# EN: do you have / have you (got)



## Fredafraid

Hello,
"do you have" or "have you got" ?
sometimes I hear both beginnings in questions...
Does it mean we can use them as we want, or is there a specific rule not to be wrong ?
I guess that in both cases, the meaning is something we "possess" or "have" (obviously  )...

Am I right ?

*Moderator note*: multiple threads merged to create this one.  See also:
EN: don't have / haven't got
EN: I have (got)


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## Yaya

Yes, Fredafraid you have to meaning correct.
"got" is more colloquial.
"do you have" is the most formal of your examples.
"have you got" is not really technically formal, but it does sound polite
and "do you got" is extremely informal and I would reccomend staying away from that one (just cause it sounds slightly wrong, even though I'm sure people use it)

But I don't know about Australia


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## french4beth

Hi Fredafraid,
It really depends on the context - it could simply mean "have you got a match?" or "do you have a minute" (although this would be said between acquaintances).  So it can be figurative or literal...
I used to teach English as a second language, and there are soooo many "have" & "got" expressions.  You may also hear "Got any ideas?" (meaning do you have any ideas?) but this is very informal.


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## calembourde

'Do you got' is definitely wrong, I've only heard it a few times in movies when people are using a lot of slang, it seems very 'uneducated'. Maybe it is more common in other parts of the world though.

'Do you have' and 'have you got' mean the same thing, but phrases like 'have you got' and 'I have/I've got' irritate me a bit because they are effectively saying the same thing twice. If you've got an apple, then you have an apple... there's no need for the 'got'. In fact, you can even just ask, 'have you...?' (as in, 'have you any apples?') but that sounds very formal/old-fashioned to me.

However, the expression 'have you got...' is very common and I think
it's only pedantic people like me (or maybe only me!) who don't like it. I wouldn't correct anyone for saying 'have you got' since it is still correct as far as I know. I try to avoid it though.


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## E-J

'Have (got)' is indeed perfectly good English. It's used A LOT here in the UK. American English tends to prefer 'have'.


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## LV4-26

I take the opportunity to ask a question which has got me wondering for a long time. I hope it isn't totally off topic.

I know that "_have"_ and "_be"_ normally do not need an auxiliary. While the situation is perfectly clear with "be"  :
- Are you French ?
- Do you be French ? 

It isn't so clear with "have". I would normally say
(1) - Do you have a car ? (when I don't say 'have you got' of course)
rather than
(2) - Have you a car ?

Actually, though I would not say it, I think (2) is still acceptable and heard.
What do the natives think ? Is there a difference between AE and BE here ?
Or does (2) belong to an older usage ? Or is it more formal ?

Or am I totally wrong in assuming that it can be heard ?


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## french4beth

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> It isn't so clear with "have". I would normally say
> (1) - Do you have a car ? (when I don't say 'have you got' of course)
> rather than
> (2) - Have you a car ?  *Not in North America  *


 
#2 would definitely not be heard in North America (sounds very British to me  )


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## somody

french4beth said:
			
		

> #2 would definitely not be heard in North America (sounds very British to me  )


 Indeed it does.


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## Aupick

Well I have to admit I was hoping someone else would answer because it's a perplexing question.  My first response is no, I would never say 'Have you a car?'. But I wasn't convinced that would rule out all cases of 'Have you...?'

After much reflection, I still can't think of a single instance where I would begin a question 'Have you a...?'. I always want to stick in a 'got', or else, in a formal situation, rephrase as 'Do you have a...?'. 'Have you a...?' is not just formal, it's also dated and sounds (to me) like something out of an E.M. Forster novel. I think it would sound pretentious, therefore, although I suppose I could use it if I _wanted_ to sound pretentious, for rhetorical effect say (eg 'Have you a heart?').

However I did decide I would say 'Have you any...?' in the right situation, especially in the almost-set-phrase 'Have you any idea (how much work that would take/how much that would cost/etc.)?'. I might also use it in formal situations in other ways: 'Have you any advice to give to a beginning language learner?', 'Have you any thoughts to add?', etc.

