girl and her car

Jill's got a pretty nice car.

Have as an Auxiliary Verb

When have is an auxiliary verb, it is helping a full verb to make a Present Perfect sentence.

accident

I have never been in an accident.

Porsche

Has she driven a Porsche before?

  • Yes, she has.
  • No, she hasn't.
working

They've been working on the car all day.

motor oil

Why haven't you changed your oil yet


Have as a Full Verb

We commonly use have as a full verb to describe possession, obligation, relationships, illnesses, etc.. We do not use continuous forms for these meanings:

  • I have two brothers. (relationship)
  • I am having two brothers.
  • Does she have a new car? (possession)
  • Is she having a new car?
  • They don't have a lot of money. (possession)
  • They aren't having a lot of money.
  • Do you have a headache? (illness)
  • Are you having a headache?
  • He has to go soon. (obligation)
  • He is having to go soon.
  • She doesn't have a stomachache. (illness)
  • She isn't having a stomachache.

Have Got

For these meanings, we can also use have got instead of have.

  • I have two brothers.
  • I've got two brothers.
  • Does she have a new car?
  • Has she got a new car?
  • They don't have a lot of money.
  • They haven't got a lot of money.
  • Do you have a headache?
  • Have you got a headache?
  • He has to go soon.
  • He's got to go soon.
  • She doesn't have a stomachache.
  • She hasn't got a stomachache.

Have got is only used to describe the present. For the past, use had (had got) and for the future, use will have or be going to have:

  • I will have my wallet tomorrow.
  • I had to go home early yesterday. 
  • She had long hair when she was a child.
  • We didn't have colour TV sixty years ago.
  • When my throat itches, it usually means I'm going to have a sore throat soon.

Dynamic / Action Meanings of Have

Have, not have got, can be used to describe actions with the following nouns:

  • a bath, a shower, a swim, a massage
  • breakfast, lunch, dinner, an apple, a snack, a break, a cigarette
  • a party, a meeting, a wonderful time
  • a dream, a conversation, a fight
  • a baby
  • surgery

For these meanings, it is possible to use continuous tenses:

I'm having a great time!

We were having a party when you called.

She is having a baby in June.

It sounds like someone is having a fight outside.


Exercise

Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.

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