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When do I use have and have got?

Are "I have the answer" and "I've got the answer" both correct?

RegDwigнt
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Raphael
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3 Answers3

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I have the answer

sounds more formal and somber, and it is often used as a statement of fact or as a direct response to the questions: Do you have the answer? Who has the answer? etc.

I've got the answer/I have got the answer

is more of an eureka moment remark, something one is likely to hear often in such a place as a college physics common room where students are bashing heads on seemingly intractable problems.

The have got construction is more of a Britishism. In the US, one would be more likely to hear:

I got the answer/Got the answer

Jimi Oke
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  • Is "I've the answer" considered grammatical? – Pacerier May 13 '12 at 21:33
  • I've the answer is grammatical but certainly not colloquial, i.e. it is an expression you would definitely not hear from a native speaker. The contraction I've usually precedes the past participle, e.g. I've been, I've had, I've seen, I've taken, etc. In this case, I've got the answer is more natural. So is I have the answer. – Jimi Oke May 13 '12 at 23:27
  • Thanks for the reply =) Btw, if what I wanted to say is that "I have a habit presently", is there a difference in meaning between saying "I've got a habit of something" and "I've a habit of something"? (is the second one colloquial?) – Pacerier May 13 '12 at 23:35
  • No difference. The I've got... is more of a British construction, really. I've a habit of... would certainly be considered colloquial, depending on where you are, though it's not a construction I use often... If one is speaking fast enough, that could be tough. I'm in the habit of... is something I'm more likely to say, but that's just me. But in this case, both are certainly correct and sound natural. – Jimi Oke May 13 '12 at 23:47
  • But isn't "I'm in the habit of collecting stamps." odd-sounding? – Pacerier May 14 '12 at 00:25
  • Sometimes the got is omitted for style and/or brevity. Consider if if He-Man had raised his sword and said "By the power of Greyskull, I. Have. Got. The. Powaaaah!!!" – immutabl Oct 29 '12 at 10:56
  • In American English, I "got" the answer would not be standard but extremely slang or dialectal. The norm is I have the answer. – pazzo Mar 11 '15 at 22:08
  • Really depends on context here... I do agree have can be routine. Usually, one hears/uses I have it/I got it/Got it, etc... I got the answer could also be argued for as a normal response in a situation where students are discussing answers to graded questions, in which case right/correct might also be used as modifiers. Anyway, to clarify, my final example were offered in contrast to the have got construction, which is rarely heard in regular spoken conversation. I have the answer is still quite formal even here in the US. – Jimi Oke Mar 12 '15 at 00:21
  • @Pacerier "I'm in the habit of collecting stamps" is odd because stamp-collecting is not a habit so much as a hobby. However, I suppose you might say "I'm in the habit of" when you were referring to something which you do as a pastime, but such that you expect that pastime to be not particularly long-lasting. – Prime Mover Jan 26 '21 at 11:17
  • @Pacerier A standalone "I've the answer." sounds extremely awkward even to Brits. "I did some research – I've the answers to several of the questions." sounds a lot less awkward, at least to my ears. But for the standalone sentence, "I've got the answer/s" or in a formal register "I have the answer/s." – Edwin Ashworth Oct 29 '23 at 19:32
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"Have got" is certainly more informal. So if you never use "have got", you will be fine. However, if you want to use "have got", this is how it works.

Have and "have got" are sometimes interchangeable and sometimes not.

When have is being used as a modal verb (or helper verb), then you cannot use "have got".

  • I have been there before.
  • *I have got been there before. (wrong)

When have is being used as a main verb, you can replace it with "have got", but only in the present tense.

This is true for possessive uses of have:

  • I have three dollars.
  • I have got three dollars.
  • *I had got three dollars. (wrong, if you mean possession and not acquisition)
  • *I will have got three dollars. (same as above)

And also obligation:

  • I have to go.
  • I have got to go.
  • *I had got to go. (wrong)
  • *I will have got to go. (wrong)

Lastly, if you are constructing an imperative sentence, you can only use have:

  • Here, have an apple.
  • *Here, have got an apple. (wrong)

A note on "have got" when referring to acquisition: this is not possible in US/Canadian English, where "have gotten" is the preferred form.

Kosmonaut
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    Permit me to disagree with your closing note. Have got certainly exists in US English, even in situations dealing with acquisition. For instance, one would sooner hear "She's got the skills we need" than "She's gotten the skills we need". You may argue that this is not quite acquisition. However, I would still argue that "I've got it", especially when referring to answers/solutions is not unheard of in the US. Maybe this is a regional thing... – Jimi Oke Feb 10 '11 at 04:54
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    I'm going to disagree with your ban on using had got for possession. "I had got three dollars in my pocket" sounds fine to me, if somewhat informal (as a past tense for have got meaning possession). But *"will have got three dollars" indeed sounds wrong. – Peter Shor Aug 18 '11 at 03:03
  • "I've got three pounds" sounds far more natural than "I have got three pounds" in an unmarked sentence to my Br ears. "I have the answer" can sound stuffy. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 29 '23 at 19:35
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I have the answer and I've got the answer are both correct, yes. The latter is more colloquial and informal; avoid it in formal writing. Otherwise, use whatever sounds good to you at the time.

chaos
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