Have or Have Got A1 Grammar Test

Have or Have Got – A1 Grammar Lesson

In English, we use have and have got to talk about things we own or things that belong to us. For example, we use them to talk about family members, pets, objects, and physical features.

Both have and have got mean the same thing. You can use either one. Look at these simple examples:

I have a dog.
I have got a dog.
Both sentences mean the same thing! ✔

She has a red car.
She has got a red car.
Again, both are correct! ✔

In this lesson, you will learn how to use have and have got correctly in positive sentences, negative sentences, and questions.

Understanding Key Grammar Words

Before we start, let's understand a few simple grammar words:

• Subject – the person or thing doing the action. For example: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
• Positive sentence – a sentence that says something is true. For example: I have a cat.
• Negative sentence – a sentence that says something is NOT true. For example: I do not have a cat.
• Question – a sentence that asks for information. For example: Do you have a cat?
• Contraction – a short form of two words joined together. For example: have got → 've got.

Positive Sentences with Have and Have Got

Let's meet Tom. Tom is a student. He wants to tell us about his things and his family.

"I have a brother. I have a blue school bag. I have got a dog. I have got two good friends."

Now let's look at the rules for positive sentences.

Using Have (Positive)

With the subjects I, you, we, and they, we use have.

With the subjects he, she, and it, we use has.

Pattern:
I / You / We / They + have + object
He / She / It + has + object

Using Have Got (Positive)

With the subjects I, you, we, and they, we use have got.
With the subjects he, she, and it, we use has got.

Pattern:
I / You / We / They + have got + object
He / She / It + has got + object

Positive Sentences – Examples Table

Contractions with Have Got

A contraction is when we join two words and make them shorter. We use an apostrophe (') to show where letters are missing.

In spoken English and informal writing, we often use short (contracted) forms of have got.

Full form → Contraction
I have got → I've got
You have got → You've got
He has got → He's got
She has got → She's got
It has got → It's got
We have got → We've got
They have got → They've got

I've got a new pen. (= I have got a new pen.)
She's got long hair. (= She has got long hair.)
They've got a big garden. (= They have got a big garden.)

Important: We do NOT usually make contractions with have alone in positive sentences. We say I have a cat, not ~~I've a cat~~.

Negative Sentences with Have and Have Got

Now let's say when something is NOT true. Tom says:

"I don't have a sister. I haven't got a bike."

Making Negatives with Have

To make a negative sentence with have, we add do not (or don't) before have.
With he / she / it, we use does not (or doesn't) before have.
Important: After doesn't, we always use have, never has.

Pattern:
I / You / We / They + do not (don't) + have + object
He / She / It + does not (doesn't) + have + object

Making Negatives with Have Got

To make a negative with have got, we add not after have or has.

Pattern:
I / You / We / They + have not (haven't) + got + object
He / She / It + has not (hasn't) + got + object

Negative Sentences – Examples Table

Questions with Have and Have Got

Now let's ask questions! Tom's friend asks him:

"Do you have a pet?"
"Have you got a pet?"
Both questions mean the same thing! ✔

Asking Questions with Have

To ask a question with have, we put Do or Does at the beginning of the sentence.
Important: After Does, we always use have, never has.

Pattern:
Do + I / you / we / they + have + object?
Does + he / she / it + have + object?

Asking Questions with Have Got

To ask a question with have got, we move Have or Has to the beginning of the sentence.

Pattern:
Have + I / you / we / they + got + object?
Has + he / she / it + got + object?

Questions – Examples Table

Short Answers to Questions

When we answer have / have got questions, we give short answers. We do not repeat the full sentence.

"Do you have a cat?"
✔ Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

"Have you got a cat?"
✔ Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.

"Does she have a sister?"
✔ Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.

"Has she got a sister?"
✔ Yes, she has. / No, she hasn't.

Important: For have got questions, the short answer uses have / has, not got.

❌ Yes, I have got.
✅ Yes, I have.

Important Differences – Have vs Have Got

Are They Always the Same?

At A1 level, have and have got mean the same thing. You can usually use either one.

However, there is one important difference to know about:

Have Got is NOT Used for Repeated Actions or Habits

We use have (not have got) when we talk about regular habits or repeated actions.

I have breakfast at seven o'clock every day. ✔
~~I have got breakfast at seven o'clock every day.~~ ✘

She has a shower in the morning. ✔
~~She has got a shower in the morning.~~ ✘

Simple rule for A1 learners: When you talk about owning things or describing people, both have and have got are correct. When you talk about regular daily actions, use have only.

British English and American English

Have got is very common in British English.
Have is more common in American English.

Both are correct and both are understood everywhere. At this level, do not worry about this difference. Just learn both forms!

Common Mistakes

Here are the most common mistakes that beginners make with have and have got. Read them carefully!

❌ She have a dog.
✅ She has a dog. (With he / she / it, use has, not have.)

❌ She have got a dog.
✅ She has got a dog. (With he / she / it, use has got, not have got.)

❌ He doesn't has a car.
✅ He doesn't have a car. (After doesn't, always use have, not has.)

❌ Does she has got a sister?
✅ Has she got a sister? (For have got questions, move has to the front. Don't use does.)

❌ I have not a pet.
✅ I don't have a pet. or I haven't got a pet. (We need don't have or haven't got for negatives.)

❌ "Have you got a pen?" "Yes, I have got."
✅ "Yes, I have." (Short answers with have got use just have or has.)

❌ I've a new phone.
✅ I've got a new phone. or I have a new phone. (Don't contract have alone in positive sentences.)

Have or Have Got: Quick Summary

Let's look at everything we learned in this lesson:

• Have and have got have the same meaning when we talk about possession (owning things) and description.
• With I / you / we / they: use have or have got.
• With he / she / it: use has or has got.
• For negative sentences with have: use don't have or doesn't have.
• For negative sentences with have got: use haven't got or hasn't got.
• For questions with have: put Do / Does at the start.
• For questions with have got: put Have / Has at the start.
• Short answers: use do / don't / does / doesn't for have; use have / haven't / has / hasn't for have got.
• Use have only (not have got) for regular daily habits and actions.

Now practise have and have got in the exercises below.