have got has got grammar

 Have got and has got

There is one tricky phrase that defies the normal form: have/has got. We would expect it to be in the present perfect, because it is in the form have/has plus the past participle of getting. However, even though it is in the present perfect tense in form, in meaning, have got is actually in the present tense. It is used to indicate possession, in nearly the same manner as the verb have (especially in more informal speech or writing); got simply adds a certain level of emphasis to the possession.

 For example, the following pairs of sentences mean almost exactly the same thing.

 • “I have got three classes on Monday.”

 • “I have three classes on Monday.” 

• “I hear she’s got lots of money.” 

• “I hear she has lots of money.”

 • “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here.”

 • “You have a lot of nerve coming here.

” However, we can never use have got interchangeably with have when it is used to describe an action. For example:

 ✔ “I have breakfast every morning.” (correct)

 ✖ “I’ve got breakfast every morning.” (incorrect) 

To create the past perfect meaning of get, we use its other past participle —gotten. We use this form to describe a process, such as receipt or acquisition, or some other action. For example:

 • “I have gotten word that my father is ill.”

 • “He’s gotten a lot of positive feedback about his play.” 

• “Those dang kids have gotten a Frisbee stuck in our tree again.” Note, however, that have/has gotten is not used to describe possession: 

• “I hear she has gotten lots of money.” (Implies acquisition or receipt of lots of money, rather than outright possession.) 

Gotten is almost exclusively used in American English. It very rarely used in British English, where have got is sometimes used as the past perfect (informally). One such example is: 

• “You’ve got taller.” (British English) 

• “You’ve gotten taller.” (American English)