"to have" in american english...?!?

Question

hi, i'd like to know how to use in american english the verb "to have".. for example, if i want say "i own a pen" , in unformal am. engl. i'll say "i have a pen", " i got a pen" or something else? and for negations (= i don't own a pen)

and in the other uses?
please i need an answer, tell me what's your way to say that in unformal language, i dont wanna learn an absurdly formal english or british english... thanks

thanks for your answers, so it seems that most of people say " i have a pen" and not " i got a pen" ?
and for example, is it the same with "permission"?
i have your permission or i got your permission?
and the question more common is " do u have a pen?" and not "have u got a pen?"

Answer 1

American English is almost entirely dependent on what part of the country you live in, and on what type of person you're talking to. For the most part, Americans say things like
"I have a pen."
If you want to use something more informal, you can use the word 'got' - but only if you have the word 'have' in front of it. For example, you can say:
"I've got a pen"
where "I've" is a shorthand way to say "I have".

Other sentence structures are...
"Did you get my letter?"
"Have you got any gum?"
"I got it!"
"Can I have that?"
"I've got to go."
"I've got a dog and a cat."
It's tricky because for the most part, 'got' should NOT be used as a replacement for a present-tense verb like 'have'. It's just gramatically incorrect.
But then, when did us Americans pay much attention to grammar anyway? ;)

Answer 2

You could say "I own a pen" but its kind of odd. Everyone in America owns a pen. I have 2 in my pocket, and 12 in my desk drawer at work and 3 rolling around in the car. I think what you want is "I have a pen", meaning right now, right here, I have the thing that you need.

Someone wants to write. They search their pockets for a pen. They look like they are lost. You say "I have a pen" or "here's a pen" or "here you go" and you hand them your pen. All's well. You've saved the day....Good luck.

Answer 3

American english depends greatly on which part of the nation you are in, who your audience is, and the context of the situation. If someone asks you, "Do you have a pen?"
You can say, "Yeah, I have one." or "Yeah, I got one." The informal is more in the "Yeah" instead of "Yes", which is more formal than "Yeah". It's probably better to say you have a pen, as "I got a pen" is incorrect grammar, unless you're saying you won a pen in a contest or something.

For the negative, you would simply say, "No, I don't."

Answer 4

"I have a pen or I've got a pen", is correct.
"He has a pen or hes got a pen", is correct.

However, if the item were an expensive item you would more likely say "own". As in, "I own a car" or "I own a house" although, you could also use "have" and it would be OK too but it might interpreted as, "you rent a house or rent a car".

Answer 5

"Have" or "have not" is fairly safe usage in most of the United States. Regional dialects will vary, but you won't be considered odd if you stick with "have."

I have a pen. I had a pen.
I have no pen. I had no pen.

I have used a pen.
I have not used a pen.

Answer 6

You would say I have a pen in my hand. So you wouldn't say i own a pen in my hand because it's improper gammer.

if you have any more questions just E-mail me at [e-mail]