had a headache all day. - I feel bad. I have a headache all day. (The pain started in the morning and continues to this day.)

The Present Perfect is also used when a specific moment of action in the past is not indicated:

He has had two surgeries on his back. — He had two operations on his back. (For the whole life.)

We have had some problems with our computer systems recently. — We recently encountered some problems with computer systems.

E-commerce has had significant economic impact on enterprises. - E-commerce has a significant economic impact on entrepreneurship. (From the first appearance to this day.)

Use of had had

We use Past Perfect when one event in the past happened before another event in the past:

Last weekend I just wanted to relax because I had had a busy week. — Last weekend I just wanted to relax because I had a very busy week.

We had some trouble with our washing machine, so we called a repairman. — We had problems with the washing machine, and we called a technician.

She woke up crying because she had a bad dream. — She woke up crying because she had a bad dream.

I had had my car for four years before I ever learned to drive it. — I bought a car four years before I learned to drive. (literally “I had the car for four years.”)

I had had a bath, but I didn’t feel clean, so I had a shower. — I took a bath, but didn’t feel clean, so I took a shower.

In colloquial speech had had can be reduced to 'd have(he’d had, I’d had), and have/has had- before ‘s (‘ve) had(I've had, you've had.)

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 it comes to 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	have?	Yes, she does No, she doesn't	Has	he she it	got?	Yes, she has No, she has not

In the present and past tenses, it can merge with the negative particle not, in which the letter o is dropped and an apostrophe is used instead.

Conjugation of the verb have in Present Tense

Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
I have (I've)	I have not (haven’t)	Have I?
you have (you've)	you have not (haven’t)	Have you?
he has (he's)	he has not (hasn’t)	Has he?
she has (she's)	she has not (hasn’t)	Has she?
it has (it's)	it has not (hasn’t)	Has it?
we have (we've)	we have not (haven’t)	Have we?
you have (you've)	you have not (haven’t)	Have you?
they have (they've)	they have not (haven’t)	Have they?

NOTE:

The British English language is characterized by the formation of interrogative and negative forms with this verb without the auxiliary verb do, if isolated cases (actions) are meant, and with the help of the auxiliary verb do, if we mean constant possession (presence). Moreover, in the present tense in the first case in colloquial speech the construction with the verb is more often used get.

For example:

Have you (got) time for a game of chess?
Do you (now) have time to play chess?

Have you (got) any brothers?
Do you have brothers?

For American English and variants characteristic of other English-speaking countries, the use of forms with the auxiliary verb do is in all cases preferable.

For example, where an American might say: Can you help me now? Do you have time?, the Englishman will say: Can you help me now? Have you got time?

In cases where the verb have is used without the auxiliary verb do, the negative form is formed using the negation not (in the short form haven’t) or the negation before the noun, which in this case is used without an article.

Have you (got) a sister? - Do You have a sister? -
No, I have not. No.
I have no sister. I have no sister.

In the 3rd person singular, the contractions for the verbs be and have are the same, i.e. ‘s.

She's a doctor. = She is a doctor.
She's a book. = She has a book.

Conjugation of the verb have in Past Tense

Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
I had (I'd)	I had not (hadn’t)	Had I?
you had (you’d)	you had not (hadn’t)	Had you?
he had (he'd)	he had not (hadn’t)	Had he?
she had (she'd)	she had not (hadn’t)	Had she?
it had	it had not (hadn’t)	Had it?
we had (we'd)	we had not (hadn’t)	Had we?
you had (you’d)	you had not (hadn’t)	Had you?
they had (they'd)	they had not (hadn’t)	Had they?

Use

The verb to have is used:

1. As an independent verb in the meaning of “to have”, “to possess”.

We have a summer cottage. We have a dacha.

As noted above, the meaning of “to have”, “to possess” in the British version is also conveyed by the combination have got.

I have(have got = I’ve got) an interesting book.
I have an interesting book.

Have did you get the latest newspaper? -
Do you have the latest issue of the newspaper (the latest newspaper)? -

No, I haven't got it.
No, I don't have one.

In the interrogative and negative forms, the auxiliary verb do is used to express ordinary actions (but not with the combination have got).

Do you have dinner at home?
Do you have lunch at home?

I don't have dinner at home very often.
I don't have lunch at home very often.

The interrogative and negative forms with the verb have meaning “to have” can be formed in two ways.

