👀 Lesson 5.3: Have Got — People & Belongings
What have you got? A phone? Brown eyes? A big family? In this lesson you learn have got and has got — an easy, friendly way to talk about the things you own and the way people look. Soon you can describe your friends and family in English. Let's take a look! 👨👩👧
📚 What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Use have got and has got to talk about belongings and looks
- Make negatives (haven't got, hasn't got) and questions (Have you got…?)
- Give short answers (Yes, I have. / No, she hasn't.)
- Use description words for hair, eyes, and appearance
⏱️ Estimated Time: ~50 minutes
🎯 Project: Describe a family member or friend in 6 or more sentences using have got / has got and description words.
In This Lesson
🔤 New Words in This Lesson
Here are some useful words from this lesson. Tap 🔊 to hear a word.
- hair — it grows on your head
- curly — hair with lots of curls
- straight — hair with no curls
- long — not short (long hair)
- short — not long / not tall
- blond — light yellow hair
- dark — brown or black (dark hair)
- beard — hair on a man's face
- glasses — you wear them to see better
- tall — high, like a big building
- eyes — you see with them
What Is "Have Got"?
We use have got to talk about two things: possession (things you own — "I've got a car") and description (how people look — "She's got blue eyes"). It is a very common and friendly way to speak.
Here is the good news: have got means the same as have. Both are correct! "I've got a sister" and "I have a sister" mean exactly the same thing. So you are not learning a new idea — just a new, natural way to say it. 🙂
💡 have got = have
Have got is very common in British and everyday English, especially in speaking. Have (on its own) is also correct everywhere, and American English often just uses have. So "Have you got a pen?" and "Do you have a pen?" are both fine. Use the one you like. 🌍
In American English, people usually say I have… and Do you have…? You will hear have got too, so learn both.
🧠 Mindset
You already know how to describe a friend in your own language. Today you just get the English words. Don't worry about "have" versus "have got" — pick one and use it! If you say "He have got brown hair," people still understand you perfectly. Speak first, and the small grammar comes with practice. You are ready. 🌱
Affirmative & Contractions
The rule is easy. There are only two forms. Use have got for I, you, we, they. Use has got for he, she, it.
I/you/we/they + have got · he/she/it + has got
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | have got | I have got a new phone. |
| You | have got | You have got nice eyes. |
| We | have got | We have got two cats. |
| They | have got | They have got a big house. |
| He | has got | He has got short hair. |
| She | has got | She has got a brother. |
| It | has got | It has got four legs. |
When we speak, we almost always make it shorter with a contraction. This sounds natural and easy.
| Full form | Short form (contraction) |
|---|---|
| I have got | I've got |
| You have got | You've got |
| We / They have got | We've got / They've got |
| He / She has got | He's got / She's got |
💡 What does 's mean?
In "She's got brown eyes," the 's means has (= she has got). Don't confuse it with "She's happy," where 's means is. If got comes after, then 's = has. 👍
Negatives
To say you do not have something, add not to have/has. We almost always use the short forms haven't got and hasn't got.
haven't got · hasn't got
| Subject | Negative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / You / We / They | haven't got | I haven't got a car. |
| He / She / It | hasn't got | She hasn't got a beard. |
So "I haven't got a car" means "I don't have a car." And "He hasn't got glasses" means "He doesn't have glasses." Easy!
⚠️ Important Note: Use haven't for I/you/we/they and hasn't for he/she/it. Say "She hasn't got a car," not "She haven't got a car." Match the word to the subject.
Questions & Short Answers
To ask a question, put Have or Has at the start. Then the subject, then got.
Have/Has + subject + got …?
| Question | Yes answer | No answer |
|---|---|---|
| Have you got a pen? | Yes, I have. | No, I haven't. |
| Have they got children? | Yes, they have. | No, they haven't. |
| Has she got long hair? | Yes, she has. | No, she hasn't. |
| Has he got a beard? | Yes, he has. | No, he hasn't. |
Look at the short answers. We don't say got again. Someone asks "Have you got a pen?" You just say "Yes, I have." or "No, I haven't." Short and natural.
✅ Pro Tip
In the short answer, don't say got. Say "Yes, I have," not "Yes, I have got." And match the word: "Has she got…?" → "Yes, she has." / "No, she hasn't." The little words have and has do all the work. 💪
Describing People
Now let's use have got to describe how people look. Read each word out loud. Then you can describe your friends and family.
💇 Hair
- long hair — not short
- short hair — not long
- curly hair — with curls
- straight hair — no curls
- blond hair — light yellow
- dark hair — brown or black
- gray hair — often older people
👤 Face & body
- blue / brown / green eyes
- a beard — hair on the face
- a mustache — hair above the mouth
- glasses — to see better
- tall — high (a tall man)
- short — not tall
💡 How to build a description
Put the words together like this: She has got + (length) + (type/color) + hair. For example: "She's got long straight blond hair." Or simply: "He's got short dark hair and brown eyes." You can also add: "He's got a beard and glasses." 👓
⚠️ Watch out: Hair for the head is usually uncountable — say "She has got long hair," not "long hairs." Also, we say "She's got blue eyes," not "she is blue eyes."
Dialogue & Phrases
Here are two friends, Nadia and Sam. Sam wants to meet Nadia's brother at the station. Read both parts out loud. Look for every have got / has got.
Sam: I'm at the station. How can I find your brother?
Nadia: OK. He's tall, and he's got short dark hair.
Sam: Has he got a beard?
Nadia: Yes, he has. And he's got glasses too.
Sam: Has he got a bag?
Nadia: Yes — he's got a big blue backpack.
Sam: I think I can see him! Tall, dark hair, glasses… blue backpack. Is that him?
