To have/to have got

[tommy]

What is the difference beetwen those two forms?
Which one is more common? Take an example:
I have a brother or I've got a brother?
I'd rather use "I've got".
Are there any expresions in which only one form is correct?
The same problem I've got (or I have?) with "must" and "to have to".
Thank you,
Tom

[Alan]

Hi Tommy,

The two are both used but I too prefer I have got/I've got. To my mind I have a brother sounds very cold but I've got a brother sounds a bit warmer. It's not a grammatical answer but then language is an emotional tool.

I have to finish by tomorrow/I've got to finish/I have got to finish by tomorrow - the difference here to my mind is that the addition of got makes the statement more urgent.

Just some thoughts

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Reflections

[tommy]

OK, thank you.
Is it allowed to use those two forms (to have/to have got) in official, impersonal style? "To have got" seems to me a little bit less formal-but I'm not sure.

What about must/have to? Is there any difference?

Thank you again,
Tommy

[tommy]

Can anyone help me?
Thank you,
Tom

[Jupiter]

Happy New Year tommy

You are right. "have got" is usually found in informal use and we often use it in speaking.
Talking about "must/have to", both of them have similiar meaning as a modal verb, but must is used for obligation coming from your own self yet "have to" is used for obligation coming from outside your own self. For example
I must study hard (You tell yourself to study hard)
I have to study hard (someone tells you to study hard)
They are grammatically different too. For example
Must I study hard? (doesn't use aux.verb "Do")
Do I have to study hard? (uses aux.verb "Do")

Hope this help clear your doubt,
Jupiter

[tommy]

Thank you jupiter.
It's all clear now.
Thank you again and a Happy New Year,
Tommy

[Jamie (K)]

There is still another complication when you get to North America, Tommy. That is that in the US and Canada we have not lost a very old English participle, which is "gotten".

If you say in North America, "I have got your letter," that means the same as, "I have your letter." If you say, "I have gotten your letter," that means, "I have received your letter."

If North Americans say, "I have got to go," that means, "I must go." If we say, "I have gotten to go," that means, "Someone has given me permission to go," or, "Someone has given me the privilege of going." The difference is that, "I have got to go," is a present-tense idiom for us, but, "I have gotten to go," is the past of, "I get to go." The sentence, "I get to go," means, "Someone is giving me permission to go." A child might say, "We get to go to the beach today! Mom says it's okay!"

As I say, those American forms are centuries old, and the British have stopped using them, but they are still in the English language in America.

[Jamie (K)]

Actually, Jupiter, "must" and "have to" can mean exactly the same thing, but "must" generally shows a stronger, more formal obligation.

The law in many countries says that all boys *must* register for the military. Most of them don't want to, so the obligation is not coming from themselves. It is an obligation that the government forces on them.

When people from some countries come to North America or the UK, they often have to be taught to stop saying "must" so much. It's not because the meaning of the word is wrong, but because "must" indicates so strong an obligation that the foreigner sounds like he's trying to be a dictator.

[Conchita]

Hello Jamie (K),

I found your remarks quite interesting and challenging and thought of telling you: 'You must go on sharing your views with us', but far be it from me to act the dictator, so I'll just say: 'Thank you for giving us your useful opinion on the topics that arise here.'

[Guest]

[Guest]

[tommy]

Thank you very much.
Can we use those forms ("gotten", double double modal) in writing English or only while having a chat with someone?
Thank you ,
Tommy

[Jamie (K)]