Emma's School Timetable

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL activity preview of Emma's School Timetable: information gap, pairwork, and school subjects for Elementary A1-A2

ESL Has got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice - Pair Work

In this 'has got' information gap activity, students race to complete missing subjects in a school timetable by asking and answering questions with 'has got'...

ESL Has got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice - Pair Work In this 'has got' information gap activity, students race to complete missing subjects in a school timetable by asking and answering questions with 'has got'. In pairs, students take turns asking their partner questions with 'has got', e.g. 'Has Emma got English at 10 a.m. on Monday?' When their partner answers 'Yes, she has', the student writes the missing class in the timetable. Students are only allowed to ask one question each turn. If their partner replies 'No, she hasn't', the student waits until their next turn to ask another question. The first student to complete Emma's timetable is the winner. As an extension, students write two or three sentences about Emma's school timetable using 'has got'.

Have a Guess

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL have and has guessing game: sentence completion, partner guessing, and Do you have...? for A1-A2

ESL Have and Has Game - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

This fun 'have got' and 'has got' game helps students practice 'have got' and 'has got' in affirmative and negative sentences and 'Have you got...?' questions. First, students read each 'Have you got...?'...

ESL Have and Has Game - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts - Pair Work This fun 'have got' and 'has got' game helps students practice 'have got' and 'has got' in affirmative and negative sentences and 'Have you got...?' questions. First, students read each 'Have you got...?' question and write 'Yes, I have' or No, I haven't' in the column marked 'Me', depending on whether they have got or haven't got the thing mentioned. Working alone, students then guess whether their partner has got or hasn't got the same things by writing 'Yes, he/she has' or 'No, he/she hasn't' in the 'My Partner' column. Next, students take turns finding out if their guesses are right or wrong by asking their partner the 'Have you got...?' questions, e.g. 'Have you got a pet dog?' Their partner then answers, 'Yes, I have.' or 'No, I haven't.' If the student guessed correctly, they put a tick in the last column. If not, they put a cross. The student with the most correct guesses in each pair wins.

Have Got Battleships

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL battleships speaking game for have got/has got questions and answers at Elementary A1-A2

ESL Have got and Has got Game - Grammar: Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

Here is an engaging 'have got' and 'has got' game to help students practice forming and asking 'have got' and 'has got' questions and responding with short answers. Students begin by marking the four ships on their Battleships grid. Students...

ESL Have got and Has got Game - Grammar: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts - Pair Work Here is an engaging 'have got' and 'has got' game to help students practice forming and asking 'have got' and 'has got' questions and responding with short answers. Students begin by marking the four ships on their Battleships grid. Students then use the subjects and noun phrases as coordinate markers and make 'have got' and 'has got' questions with them to find their partner's ships, e.g. 'Has Kate got a car?' or 'Have you got long hair?' If the answer is yes (e.g. Yes, she has), it's a hit, so the student marks the location on their 'Partner's Grid' with a tick. If the reply is no (e.g. No, she hasn't), it's a miss, so the student marks that square on their 'Partner's Grid' with a cross. Students take turns asking and answering questions until one student has found and destroyed all four of their partner's ships. That student wins the game.

Have got or has got?

Elementary (A1-A2) 30 minutes
Free ESL worksheet have got or has got preview for elementary A1-A2 students with grammar and speaking activities

ESL Have got and Has got Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Categorising, Binary Choice, Gap-fill, Matching, Writing and Rewriting Sentences

In this free 'have got' and 'has got' worksheet, students learn and practice using 'have got' and 'has got' in affirmative and negative sentences, as well as in...

ESL Have got and Has got Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Categorising, Binary Choice, Gap-fill, Matching, Writing and Rewriting Sentences In this free 'have got' and 'has got' worksheet, students learn and practice using 'have got' and 'has got' in affirmative and negative sentences, as well as in yes/no questions and short answers. First, students put subjects in the correct category, according to whether they are used with 'have got' or 'has got'. Students then underline the correct 'have got' or 'has got' form in each sentence. Next, students complete sentences with 'haven't got' or 'hasn't got'. After that, students complete yes/no questions with 'have' or 'has' and then match them to answers. Students then rewrite sentences, replacing the words in bold with the correct form of 'have got' or 'has got'. Following that, students look at a table for Tom, Emma, Ben and Mia and complete yes/no questions using 'Have' or 'Has' and answer the questions. Finally, students look at the table again and write six lines. On each line, they write two sentences. The first sentence is about what Tom or Emma has got, or what Ben and Mia have got. The second sentence is about what the student hasn't got.