Nadia: That's him! His name is Omar. Say hello!
Sam: Great. We haven't got much time, so I'll go now. Thanks, Nadia!
Here are the best phrases from the conversation. Keep them ready for your project.
Practice & Project
🏋️ Exercise 1: have got or has got?
Objective: Choose the correct form for each subject.
Write have got or has got in each gap.
- I a new phone.
- She long curly hair.
- They two children.
- He a beard and glasses.
- We a big garden.
- It four legs.
✅ Answer
1. have got (I) · 2. has got (she) · 3. have got (they) · 4. has got (he) · 5. have got (we) · 6. has got (it)
🏋️ Exercise 2: Make it negative
Objective: Choose haven't got or hasn't got to match the subject.
Write haven't got or hasn't got in each gap.
- I a car.
- She a beard.
- They any children.
- He glasses.
- We much time.
✅ Answer
1. haven't got (I) · 2. hasn't got (she) · 3. haven't got (they) · 4. hasn't got (he) · 5. haven't got (we)
(Remember: haven't for I/you/we/they; hasn't for he/she/it.)
🎯 Your Project: Describe a Person
Now describe one person — a family member or a friend. Do it out loud — to a partner, a teacher, or your phone. Say 6 or more sentences using have got / has got.
- (3 min) Choose a person. Think about how they look and what they have.
- (3 min) Describe their hair and eyes: "She's got long dark hair and brown eyes."
- (3 min) Add other details with has got: a beard, glasses, tall/short.
- (3 min) Add one belonging and one negative: "He's got a new bike. He hasn't got a car."
- (3 min) Say it all out loud. Solo? Record it and listen once. With a partner? Ask each other "Has he/she got…?" questions.
Model answer: This is my sister, Lena. She's tall, and she's got long straight blond hair. She's got green eyes and a lovely smile. She's got glasses for reading. She's got a big family — two children and a dog! She's got a small red car, but she hasn't got a garage. She's a very kind person.
✅ Project Completion Checklist
- ☐ I described one person in 6 or more sentences
- ☐ I used has got correctly for he/she
- ☐ I described their hair and eyes
- ☐ I used one belonging (a car, a phone, a bike…)
- ☐ I used one negative (hasn't got…)
- ☐ I said it all out loud (recorded or to a partner)
🎯 Quick Quiz
Question 1: Which sentence is correct?
Question 2: Someone asks, "Has he got a beard?" What is the correct short answer for "no"?
Tips & Common Mistakes
✅ Do's
- Use has got for he/she/it, and have got for I/you/we/they.
- Use the short forms when you speak: I've got, she's got, he hasn't got.
- In short answers, don't say got: "Yes, I have," "No, she hasn't."
- Remember: have got = have. Both are correct, so pick one!
❌ Common Mistakes
⚠️ Watch Out
- "He have got…" ❌ — For he/she/it, use has got. ✅
- "She haven't got…" ❌ — For she, use hasn't got. ✅
- "Yes, I have got." ❌ — In short answers, drop got: Yes, I have. ✅
- "She's got long hairs." ❌ — Hair is uncountable here: long hair. ✅
- Mixing 's: In "She's got," 's = has, not is. If got follows, it means has. ✅
📓 Learning Journal
Take five minutes after this lesson to write in your learning journal. After every lesson, write down:
- Key concepts you learned
- Things that clicked for you
- Questions or confusion points to revisit
- Ideas you want to try
- Your progress and feelings about learning English
✍️ This lesson's prompt: Write five sentences about a person in your family. Use has got for their hair, eyes, and one belonging. Add one hasn't got sentence. Then read it out loud. Was have got or has got harder to remember? 👀
📝 Lesson Summary
🎓 Key Takeaways
- have got (I/you/we/they) and has got (he/she/it) talk about possession and description.
- Contractions: I've got, you've got, we've/they've got; he's/she's got ('s = has).
- Negatives: haven't got (I/you/we/they), hasn't got (he/she/it).
- Questions: Have/Has + subject + got…? → short answers: Yes, I have. / No, she hasn't. (no got).
- have got = have. Both are correct; American English often just uses have.
🎉 What You've Accomplished
Great work! You can now describe people and talk about what they own. You can say "She's got long dark hair," "I've got a new phone," and "Have you got a pen?" You can even describe someone so a friend can find them in a crowd! This is real, useful English for every day. Be proud of your progress. 🎉
❓ Common Questions at This Stage
What is the difference between "have got" and "have"?
There is no difference in meaning! "I've got a car" = "I have a car." Have got is very common in British and everyday speaking. Plain have is correct everywhere, and American English often prefers it. Use the one you like.
Does "She's got" mean "she is got"?
No. When got comes after, the 's means has: "She's got" = "She has got." Be careful — "She's happy" is different; there 's means is. The word got is your clue.
Do I say "got" in the short answer?
No. In short answers, drop got. Say "Yes, I have" or "No, she hasn't," not "Yes, I have got." The little words have and has are enough.
🔭 Looking Ahead
In Lesson 6.1 — How Often? Adverbs of Frequency, you learn words like always, usually, sometimes, and never. Then you can say how often you do things: "I always drink coffee," "She never watches TV." You will make your daily routines even clearer!
✅ Before the Next Lesson
- Describe two people you know, out loud, using has got.
- Ask a friend three "Have you got…?" questions.
- Say five things you have got and one thing you haven't got.
- Write your Learning Journal entry.
🌟 Encouragement for the Journey
You can now describe the people in your life in English — their hair, their eyes, and the things they have. That is a big, warm step. Keep describing your family and friends out loud. The more you do it, the more natural it feels. See you in Lesson 6.1! 👋