2. As an auxiliary verb in combination with Past Participle (3rd form of the main verb) to form the following tenses:

I have been in hospital. I was in the hospital.
Doesn't have dug the patch for potatoes. He dug up a plot for potatoes.
Have you heard the new rock-group? Have you listened to the new rock band?

3. As a modal verb in combination with an infinitive in the meaning of obligation, conditioned by circumstances (i.e., the need to perform an action, as required by conditions, circumstances, situation). The combination have to in such cases is translated must, need to, necessary, have to. In this meaning, the interrogative and negative forms are formed using the auxiliary verb do.

I have to go there. I must go there (i.e. I have to go there, I am forced to go there).
He has to take a bus to get to his office. He has to take a bus to his work.

In dialogues, the combinations have to/had to are often used independently, that is, the infinitive itself is omitted, but is implied.

Why do you put on your raincoat? - Why are you wearing a cloak? -
I have to. It looks like rain. I have to (put it on). It looks like it will rain.

Why do you wear spectacles? - Why do you wear glasses? -
I have to(wear them). I am short-sighted. I am forced (to wear them). I'm nearsighted.

I didn't want to stop but I had to(stop) as I needed petrol.
I didn't want to stop, but I had to because I ran out of gas (I needed gas).

4. The verb to have in combination with nouns forms a whole series of phraseological expressions that have the meaning of a verb.

to have a talk - talk
to have supper - have dinner
to have a smoke - smoke
to have lunch - have breakfast
to have a swim - swim
to have a bath - take a bath
to have a rest - relax
to have difficulties/troubles - encounter difficulties/troubles
to have a good holiday - have a good holiday/vacation
to have dinner - have lunch

The interrogative (if it is a general question or a question not directed to the subject) and negative forms with these expressions are formed using the auxiliary verb do.

When do you have supper? When do you have dinner?
Did you have breakfast? Did you have breakfast?

The verb to have in English is used as an independent, auxiliary and modal verb. Basic forms of the verb: have - had - had.

Today we will talk about different forms and functions of one strong English verb have (having). The rule for the formation and use of this verb is quite extensive, but at the same time simple. Once you carefully study the information, you will no longer have problems using it. The whole essence of the verb lies in its versatility. We will try to review each of the functions as easily as possible.

general characteristics

While studying English, we come across different variants of the verb we are interested in: had, has, have, having. The rules for using each of these forms are quite precise, so it is difficult to confuse them if you carefully study all the information. To begin with, we note that this verb can perform the following functions:

A semantic verb, which in translation means “to have”. He has a big house. He has a big house. It should be added that the translation into Russian may differ, since the option sounds more literary: He has a big house.
An auxiliary verb that serves to form different tense forms. In this case it is not translated. She has done it already. She's already done it. They are having dinner now. We are having lunch now.
Modal verb expressing obligation. He has to visit a doctor. He is forced to go to the doctor.

Depending on what function the verb performs, the form of the verb and how it behaves when forming interrogative and negative sentences are determined.

British and American versions

One of the simplest uses of this verb is its use as a semantic one. In this case we will be dealing with forms have And has, have got And has got. The rule for their application is quite simple:

In British English, the simple form "have" is used to express one-time possession of something. He has a nice toy. He has a beautiful toy. This means that he now has a toy in his hands.
When expressing possession of something on a permanent basis, the form with got. He has got a nice toy. In this case, the translation will sound unchanged: “ He has a beautiful toy”, but it is implied that this thing belongs to him permanently.

As we can see, the type of form does not critically affect the translation of sentences, so you can safely use any of them. The main thing is not to confuse how to form other types of sentences using these forms. When forming interrogative sentences, verbs behave as follows:

In the British version, this verb is perceived as strong, so it does not need any help when asking a question. Has he (got) a dog? He has a dog?
In the American version, the verb is used in pairs with auxiliary verbs do/does. Do you have a dog? You have a dog?

Which option you choose depends on your preference and where you live. It is recommended to communicate in the dialect of the language spoken in the area.

Features of forms in the present tense

It doesn't matter which form you choose: has or has got/have got, the rule of forming forms for different persons and numbers must be observed in any case. So, in the present tense this verb has the forms:

The same forms are used to form negative sentences.

He has not (hasn’t) any enemies.
He does not (doesn’t) have any enemies.

Past tense

Separately, it is necessary to note the past tense forms for the verb have (having). The rule of application is the same as in the present tense, that is, it is possible to use the British or American style. In this tense the verb has only one form - had, so you don’t need to choose, but when forming questions and negatives, you still have to think a little. For example, a sentence: He had a big pie. He had a big pie.