Let's Face It

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL has got speaking activity preview with chart for describing facial features at elementary A1-A2 level

ESL Has got Activity - Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work

In this 'has got' activity on facial features, students ask and answer questions using 'has got' and complete a table that describes the facial features of several people. In pairs, students take turns asking...

ESL Has got Activity - Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work In this 'has got' activity on facial features, students ask and answer questions using 'has got' and complete a table that describes the facial features of several people. In pairs, students take turns asking questions with 'has got' (e.g. Matthew got blue eyes?) and completing a table with their partner's answers. When the students have finished, they check their answers by comparing worksheets. As an extension, students write descriptions of the people or themselves using 'has got'.

Pack your Bags

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL have you got group game preview for A1-A2 with speaking and item exchange for holiday vocabulary

ESL Have you got Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this rewarding 'Have you got...?' game, students race to find items they need for a holiday by asking and answering 'Have you got...?' questions. Each student has a picture card and a corresponding item...

ESL Have you got Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work In this rewarding 'Have you got...?' game, students race to find items they need for a holiday by asking and answering 'Have you got...?' questions. Each student has a picture card and a corresponding item card. The item card shows the things the students need to pack and the picture card shows things they've got but don't need. In order to get the items they need, students ask and answer 'Have you got...?' questions with the other people in their group. If a student is asked for an item that they have on their picture card, they reply 'Yes, I've got...' and cross the item off their picture card. The student asking for the item, then crosses it off their item card. When a student has obtained an item, they move on and speak to someone else. The first student to find all the items they need for their holiday is the winner.

What do we look like?

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL have got game for describing appearance using word cards at elementary A1-A2 level

ESL Have got Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences - Group Work

In this entertaining 'have got' game, students use word cards to build and read true sentences about their own and their classmates' appearance using affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got'. The aim of the game...

ESL Have got Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts - Group Work In this entertaining 'have got' game, students use word cards to build and read true sentences about their own and their classmates' appearance using affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got'. The aim of the game is to make as many true sentences as possible. In groups, students take turns looking at their word cards and making a true sentence, describing themselves or other people in the class. The sentence can be affirmative or negative, depending on the cards they have in their hands. If a student can make a true sentence that is at least four words long, they lay the cards down on the table and read the sentence, e.g. 'You have got blue eyes.' If a student cannot make a sentence, they may discard any number of cards and draw the same number from the pile to use on their next turn. The student with the most sentences on the table at the end of the game wins.

What have you got in your bag?

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL have got and has got activity for A1-A2 students matching and listing bag items and practicing questions

ESL Have got and Has got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Matching, Listing, Forming Sentences, Sentence Completion - Pair Work

In this useful 'have got' and 'has got' activity, students learn how to talk about possessions using affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got' with 'some' and 'any'. First, students match words to...

ESL Have got and Has got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Matching, Listing, Forming Sentences from Prompts, Sentence Completion - Pair Work In this useful 'have got' and 'has got' activity, students learn how to talk about possessions using affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got' with 'some' and 'any'. First, students match words to pictures of items commonly found in a bag and write the words under the pictures. Students then write a list of eight things they have got in their bag using the items from the worksheet. Next, students take turns telling their partner which items they have and haven't got in their bag. The other student puts a tick on their worksheet next to the items their partner has got and a cross next to the items they haven't got. Lastly, students complete sentences about what their partner has and hasn't got in their bag.

Find Out

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL have got speaking activity for A2 with students asking and answering questions about classmates' possessions

ESL Have You Got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice

In this insightful 'have got' activity, students find out what their classmates have by asking 'Have you got...?' questions, tallying yes answers and reporting their findings. The students' task is to find...

ESL Have You Got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Forming Sentences, Controlled and Freer Practice In this insightful 'have got' activity, students find out what their classmates have by asking 'Have you got...?' questions, tallying yes answers and reporting their findings. The students' task is to find out how many people in the class or group have got the things marked on their card. Students begin by preparing their 'Have you got...?' questions based on the items on their card. Students then go around the class asking and answering their 'Have you got...?' questions, e.g. 'Have you got a mountain bike?' Each time someone answers 'Yes, I have' to a question, students put a tick on the back of their card. Finally, students take turns reporting their findings to the class using 'have got' and 'has got'.

Find Someone Who's Got...

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Find Someone Who activity for have got/has got: students interview classmates and record responses at A2

ESL Have got and Has got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice

Here is a free 'have got' activity where students survey their classmates by asking 'Have you got' questions and then report what they found using 'has got'. Students start by going through the items on...