I'm not quite sure why it would vary depending on the article (or determiner) that follows, and I'm not sure if there are others that would also work. I'll keep thinking, but maybe someone else has some ideas.


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## LV4-26

Aupick said:
			
		

> However I did decide I would say 'Have you any...?' in the right situation, especially in the almost-set-phrase 'Have you any idea (how much work that would take/how much that would cost/etc.)?'. I might also use it in formal situations in other ways: 'Have you any advice to give to a beginning language learner?', 'Have you any thoughts to add?', etc.


Thank you very much, Aupick. Yours was exactly the kind of help I needed.
I just knew that "have you...." was possible while I also felt that "have you *a.*.. [whatever is following] didn't sound right.
Indeed, 'have you any...' sounds much better.

Of course, I can't explain why either.


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## xav

So, should we conclude from that very interesting discussion 
1) that you normally say "Do you have...?"
2) and that "Have you...?" is unusual or obsolete, except when followed by "any"
or, familiarly, by "got" ?


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## LV4-26

xav said:
			
		

> 2) and that "Have you...?" is unusual or obsolete, except when followed by "any"


"any" and maybe a few others as Aupick said he/she was still thinking


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## breizh

Hello,

In many English grammar (the ones I have were reviewed in the beginning of the 1990s), it is said that "have" as basic "possession" can be used in British English a little like an auxiliary (and thus no need of "do") in the present, particularly when the "possession" concerns members of a family :

_I have a sister/ I have a car
I haven't a (any) sister/ I haven't a car
Have you a (any) sister ?_/_ Have you a car ?_

Of course, the same grammar books insist on the fact that "got" is used more and more, as well as "have" with "do" (as in the United States) :

_do you have any sister? / Have you got any sister?
I don't have any sister? / I haven't got any sister?
_
Then I have read a few times that the "have you a...?" form is not acceptable now (even if grammatically correct). I am surprised that in less than 20 years, an acceptable usage has become completely archaic ! Could you confirm the usage is no longer acceptable in any way (journalistic, literary...) ?

Nevertheless, there is this title in the Huffington Post : " Time to ask McCain : Have you no sense of decency left ?" 
I am a bit confused here since the author of the article is American, and I know the American usage of "have" is usually with "do" : "do you have any decency left ?".
Nevertheless, the example is that of "have" without the auxiliary "do".

In the same way, I've already heard : "Have you time for it?"

So, I don't know what to think. Thanks for your replies !


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## CapnPrep

Here are some threads (among many others) where English speakers comment on acceptable usage:
*I have <got> ... ... have you <got>? ... do you have?* (very long)
*Have you <got>? ... do you have?*
*Have you a dictionary?*
*do you have? or have you got?* (starts out in Spanish, turns into English halfway through)
*Have you...? / Do you have...?*
* have you (got)..? / do you have (got)...?*

I can also tell you that American English speakers commonly use "Have you no… ?"  in fake questions like "Have you no shame, no sense of decency?" But this is an idiomatic usage that does not change the fact that American English treats possessive _have_ as a main verb requiring _do_ for inversion and negation.


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## pacadansc

Although I actually know someone who still says: "Have you any sugar?" (Do you have any sugar?), it is in fact archaic and, speaking only for my American English, has been for a good deal more than 20 years.
I wouldn't call it incorrect or unacceptable, but it would sound artificial, overly-formal and odd to most people here.

As CapnPrep pointed out, however, this construction remains in use in rhetorical questions such as: Have you no shame? Have you no sense of decency? 

As for the constructions "have you got ..." or "do you have ...":



> _Do you have any sister*s*? / Have you got any sister*s*?_
> _I don't have any sister*s*? / I haven't got any sister*s*?_


The singular form would be: "Do you have a sister?"

My personal preference would be for: "Do you have any ...?"


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## bloomiegirl

I didn't read the Huffington article, but I think she may have been quoting -- or nearly so -- a well-known line from the McCarthy hearing ca. June 1954:Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency? [McCarthy-Welch exhcange]​And, although the register is quite high, I wouldn't call it archaic! Have you any idea how many people still use this form?

