What is the negative of have?

[Rfaleet]

The negative of this sentence I have a car
I haven't a car
or
I don't have a car.

Which is correct?
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[Topaze]

They may both be correct, but I strongly prefer the latter. "I haven't a car" sounds hopelessly outdated.

You can also say "I haven't got a car" or "I have no car".

There is also, I believe, a slight difference between AmE and BrE here, i.e. "haven't got" might be used more frequently in British English and "don't have" - in American English. However, this is just my impression.

[Rfaleet]

[Topaze]

"I haven't got a car" sounds much more natural than "I haven't a car", at least to me.

[Milanya]

Where I live, people usually say "I do not/don't have ...."
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con·text - The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

[Torsten]

I have a British grammar book published a couple of years ago. It's called "Test and Improve Your English". It says that "I haven't a car" is perfectly fine so I guess this phrase is slightly outdated British usage.

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[Alan]

Hi Torsten,

Nowadays I think that here we tend to say: I don't have a car/I haven't got a car.

Alan
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[Rfaleet]

Hi Milanya,
Thanks for your attention.
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[Rfaleet]

Hi Torsten ,
You mean I can use I haven't a car.If I want to use the question tag of this sentence:
I have a car,.................?
I say haven't I or don't have I.
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[Alan]

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Hi Rfaleet,

The tags would go like this:

I don't have a car, do I?

I haven't a car, have I?

I haven't got a car, have I?

Alan
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[Rfaleet]

Hi Alan,

But if the tag like this
I have a car,.................?

What is the tag?
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[Alan]

Hi,

The usual construction is to use negative after positive and positive after negative so that:

[Jayj]

Frank: Would you give me a ride to the train station Tom?

Tom: I would if I had a car.

Frank: What do you mean?

Tom: I mean I don't have a car.

Just my two cents.

Jay

[Rfaleet]