ESL Have got and Has got Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice Here is a free 'have got' activity where students survey their classmates by asking 'Have you got' questions and then report what they found using 'has got'. Students start by going through the items on the worksheet and forming a 'Have you got...?' question for each one. Students then write three more questions of their own at the end. Next, students go around the class asking the questions to one another, e.g. 'Have you got an older sister?' When a student finds someone who answers 'Yes, I have', they write down that person's name and ask a follow-up question (e.g. 'What's her name?'), noting down the answer. When everyone has finished, students write sentences about what they found out using 'has got'. Students then report back to the class by reading their sentences aloud.

Have got: Wh Questions

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL have got Wh questions game for A2: students form and ask questions using word cards in groups

ESL Have got Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work

In this productive 'have got' game, students use word cards to build and ask as many Wh questions with 'have got' and 'has got' as they can. Each word can be used more than once and singular nouns can be...

ESL Have got Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work In this productive 'have got' game, students use word cards to build and ask as many Wh questions with 'have got' and 'has got' as they can. Each word can be used more than once and singular nouns can be changed to plural nouns. One student goes first and makes a 'have got' Wh question with the cards, e.g. 'What have you got in your bag?' If the other group members agree the question is correct, the student writes it down and scores a point for each word card used in the question. The student then asks the question to the person on their right. If the person gives an appropriate answer, they score a point. The word cards are then placed back with the other cards. Students take turns making questions until time is up or they run out of ideas. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Have you got it right?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL have got sentence guessing game for A2: students guess and check statements about possessions with a partner

ESL Have got Game - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

This fun 'have got' game helps students practice forming statements, questions and short answers with 'have got'. First, students read each item and write 'I have(n't) got' in the column marked 'Me'...

ESL Have got Game - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts - Pair Work This fun 'have got' game helps students practice forming statements, questions and short answers with 'have got'. First, students read each item and write 'I have(n't) got' in the column marked 'Me', depending on whether the statement is true for them or not, e.g. 'I have got a new phone.' Working alone, students then guess whether the same things are true for a partner by writing 'He/She has(n't) got' in the 'My Partner' column, e.g. 'He hasn't got a new phone.' Next, students take turns finding out if their guesses are right or wrong by asking 'Have you got...?' questions to their partner, e.g. 'Have you got a new phone?' Their partner then answers 'Yes, I have' or 'No, I haven't'. If the student guessed correctly, they put a tick in the last column. If not, the student puts a cross. The student with the most correct guesses at the end of the game wins.

Monster Mash

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL has got activity for A2: students describe monsters, match drawings, and practice vocabulary for appearance

ESL Has got Activity - Grammar, Listening and Speaking: Describing, Matching, Drawing - Pair Work

In this amusing 'has got' and 'hasn't got' activity, students describe monsters to a partner using 'has got' and 'hasn't got' to talk about appearance. One student goes first and describes monster number 1...

ESL Has got Activity - Grammar, Listening and Speaking: Describing, Matching, Drawing - Pair Work In this amusing 'has got' and 'hasn't got' activity, students describe monsters to a partner using 'has got' and 'hasn't got' to talk about appearance. One student goes first and describes monster number 1 to their partner, who listens and numbers the monster being described on their worksheet. The student then moves on to describe the other monsters in turn until all four monsters have been identified by their partner. Students then swap roles. Following that, students take turns describing the monster shown on their worksheet for their partner to draw. Afterwards, the two students compare worksheets to check their answers and compare monsters.

Have you got a house for rent?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL worksheet for B1: students read and write about homes for rent using have got and has got

ESL Have got and Has got Worksheet - Reading and Grammar Exercises: Identifying, Writing Sentences, Sentence Completion

This comprehensive 'have got' and 'has got' worksheet helps students review the affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got' in the context of housing ads. First, students read....

ESL Have got and Has got Worksheet - Reading and Grammar Exercises: Identifying, Writing Sentences From Prompts, Sentence Completion This comprehensive 'have got' and 'has got' worksheet helps students review the affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got' in the context of housing ads. First, students read descriptions of six homes for rent. Students then write the two rental homes that correspond to each statement. Next, students read descriptions of people looking for homes to rent and write sentences about what the people have got and haven't got. After that, students use affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got' to complete sentences about which home for rent they think is best for all the people and why.