BTW, I too would say "Do you have a sister?"


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## cropje_jnr

pacadansc said:


> Although I actually know someone who still says: "Have you any sugar?" (Do you have any sugar?), it is in fact archaic and, speaking only for my American English, has been for a good deal more than 20 years.


 
Ditto for Australian English, although our version of the language is notoriously informal, to the point where the most common way to express this would be "have you got any/some sugar?", or even "would you (happen to) have any/some sugar" if intended to sound polite.


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## pacadansc

> our version of the language is notoriously informal, to the point where the most common way to express this would be "have you got any/some sugar?", or even "would you (happen to) have any/some sugar" if intended to sound polite.


 
These forms are common here, too (informal).


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## giannid

I'd like to hear from some UK or Irish speakers, because I thought it was fairly common to use this form of speech in the UK & Ireland.  For example:  _Have you any money?  I've a little money._

Attention:  when you use _any_ with things you can count, you need to use the plural.
_Do you have any sisters?  Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Do you have a sister?_


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## dragongirl

giannid said:


> I'd like to hear from some UK or Irish speakers, because I thought it was fairly common to use this form of speech in the UK & Ireland.  For example:  _Have you any money?  I've a little money._



In England it's the same, polite and yes a bit outdated too , although totally acceptable. It is still used quite commonly among older generations but does sound formal and you wouldn't often catch a young person using it, unless perhaps they were private schooled! But even then not very often! 
We too use "some" and "got" and "do you have any...?". 
It is something heard a lot in period dramas. And I hear "have you no/any sense" in modern TV shows sometimes where the speaker is quite posh.

I don't use it personally!


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## Dzienne

_Do you have a sister?  _Is exactly what I would say.


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## moa taioro

une chose me laisse perplexe


pour la phrase: i have a pen
la question est:   do you have a pen?
est il incorrect de dire : have you a pen?

vous remerciant


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## cropje_jnr

Même si ce n'est pas incorrect, cela ne se dirait pas. "_Do you have a pen_" est la formule la plus juste.

Une petite précision : "i" sans majuscule n'existe pas en anglais. De même, toutes les phrases doivent commencer par un majuscule, tant en anglais qu'en français.


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## jpryda

Do you have a pen?
Or
Have you got a pen?


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## AlbaneBZH

"Do you have" est totalement américain, mais les deux sont acceptés. (Au niveau scolaire c'est "have you got" Cf. Anglais de l'éducation nationale)


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## baker589

Non, je ne suis pas d'accord.  Nous utilisons tous les deux en BE.


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## L'Inconnu

jpryda said:


> Do you have a pen?
> Or
> Have you got a pen?



Both of the above expressions sound natural to an American (myself).

'have you a pen' would be understood, but it strikes me as an odd way to phrase the question


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## AlbaneBZH

Oui oui je sais les Britanniques le disent aussi mais ce n'est que toléré (on n'apprend pas ça aux collégiens) en british english en France (c'est considéré comme un américanisme, c'est à dire que si on écrit "do you have" on doit donc mettre toutes les expressions du textes en "américain"). L'anglais del'éducation nationnal a environ 1 siècle. . Des professeurs sur le forum sauront mieux le dire que moi.


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## eveb

Désolée de vous contredire, mais mes deux enfants lycéens et avant cela collégiens ont appris les deux tournures indifféremment sans que leurs professeurs leur aient précisé la nuance, j'étais moi même étonnée la première fois que j'ai vu "do you have" sur leurs cahiers, et c'est même cette expression qui est majoritairement privilégiée par leurs professeurs actuellement !


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## jwoolley

AlbaneBZH said:


> "Do you have" est totalement américain, mais les deux sont acceptés. (Au niveau scolaire c'est "have you got" Cf. Anglais de l'éducation nationale)



I too would disagree with this and would even go so far as to say that "Have you got" sounds more American to me than "Do you have", which strikes me as a more British construction.