British version: Had he a big pie? Did he have a big pie?
American version: Did he have a big pie? Did he have a big pie?

So, you just need to choose what style you are going to communicate in and stick with that style throughout the conversation.

Have/having: rule of education

A very important function that this verb performs is the formation of different tense forms. This refers to the formation of such verb variants as have done/has done or have been, has been. The rule for the formation of tense formulas in which our verb is involved is:

Present perfect tense	have/has + Participle II	He has left the city. He left the city.
Past perfect tense	had + Participle II	They had done it by that time. By then they had done it.
Future perfect tense	will have + Participle II	I will have finished the work by the end of the week. I'll finish work by the end of the week.
Present continuous perfect tense	have/has been + Participle I	She has been working. She works.
Past continuous perfect tense	had been + Participle I	He had been reading. He read.
Future continuous perfect tense	will have been + Participle I	We will have been sitting. We will sit.

Present and past tense verb have perceived as a strong auxiliary, used to pose questions and negations to a sentence.

Has he left the city?
They hadn't done it yet.
Have you been reading?

In the future tense, this function is taken over by the verb will.

Will you have finished the work by the end of the week?
We will not have been sitting.

Modal verb have to

The rule for using this verb as a modal says that it is applicable as an expression of obligation, and the subject himself does not realize the need to perform an action, but this is caused by some circumstances. It is this connotation of compulsion that has made this form more commonly used lately. Translated into Russian, such a verb means “necessary, forced, must, had to,” etc.

He has to do it at once. He is forced to do it right away.

A distinctive feature of the modal form is that when forming a sentence, a particle is always paired with a verb to, which is placed before the infinitive of the main semantic verb expressing the action itself.

She has to leave now. She must leave now.

Also, when constructing an interrogative or negative sentence, the help of verbs is always used do/does.

Do they have to buy it? Should they buy it?
You don't have to read this book. You don't have to read this book.

Note that the forms of the modal verb are absolutely identical to the forms of the simple semantic “to have”.

In the past and future tenses, the same forms are used for all persons and numbers had to And will have to.

Phraseologisms

In the end, I would like to remind you that in combination with some words, our verb can lose its direct meaning and be translated completely differently. Most often in such cases, when asking questions and negatives, an auxiliary verb is used do/does/did.

She has lunch at 1. She has lunch at 1.
We had a talk after dinner. After dinner we talked.
Did you have a bath? Have you already shopped?
I didn't have a smoke yet. I haven't smoked yet.

As can be seen from the information presented, the use and interpretation of the verb will not cause difficulties if you carefully study all the rules. And, of course, we must not forget about practical training.

In this article we will look at verb have got / has got. In elementary school courses, it is given at the initial stage and causes many difficulties for students.

Before studying have got / has got, you need to remember personal pronouns in English.

How to translate?

It is translated into Russian as “to have, to possess something” and is used when we want to communicate that we have something and belong to us.

For example, the phrase ‘ I have got a cat’ we can literally translate – “ I have a cat“, but in Russian we don’t say that. We usually use the word "is": " I have a cat».

It should be noted that English pronouns do not change by case. This means that the Russian “I have” corresponds to the English “I” (“he has” - he, etc.)

Affirmative sentences

Word order in an affirmative sentence:

SUBJECT+ HAVE GOT / HAS GOT +ADDITION

The verb is used with the pronouns I, you, we, they have got.

For example,

I have got a cat.

You have got a cat.

We have got a cat.

They have got a cat.

Tom and Kate have got a cat.

The subject is the phrase Tom and Kate, which we can replace with the pronoun “they” - they, so this sentence also uses the verb have got

The verb is used with the pronouns he, she, it has got .

She has got a cat.

He has got a cat.

It has got a cat.

Please note the following sentence:

Tom has got a cat.

The subject is the name Tom, which we can replace with the pronoun “he” - he, so this sentence also uses the verb has got.

Table 1. Affirmative sentences with the phrase have got / has got

Negative sentences

Negative sentences are constructed according to the same pattern as affirmative ones, but the negative particle not is added to the verb have got / has got:

have not got = haven’t got

has not got = hasn’t got

SUBJECT+ HAVEN'T GOT / HASN'T GOT +ADDITION

Translating negative sentences often causes difficulties for students for the reason described above. It is necessary to remember that haven’t got / hasn’t got says that someone does not possess any object, i.e. this item does not exist.

For example, I haven't got a cat. - I do not have a cat.

Table 2. Negative sentences with the phrase have got / has got