Gotta

Question

like we say: I gotta go . Gotta means got to?? so isnt it wierd to say 'I got to go'.Shudnt we say 'I get to go'.

Guest · Accepted Answer

It's actually "I've got to go" --&gt; "I have got to go" expressing an obligation to go. "I get to go" implies that you've been given permission or the right to go.

MountainHiker · Answer

elcid,

I got to go. Means you you must leave now.

I get to go. You have permission to leave sometime. If you are prison, and you say to your cell mate, "My lawyer tells me I get to go in five days or less once my appeal is heard."

Shudnt is properly spelled shouldn't. Isnt is spelled isn't. Like we say should be As we say.

Hope that helps.

MountainHiker

CalifJim · Answer

The idiom is "have got" in both American and British English. It is a purely idiomatic alternate for "have" and is not much used except in the present tense. That is, "have got" is the present tense of this idiom, even though "get" is the present tense form of "to get", and the past is "got". This is because "have got" is Present Perfect in form, though not in meaning. To be more specific, "have got" is the British Present Perfect, the American Present Perfect being "have gotten". So in American English we have "My brother has gotten up early this morning", whereas in British English we have "My brother has got up early this morning." Nevertheless, the idiom is "have got" in both AmEng and BrEng, not "have gotten", not even in American English.

I have got a pen. = I have a pen.
I have not got any money. = I do not have any money.

Using contractions:

I've got a pen. = I have a pen.
I haven't got any money. = I don't have any money.

The use of "have got" for "have" extends to the affirmative form of the semi-modal "have to", so that "have got to" is an idiomatic substitute for "have to" (meaning "must"). The negative form is rare.

I have got to meet my friend at 10 o'clock. =
I've got to meet my friend at 10 o'clock. = I have to meet my friend at 10 o'clock.

The full conjugation with contractions is:

I've got to ...; you've got to ...; he's (he has) got to ...; she's (she has) got to ... ; we've got to ... ; you've got to ...; they've got to ...;

In fast or less careful speech the contracted "have" ('ve) is glossed over and can barely be heard -- or may not be heard at all. Simultaneously, the "got to" collapses into "gotta". (In American English this is pronounced "godda".) The "z" sound in "he's got" and "she's got" (which stands for "has") remains, however. This leads to the following "conjugation" (using "go" as the complement verb):

I gotta go, you gotta go, he's gotta go, she's gotta go,
we gotta go, you gotta go, they gotta go

This is used in conversation only; it should never be used in formal writing under any circumstances!

Jun-god · Answer

0Thanks, CJ~! 02br
02br
00Now, I almost05000 understood what is the difference betwwen them and when I shold use or not use them.010id1

Anonymous · Answer

Great explanation! Tks

Whatchadoin · Answer

CalifJimI have got a pen. = I have a pen.

Are version with "have got" and "has got" used a lot in everyday speech and writing?

CalifJim · Answer

whatchadoinAre version with "have got" and "has got" used a lot in everyday speech and writing?

Not as such. The contracted forms are used a lot, though. I've got, he's got, etc.

CJ

Whatchadoin · Answer

CalifJim I've got, he's got

Do people use them even in writing? Will I sound uneducated if I use them?

CalifJim · Answer

whatchadoinDo people use them even in writing?

Yes, in informal writing — a letter or email to a friend, written dialog between friends and family in a novel, that sort of thing — but not in serious news articles or scientific papers.

whatchadoinWill I sound uneducated if I use them?

No. Not at all. Certainly not in ordinary conversations with friends and family.

CJ

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