Understanding Have Got and Has Got

'Have got' and 'has got' mean the same as 'have' and 'has' and are used to talk about possession, relationships, and physical characteristics. 'Have got' goes with I, you, we, and they, while 'has got' goes with he, she, and it, so a student who writes 'He have got a car' instead of 'He has got a car' makes a subject-agreement error that immediately draws attention to itself in any written or spoken exchange.

This page covers have got and has got across A1-A2, A2, and B1 levels, with 14 activities including Battleships, information-gap tasks, guessing games, worksheets, and a real-world housing context activity, with two activities available as free downloads.

The following table shows the main forms of have got and has got across all subject groups at a glance.

FormI / you / we / theyhe / she / itExample
Affirmative I/you/we/they have got he/she/it has got 'She has got long hair.'
Negative I/you/we/they haven't got he/she/it hasn't got 'They haven't got a car.'
Yes/No Question Have I/you/we/they got...? Has he/she/it got...? 'Has he got a brother?'
Short Answer (Yes) Yes, I/you/we/they have. Yes, he/she/it has. 'Yes, she has.'
Short Answer (No) No, I/you/we/they haven't. No, he/she/it hasn't. 'No, they haven't.'
Wh Question What/Where have you/they got...? What/Where has he/she got...? 'What has she got in her bag?'

When to Use Have Got and Has Got

Describing Physical Appearance: Use 'has got' to describe a person's physical features in conversation, the way you might point someone out to a friend by saying 'She's the one with the red scarf. She's got curly hair and blue eyes.'

Talking About Current Possessions: Use 'have got' to talk about what someone has with them right now or currently owns, as when someone checks before leaving the house by asking 'Have you got your keys?'

Describing Family and Relationships: Use 'have got' and 'has got' to talk about family members and personal connections, the way someone might introduce themselves by saying 'I've got two brothers and a sister who lives in Canada.'

3-Step Framework for Teaching Have Got and Has Got

1. Open with a Battleships Game: Start with a game that makes question formation the engine of every single turn. Instead of calling out grid coordinates, each player forms a 'have got' or 'has got' question using the subject and noun phrase matching their chosen square, for example 'Has Kate got a car?' or 'Have you got long hair?' A hit earns 'Yes, she has' and a miss earns its negative equivalent, so every exchange drills the full question-and-short-answer pattern in a context that keeps students genuinely focused.

2. Build the Rule with a Worksheet: Follow up with a worksheet that starts at the most fundamental level: sorting subjects. Students categorize subject pronouns and nouns according to whether they take 'have got' or 'has got', which builds the core rule before any sentence work begins. The final task raises the stakes by having students write paired sentences: one about what a named person has got, followed immediately by a contrasting sentence about what the student themselves hasn't got, putting both forms side by side on every line.

3. Apply the Grammar in a Real-World Context: Round off with a worksheet that lifts the grammar into a reading context students can actually imagine themselves in. Students read descriptions of six homes for rent and write sentences about what prospective tenants have got and haven't got, working out which home suits which person. The final task pushes students further by asking them to use affirmative and negative forms of 'have got' and 'has got' to explain which home is best for all the people and why.

Common Mistakes with Have Got and Has Got

Using 'have got' with a Past Time Expression: Students often use 'have got' with past time expressions, not realizing that 'have got' refers to the present only and cannot be used with words like 'yesterday' or 'last week.' Wrong: 'Yesterday I have got a new phone.' Correct: 'Yesterday I got a new phone.'

Wrong Word Order in Questions: Students often place 'got' before the subject when forming questions, producing a word order that does not exist in English. Wrong: 'Have got you a pet?' Correct: 'Have you got a pet?'

Common Questions About Teaching Have Got and Has Got

What is a good speaking game for practicing 'Have you got...?' questions?

A good 'Have you got...?' speaking game gives students a real reason to ask. In Pack your Bags, each student holds a picture card showing items they have got but do not need, and an item card listing what they still need for a holiday. Anyone with a requested item replies 'Yes, I've got...' and crosses it off the card.

What is an effective speaking activity for practicing 'have got' and 'has got'?

An effective speaking activity for 'have got' and 'has got' combines both forms naturally. In the free Find Someone Who's Got... activity, students form 'Have you got...?' questions and go around the class asking them. When someone answers 'Yes, I have', students note their name and ask a follow-up question, then write sentences about their findings using 'has got'.

What is a useful worksheet for teaching 'have got' and 'has got' to beginners?

A useful worksheet for beginners covers all the key forms in one place. The free Have got or has got? worksheet starts by having students sort subjects into 'have got' and 'has got' categories, then moves through gap-fills, yes/no questions, and matching tasks before finishing with a writing task using both forms.