To have / have got

                 

They have two dogs.           They've got three children. 

Have and have got are verbs with the same meaning. You can choose which one to use. 

Have got is usually abbreviated to 've got.

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I have	I don't have	Do I have?
You have	You don't have	Do you have?
He/she/it has	He/she/it doesn't have	Does he/she/it have?
We have	We don't have	Do we have?
They have	They don't have	Do they have?

 

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I've got	I haven't got	Have I got?
You've got	You haven't  got	Have you got?
He/she/it's got	He/she/it hasn't got	Has he/she/it got?
We've got	We haven't got	Have we got?
They've got	They haven't got	Have they got?

 

We use have or have got to talk about possession, relationships, illnesses etc:

 

I have two children    =       I've got two children.

I have a good job       =       I've got a good job.

I have a new car         =       I've got a new car.

I have a problem        =       I've got a problem.

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

 

We also use have to talk about some actions and experiences but we can't use have got for these:

 

She has lunch at 12.30.                                     She's got lunch at 12.30.

 

They have a meeting every Friday.                  They've got a meeting every Friday.

 

We have a good time on holiday.                     We've got a good time on holiday. 

 

She always has a party at Christmas.               She's always got a party at Christmas. 

 

They usually have a coffee break at 10.00.       They've usually got a coffee break at 10.00.

 

I have a shower every morning.                       I've got a shower every morning. 

Note: It is important to be consistent.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?   Yes, I do.  I have one brother and one sister.

 

Have you got any pets?  Yes, I have.  I've got a cat and a bird.