Search from various English teachers...
Lucas Fernandez
Community TutorHi everyone! I have a question... what is the difference between “don’t have” and “have not” what is the correct way to use it ? for example... “I don’t have a car” or “ i have not a car” ? I don’t have money” or I have not money” ?
Nov 13, 2021 12:18 PM
Answers · 6
Hi Lucas, you can say don't have a car or haven't got a car, both have the same meaning and you use them to talk about present tense.
November 13, 2021
Hola Lucas!
HAVE can be used as a main verb or an auxiliary verb. For example, "I haven't got a car." HAVE serves as an auxiliary for the verb "to get." As a general rule, we use "do not have" when referring to the negative present tense. Do not follow "have not" with a noun; for example, "I have not a car" or "I haven't a car."
Of course, language is often descriptive, not always prescriptive. We Canadians sometimes use, for example, "I haven't a clue." It's mostly an outdated usage, but it can be heard rarely. I speculate that it comes from our British roots. However, as native speakers of English, we use it sparingly if at all - like spice in a recipe. It sounds very awkward if used incorrectly.
November 13, 2021
IF you say "have not" with a noun, it would be "have no". I have no money. But in regular conversation, one would say: "I do not have a car", "I don't have money" or better "I don't have any money". In these cases "have" is not an axillary verb, it will require an axillary verb (like "do") to form questions and negative forms.
November 13, 2021
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Lucas Fernandez
Language Skills
Austrian German, English, Italian, Spanish
Learning Language
Austrian German, Italian
Articles You May Also Like

How to Ask for a Raise or Promotion in English
9 likes · 8 Comments

The Key to Learning a Language Faster
30 likes · 8 Comments

Why "General English" is Failing Your Career (An Engineer’s Perspective)
30 likes · 12 Comments
More articles