"Have you a pen" - this is grammatically correct but sounds a little antiquated. This is the kind of thing you would expect to hear Victorian characters in a period drama say.


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## corcovado

I've just come back from a week in England and heard "have you" a few times while I was there.  I had never heard that in the U.S. except for the idiomatic expressions quoted above ("have you no shame" et al).
It really felt quite exotic, like a different language.


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## demon001

What about: "Got Milk?"


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## bloomiegirl

"Got Milk?" is adspeak and otherwise ungrammatical, lacking both subject and auxiliary verb.


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## fil69

hello 

Is there a différence , if i say :

"do you have a pen ?"    or   "have you a pen  ?"     

which one is the more commun ?



thank in advance for the reply


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## Kelly B

_Do you have a pen_ is the more typical form in US English, I'd say. We also use _have you *got* a pen, _and I think that one might be more common in British English. _Have you a pen_, without got, sounds weird.


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## wildan1

_Have you a pen? _is theoretically correct but rarely said in everyday conversation or writing. 

One might occasionally encounter this kind of verb inversion it in a poetic or theatrical context.


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## okgoogle

Bonjour,

Je pensais que c'était relâché de dire :

Have you any questions?

Au lieu de :
Do you have any questions?
Have you got any questions?

Hors ici c'est un juge américain qui le dit lors d'un procès :
Have you any questions?

Donc est-ce que c'est correct même dans un registre soutenu ?

Merci


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## lagodeluna

Oui c'est plus formal mais dans la bouche d'un juge ça pourrait aller.


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## okgoogle

Je retiens que "Have you any" (sans got) est courant. Merci.


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## Maître Capello

Non, c'est juste le contraire ! _Have you any_ sans _got_ est très formel, voire vieilli, et donc *peu* courant.


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## okgoogle

Bah si justement,

_Have you any_ (sans got) se dit contrairement à _Have you a(n) (_sans got) qui ne se dit jamais. Avec any on peut se passer du got ou de do dans la question, même si ce n'est pas super courant cela se fait et ne sonne pas faux.

Là dans je ne sais plus quel film américain le juge le dit et personne n'est choqué dans l'assemblée.


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## Maître Capello

Relisez les commentaires de ce fil… 


calembourde said:


> In fact, you can even just ask, 'have you...?' (as in, 'have you any apples?') but that sounds very formal/old-fashioned to me.





pacadansc said:


> Although I actually know someone who still says: "Have you any sugar?" (Do you have any sugar?), it is in fact archaic and, speaking only for my American English, has been for a good deal more than 20 years.
> I wouldn't call it incorrect or unacceptable, but it would sound artificial, overly-formal and odd to most people here.


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## okgoogle

ok merci mais ça fait deux fois que j'entends la question "Have you" sans got dans deux films américains en l'espace d'une semaine (avant je ne saurai dire je n'y prêtais pas attention). Le dernier en date est Intolerable Cruelty vu hier (Have you any de la bouche d'un magistrat), le précédent je ne sais plus car je visionne en moyenne un film par jour pour me faire l'oreille.


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## Kelly B

What was the direct object in the example you heard? "Have you any idea/notion" is idiomatic, but if the d.o. is something concrete, M Capello is right.


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## Tom the elf

Fredafraid said:


> Hello,
> "do you have" or "have you got" ?
> sometimes I hear both beginnings in questions...
> Does it mean we can use them as we want, or is there a specific rule not to be wrong ?
> I guess that in both cases, the meaning is something we "possess" or "have" (obviously  )...
> 
> Am I right ?
> 
> *Moderator note*: multiple threads merged to create this one.  See also:
> EN: don't have / haven't got
> EN: I have (got)


It's my understanding that "have got" is very common in British English and it's rather informal. There, "have" is an auxiliary verb. "Have" is used in the US and it's not an auxiliary verb because you need to use "do" (negative and question). I know Americans only use "have" as an auxiliary verb in Perfect Tenses.

British English tends to have some verbs as auxiliary verbs: have/haven't - need/needn't, etc.

I'm not native, so maybe a native speaker can correct me.


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