In this week's instalment of our Real English series we have a very interesting clip to illustrate the idea of possession in the present tense.
A number of people are asked about the items they have just bought at a supermarket.
There are two possible questions:
1) have: What do you have in your bag?
2) have got: What have you got in your bag?
In the first question, have functions as any other ordinary verb. It takes auxiliaries do/does to make the questions in the present simple. We studied this structure in the introduction to the present simple last week.
What do you have in your bag? I have tomatoes.
What does she have in her bag?
She has tomatoes. (we use has with the third person singular, he/she/it only in the present).
The second question has the same meaning as the first, but the structure is special. There is no other verb like this in English. Have got doesn't need an auxiliary verb. For the questions and negatives have functions as an auxiliary.
What have you got in your bag?
I have got tomatoes or I've got tomatoes.
What has she got in her bag?
She has got tomatoes or She's got tomatoes.
You can watch the same clip with subtitles on the Real English site here.
You can watch an interactive activity on the Real English site here.
You can watch a longer version of the same clip, with more demanding vocabulary, on the Real English site here.
